The Struggle is (Still) Real: Reflections on Modern Day Black Resistance

Transcript

• 00:00Good morning, everyone.
• 00:01Thank you, as Kieran was saying,
• 00:04for pivoting to fully virtual and thank
• 00:07you to our speakers for being here today.
• 00:10As has become a tradition,
• 00:12we are going to share some stories
• 00:15from our community around Black
• 00:17History Month and we're focusing today
• 00:20on the topic of black resistance.
• 00:23And so again, thank you for pivoting.
• 00:26We'll focus on this theme and it
• 00:27was set forth by the Association
• 00:29for the Study of African.
• 00:30Life and history and with we are
• 00:33presenting this with the goal to kind
• 00:35of expand the definition of black
• 00:37resistance and shine the light on
• 00:39some modern day leaders and forms.
• 00:41And so before I move on,
• 00:43I just want to remind you to you know
• 00:47scan in for your continuing education
• 00:50credits and just as an FYI move,
• 00:53we're going to have two presentations
• 00:55coming up, one in March and one in April.
• 00:59Which the one?
• 01:00March has been approved for CEO's
• 01:03and so we will it'll be important
• 01:05to sign in and sign out in.
• 01:07We'll have some structures for that.
• 01:09But please if you're looking
• 01:11for CEO's that is one to make.
• 01:12Those are two to make sure to attend
• 01:14and to help us with the pilot and
• 01:16also to look for Christo's e-mail
• 01:18on the other presentations for
• 01:20grand rounds that are coming up in.
• 01:23The next one that we will enjoy
• 01:24is by Jake Luton, so.
• 01:28So to move on,
• 01:29black resistance tends to evoke
• 01:31thoughts of activist engagement,
• 01:33protests, civil rights leaders and
• 01:34groups such as the Black Panthers.
• 01:37But that's really just a narrow view.
• 01:39And today we're going to share some
• 01:42words from osla about black resistance.
• 01:44And as usual, I well,
• 01:47I usually like to send you
• 01:49things throughout the book,
• 01:50throughout Black History Month.
• 01:52And unfortunately this month
• 01:53I was not able to.
• 01:54However,
• 01:55I got some people to share with you
• 01:57today so that you can have some.
• 01:59Of that information anyway,
• 02:02and we really just want to focus on some
• 02:04of the modern faces and forms of resistance,
• 02:07and then we'll hear from some
• 02:09of our community members about
• 02:11their own experiences.
• 02:12And so,
• 02:13and I'm taking some of this information
• 02:17directly from assault asela.
• 02:19Black people in America have resisted
• 02:21historic and ongoing oppression in all forms,
• 02:24especially the racial terrorism
• 02:25that's plagued us since we were
• 02:28stolen from our ancestral lands
• 02:29and brought to these shores.
• 02:31Acts of resistance for required to
• 02:33be given access to a dignified self
• 02:36determined life in a just democratic.
• 02:39Society in the United States and
• 02:41beyond the US political jurisdiction,
• 02:43the 50s and the 1950s and 70s in
• 02:45the United States was defined
• 02:47by actions such as sit Inns,
• 02:49boycotts, walkouts,
• 02:50strikes,
• 02:50and by black people and allies
• 02:53in the fight for justice against
• 02:55discrimination in all sectors of society,
• 02:58from employment to education and to housing.
• 03:05I selected. Black people have brought.
• 03:09Ways. And actually, excuse me,
• 03:11is this Kieran? I can't tell.
• 03:13Is it being recorded because some
• 03:15people have asked about that.
• 03:16It's being recorded. Yeah,
• 03:17just wanted to make sure. Thank you.
• 03:24Black people have had to consistently
• 03:26push the United States to live
• 03:27up to its ideals of freedom,
• 03:28liberty, and justice for all.
• 03:31Systematic oppression has sought to negate
• 03:33much of the dreams of our greats like
• 03:35Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston,
• 03:37and our freedom fighters like the
• 03:39Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King,
• 03:41Junior SEPTA Mcclarkin, Fannie Lou Hammer.
• 03:44They fought the.
• 03:48Things they fought to realize.
• 03:49And black people have sought ways to
• 03:52nurture and protect black lives and
• 03:53for autonomy of their physical and
• 03:55intellectual bodies through armed resistance,
• 03:57voluntary immigration, nonviolence,
• 04:00education, literature, sports,
• 04:02media, and legislation.
• 04:07Today, to leave us adequate
• 04:08time to hear from our community
• 04:10members about their experiences,
• 04:11I'm just going to highlight a few
• 04:12of the other forms and leaders of
• 04:14black resistance and the different
• 04:16organizations that have helped them.
• 04:22And so. Art is also a form of
• 04:26resistance and certainly this
• 04:27is not a comprehensive list.
