Embracing Black culture on campus, beyond Black History Month

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their role in U.S. history, according to History.com.  

There are resources available at CMU to learn more about Black identity. Black faculty, staff and students discussed what Black History means to them. 

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James Span Jr., executive director of the Center for Student Inclusion and Diversity, said his race and gender are his two most dominant identities.

“I am 100% a Black man who has graduated from two historically Black colleges and universities, who is the son of a Black man and a Black woman who was born and raised into a Black Christian church,” Span said. “I choose to use Black instead of the term African American because of the correlation and connection that links to our struggle and to appease non-Blacks, as African American may sound easier.

“During the civil rights movement, my people resisted, fought, stood up and sat for themselves to resolve issues of housing, equity, jobs, wealth and health care for many generations to come."

Alfred Harper, assistant director for Multicultural Student Education at the MASS office, said he attended the historically Black college and university (HBCU), Central State University. 

“As I attended CSU, I was grateful to receive an education because there was a time when we were not able or allowed to enroll at predominate white institutions,” Harper said. “Being a first-generation college student and being the first male in my family to finish my master's and currently working on my doctoral degree, I am setting an example for my younger cousins and my nephew in real-time.”

Black RSOs on Campus

Presidents, founders and members of Black registered student organizations (RSOs) on campus said their experiences at CMU shaped them as Black leaders.

The Women’s Initiative for Strength and Hope (WISH) works with women on leadership, professional skills and connecting with women leaders in the community. 

Janay Johnson, the president of WISH, said the organization has shaped her experience on campus. 

“I believe that there’s a unity that is encouraged," Johnson said. "Collaboration through team building is a part of Black culture. WISH collaborates with Black Girls Rock, Black Men Rock and Men About Change to gain campus mentoring and community resources.”

Dasia Myles, the program coordinator for WISH, said the program helps women of color find a system of support on campus. 

“I have helped women of color realize there is a safe space for them," Myles said. "My experience has helped shape me where to look for people who have common ground. The programs WISH works within, including Native American Programs, the Student Transitioning and Enrichment Program and Native American Indigenous Student Organizations, are not getting pushed enough to get the recognition that they deserve at CMU.”

The Organization of Black Leaders (OBL) focuses on “building a sense of community amongst Black students while developing leadership and professional skills,” according to OBL's Instagram. 

Danielle Lewis founded OBL in August 2020 and is the current president. She said Black resistance is very prominent within history and communities. 

“When I think of Black resistance, I think about the residual of the terrible things that happened in our history, and it motivates me to continue that fight and continue resisting against the systems put in place before I was born,” Lewis said. “In the future, I see myself as a lawyer defending people of color and people who are put in the system not made to protect us.”

The Organization for Black Unity Fashion Show (OBU) hosts an annual fashion show, usually in February because of Black History Month. The show is meant to uplift the Black voices and images on campus through media including song, fashion and various forms of art. 

Gabriela Salais, vice president of OBU, has been a model for the fashion show. 

“Being a model of the past three years and seeing how hard the e-board has worked, I realized that it would be a great time for me to make a mark in the program as a collaborator,” Salais said. “Since the month of September or October, I have been connecting with models, vendors and the fashion department at CMU to put on a show for the Black community.

“The OBU Fashion Show is put on to inspire the Black and brown community of men and women to experience love and joy."

Imani Ellsworth, a model for OBU, said the experience with other people of color has been enjoyable. 

"This is my second year on campus and during my freshman year, I didn't get into many organizations," Ellsworth said. "It was kind of hard to find my people, and I often felt lonely because I was centralized around caucasians because this is a PWI.

“I think it’s hard being African American at a PWI because we’re often being discriminated against and we often try 10 times harder to get to where our white counterparts are.”

ReaXtioN (RXN) “is an all-embracing dance team whose mission is to positively impact the community, and more importantly, build a space to support one another to support through the art of dance," according to RXN's Engage Central Page.

Destiny Taylor, president and founder of RXN, said she has had a love for dance since she was 3 years old. As a freshman, Taylor said she loved to dance for Rampage, but wanted to explore various forms of dance including ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, step and majorette. 

“When I looked around campus, there were spaces for Caucasian people that did all styles of dance, so I decided to create a space for Black (students) to participate in all styles of dance,” Taylor said. “I have 16 members on the dance team, and I am just so happy because those dancers also show the same experiences as why I created RXN.”

Alisia Knox, fashion coordinator for RXN, said it’s a fun and comforting experience. 

“I noticed that ever since I joined RXN, I enjoy being around like-minded individuals and being around people who think like you and like to take risks like you and think big," Knox said. 

Knox said, as a Black woman on campus, she often feels "invisible" at CMU. 

“A lot of my classes, I do end up being the only Black person, and there will be times that I have to work with my peers, the white students don’t even look my way,” Knox said. “Recently, I walked into the classroom with my hoodie on, and sat next to the same person every day, they scooted closer to the wall, and it made them very uncomfortable.

“It’s little situations like those that will get you thinking and learn to pay more attention to everybody around you as they interact with people like you and others."

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is an organization focused on the belief that students of color studying multimedia journalism at CMU should work together to pursue scholarships, internships and professional opportunities.

Elijah Lewis, vice president of NABJ at CMU, said, as a Black man, he notices many micro-aggressions and stereotypes that have become common on campus.

“We can’t help the looks that we receive just because we’re a minority or simply that I am a Black man who is six-foot-five who has dreads and wears earrings," Lewis said. “I feel that a lot of people take that as my stereotype that I’m big, Black, and scary. That’s not really the case because I’m a real gentle giant once you get to know me or converse with me.

Creative Z is for creative individuals to invent and generate new ideas through different forms of art. 

Mannie Calloway, the Student Government Association representative for Creative Z, said the experience with the RSO has helped him and he is proud that this organization has a predominantly Black e-board. 

Calloway said he felt that he "lost himself" and suffered being the only Black person in his classes. 

“A lot of times, it made me code switch, as now that I am in an environment away from my people and it was only on white mode," Calloway said. “I’ll lose the way I speak, slang, the way I start thinking to a point where that became my regular voice.

“Until I realized that I didn’t have to code switch ... that’s something that people outside of my culture will have to live with based on their own insecurities."

Many Black leaders at CMU said building a connection with a Black faculty member or joining an inclusive RSO are good ways to explore their Black identity.

"The phrase Black is Beautiful referred to a broad embrace of Black culture and identity,” Smithsonian Institute’s website said. “It is called an appreciation of the Black past as a worthy legacy, and it inspired cultural pride in contemporary Black achievements.”