• 04:29If it was, we would be here for
• 04:30the next like 17 grand rounds.
• 04:32So this is just a sampling and I wanted
• 04:36to draw back to this forum which we
• 04:39first heard about from Tangela last,
• 04:41I think it was last year.
• 04:44Regarding quilting and so Nettie
• 04:47pettaway young. Is.
• 04:51One of the G's bend quilters,
• 04:53and so the story sort of around
• 04:55some of this idea of quilting
• 04:58as a form of resistance is that
• 05:00focuses on the southern quilting.
• 05:02Collectives including the bend
• 05:04and the Freedom quilting bee,
• 05:07both in Alabama,
• 05:08preserve the lineage of the craft
• 05:10while creating an economic platform
• 05:12of self-reliance and political
• 05:14engagement for their members.
• 05:15Inspired by a 1965 visit from
• 05:18Martin Luther King Junior,
• 05:19who encouraged the women of
• 05:21Geese Ben to participate in the
• 05:23civil Right rights movement,
• 05:24the Freedom Quilting Bee was formed in 1966.
• 05:27And by selling their handmade quilts,
• 05:29the collective raised essential
• 05:31funds that were funneled back
• 05:32into the community and invested
• 05:34into the civil rights activism.
• 05:36The techniques that in excuse me
• 05:38employed by the cultures cutting
• 05:40repurposed items of clothing and
• 05:41other material into strips and using
• 05:44them to create intricate geometric.
• 05:46Patterns was passed down from
• 05:47generation to generation.
• 05:51North Carolina artist Precious Lavelle.
• 05:55So she's worked on and in the garment
• 05:57industry in New York and taught fashion
• 05:59fibers and surface design before
• 06:01shifting her focus to visual art.
• 06:03Her work explores the narrative potential
• 06:05of cloth, depicting important moments in
• 06:08history and expressing social critique.
• 06:11Although no longer the case. Historically,
• 06:13fiber arts were considered women's work,
• 06:15Lavelle said in an interview.
• 06:17However, even in the historical sense,
• 06:19it has been a vehicle for activism,
• 06:21memory making. And historical preservation.
• 06:28Moving it on into other
• 06:30visual arts is Titus Kafar,
• 06:31whose paintings have always been
• 06:34blunt in confront and confronting
• 06:35both the paucity of black figures
• 06:37in traditional western art and
• 06:39the tragic inequities of black
• 06:40life in the United States.
• 06:44Some of his art. You know what?
• 06:47The best thing to do is to show
• 06:49it to you. So he really just
• 06:51works to flip the narrative.
• 06:56And so these are two examples
• 06:58of the art that he has created
• 07:00behind the myth of benevolence,
• 07:02which is the one on your right is
• 07:04an A piece that he made in which he
• 07:07carefully flipped a replica of Gilbert
• 07:10Stewart's portrait of Thomas Jefferson.
• 07:12You can see that it's been partly
• 07:14removed from its stretcher and hangs
• 07:15to one side like a drawn back curtain.
• 07:17Behind this this solidly attached
• 07:19to the stretcher is a second canvas
• 07:21and another layer of the great
• 07:24man's personal history and intimate.
• 07:26The trail of a beautiful young black woman.
• 07:28Her image refers to Sally Hemings
• 07:30and enslaved women of mixed race who
• 07:33belonged to Jefferson and whose six
• 07:35children were, all unlikelihood,
• 07:36fathered by him.
• 07:38And so in his art,
• 07:40he's flipping the narrative and
• 07:42focusing on the the black stories
• 07:45in this as well.
• 07:46The one on the left is 1 called
• 07:49enough about you,
• 07:50and it flips a famous painting of Elihu Yale.
• 07:53This is from his crumpled series,
• 07:55and in it,
• 07:56it shows Elihu Yale and some of
• 07:58his folks being served by a young
• 08:01black enslaved boy.
• 08:02And so in this he shifts the focus
• 08:05from from this to this young
• 08:07black boy and removes the collar.
• 08:10That was affixed to his neck and
• 08:12actually show you can see the folds
• 08:15of the fabric of the canvas actually
• 08:18pointing to this young black man,
• 08:20excuse me, black boy to make him the focus.
• 08:26In his from a tropical space,
• 08:29he really focuses on black.
• 08:32And African American mothers
• 08:34caring for their children.
• 08:36But you'll see that they're
• 08:38all cut out in the paintings.
• 08:40So there's only empty space.
• 08:42There's not even canvas there
• 08:43that's literally cut out.
• 08:45And it forces us to contemplate
• 08:46the loss of the lives of black
• 08:49children and the history they
• 08:50would have had with their mothers
• 08:52and in this world and having that
• 08:54history be forever banished.
• 08:59So you can see that art is a very
• 09:02powerful form of resistance and activism.
• 09:07And so then there's also the world of
• 09:09sports and sports are a world pastime.
• 09:11It's both brings people
• 09:12together and separates them.
• 09:14Black athletes have used sports
• 09:15as a way to advocate for social
• 09:17issues and for political agendas.
• 09:19Serena Williams, Flojo,
• 09:20Jesse Owens, Tommy Smith,
• 09:22John Carlos, Jackie Robinson,
• 09:23Colin Kaepernick,
• 09:24Simone Biles and many others have
• 09:26used their public forum to bring
• 09:29awareness to issues that affect society,
• 09:31as they resisted the idea that they cannot
• 09:33or should not speak about political,
• 09:35cultural or social.
• 09:37Issues black athletic activists have
• 09:39often suffered personal and economic
• 09:41consequences due to their stances,
• 09:43speech and actions,
• 09:45but to them,
• 09:46it's been worth it to see the changes.
• 09:53And another form is authors and publications.
• 09:56And so to promote the awareness of
• 09:59the myriad of issues and activities,
• 10:01media outlets were developed including
• 10:03radio shows, podcast, newspapers,
• 10:05etcetera to contest the scourge of lynchings.
• 10:10Excuse me, I'd be wells used publications
• 10:12to contest the scourge of of lynching.
• 10:15These outlets were pivotal in
• 10:16sharing the successes and challenges
• 10:18of resistance movements and these
• 10:19are and these in front of you are
• 10:21some of the contemporary titles.
• 10:27And scholarship is activism.
• 10:28And so you may recognize
• 10:29the person who's up there,
• 10:31but that is Doctor Amanda Calhoun.
• 10:33She did hope to join us today,
• 10:35but had an unexpected obstacle.
• 10:37But we're going to shine the light on
• 10:39some of her form of activism as well,
• 10:40which is really, there are many.
• 10:44But the one that I wanted her to focus
• 10:46on and the one I'd like to focus on
• 10:49briefly is around scholarship as activism.
• 10:51And so she's in her third year,
• 10:53for those of you who may not be familiar.
• 10:56But she's one of our adult child psychiatry
• 11:00residents at the School of Medicine,
• 11:02and she's done a number of
• 11:05publications among them.
• 11:06This is just a snippet.
• 11:07My brother is still unvaccinated because of
• 11:10our because our medical system is ablest.
• 11:13The intersection of Black youth,
• 11:14mental health and racism,
• 11:16some attendings are safer than
• 11:17others navigating supervision.
• 11:19As a black psychiatry resident,
• 11:22the last one I saw was New Year's same
• 11:24racism in which she talks about her
• 11:26commitment as a doctor to continue to
• 11:29fight racism and fight for HealthEquity.
• 11:31And certainly I cannot do
• 11:33a mandas words justice,
• 11:34so I will not try.
• 11:35But I would like to just highlight that
• 11:38she is just one of many within our School
• 11:41of Medicine and Doctor Cindy Cristo.
• 11:43Doctor Carmen Black doctor Amber Chiles
• 11:45are just other examples of people who
• 11:48are using scholarship as activism.
• 11:52And so we'll move on now to
• 11:54hear from our community members.
• 11:56We have some stories from our some
• 12:00of our folks from across the center.
• 12:03And we are going to hear about their
• 12:05experiences in spaces of resistance and
• 12:07the impact that it's had in their lives.
• 12:09As you listen, think about the
• 12:11ways that you help or hinder.
• 12:13Think about the ways you contribute to
• 12:15making safe spaces or to hostile spaces.
• 12:17And think about the call to everyone
• 12:20inside and outside the Academy to study
• 12:22the history of Black American responses,
• 12:25to establish safe spaces where
• 12:27black life can be sustained,
• 12:29fortified, and respected.
• 12:30And may we continue to work toward
• 12:32a world in which we do not have to.
• 12:34All of our energy to resist.
• 12:39So I am going to stop my share
• 12:42and I am going to invite.
• 12:44Brianna Brauer and she is
• 12:48going to share her experience.
• 12:51In an HBC. So before we move on,
• 12:54it's probably helpful,
• 12:55if you haven't already,
• 12:56to put your setting into speaker mode.
• 12:58That way you can focus on
• 13:00the person who is about to
• 13:02share experiences with you.
• 13:03So, Brianna, please.
• 13:05Thank you, Tara.
• 13:06So as Tara mentioned,
• 13:08I am here to talk about my
• 13:11experience attending an HB CU.
• 13:13And as I was going through this
• 13:15presentation, I thought about
• 13:16the way that I wanted to start.
• 13:17And the first thing that came to
• 13:19mind was that I imagine that this
• 13:22theme of black resistance can evoke a
• 13:24range of associations depending upon
• 13:26the person who is kind of thinking
• 13:28about that phrase in the moment.
• 13:30So thoughts of rebellions
• 13:32or revolutions or movements,
• 13:35but what was stirred up for me.
• 13:37Those representations of
• 13:38resilience and strength.
• 13:40And so I am a first generation
• 13:42college graduate and one of the few
• 13:44people in my extended family who
• 13:46actually pursued a graduate degree.
• 13:48And my ancestors,
• 13:49like many other people of African descent,
• 13:52were taken from their homeland,
• 13:54brought to this country,
• 13:56and were prohibited from accessing
• 13:58information in order to pursue
• 14:00higher education.
• 14:01And so there was this pervasive
• 14:03belief that existed throughout this
• 14:05country that if enslaved people.
• 14:07Aren't to read and write that they
• 14:09would resist ******* and rise up
• 14:11and they would be able to kind
• 14:13of resist freedom and black and
• 14:16resistance was not allowed to
• 14:18exist within the same sentence.
• 14:20But free and enslaved black
• 14:22people did resist.
• 14:23They resisted the system of *******
• 14:25by learning to read and write
• 14:27in the defiance of anti literacy
• 14:29laws and as a means of liberation
• 14:31they went on to spread their
• 14:33knowledge to other black people.
• 14:35But resistance wasn't woven
• 14:36into the fabric of our country.
• 14:39There weren't institutions in
• 14:41America that cultivated educational
• 14:43opportunities for black people to
• 14:45pursue higher levels of education.
• 14:47There wasn't how to dismantle the
• 14:49structures that perpetuate racism that
• 14:51was on the course course curriculum.
• 14:54And black bodies weren't openly
• 14:56admitted to these sacred white
• 14:58spaces that often taught white
• 15:00individuals to learn trades and skills.
• 15:02And so the formation of colleges and
• 15:04universities dedicated to black.
• 15:06People was impossible.
• 15:07The very consideration itself was taboo.
• 15:11In fact, right here in America.
• 15:13I'm sorry, right here in New Haven.
• 15:15Exactly.
• 15:16There have been efforts to establish
• 15:18the first Black College in America.
• 15:21But that proposal to create the
• 15:23***** College is what they were going
• 15:24to call it for African Americans,
• 15:26was swiftly met with opposition from
• 15:29Yale leadership and prominent white
• 15:31citizens right here in New Haven.
• 15:33The repercussions of pondering
• 15:35over such a venture as starting a
• 15:37black college spilled over into the
• 15:39local New Haven black communities,
• 15:41and they were plagued by violent
• 15:43oppression and mob attacks to
• 15:45send that message that black and
• 15:47resistance could not be allowed
• 15:49to exist within the same sentence.
• 15:51It wasn't until the first predominantly
• 15:53black institution was created in
• 15:551837 that black people had a place
• 15:58dedicated to the education of
• 16:00former slaves and free black people.
• 16:03The Institute for Colored Youth
• 16:04opened the door of educational
• 16:06opportunity for African Americans who
• 16:08were once legally denied an education.
• 16:11The Institute for Colored Youth
• 16:12is now known as Shanee
• 16:14University in Pennsylvania,
• 16:15and it's the oldest historically black
• 16:17college and university that still exists.
• 16:20Following the abolition of slavery,
• 16:21there were a number of HB CU that were
• 16:24created as hubs of innovative learning
• 16:26and they were opportunities for African
• 16:28Americans to pursue higher education and
• 16:31from their inception HB CU have refused
• 16:34to accept the usual state of affairs.
• 16:37HBC US have challenged the
• 16:39intellectual capacity of its
• 16:40students to acquire and contribute,
• 16:42contribute knowledge to the world,
• 16:44promote scholarship like Doctor Calhoun
• 16:47on addressing injustices in our society.
• 16:50And providing real training
• 16:51and education to all people,
• 16:53not just black people.
• 16:55The existence of HBC US exemplifies
• 16:59black resistance.
• 17:00I have had the privilege
• 17:02of attending to HBC US,
• 17:04North Carolina,
• 17:05A&T State University and Howard University,
• 17:07which is the sweater that
• 17:09I'm wearing currently,
• 17:10and I chose to attend an HB CU at
• 17:12they're sitting in a high school
• 17:14African American history course that
• 17:16was taught by a white professor,
• 17:18and for six months we taught and learned
• 17:21about the history of American slavery.
• 17:23I recognize that where we've
• 17:25been and forms where we're going,
• 17:27but I knew there had to be more than
• 17:29just slavery that operated within
• 17:31the existence of black people.
• 17:33I chose an HBC U because I wanted
• 17:35to be able to reflect upon the
• 17:37history of my ancestors,
• 17:38as well as learn about the resilience
• 17:40and strength and perseverance of
• 17:41black people in this country.
• 17:44And HBC,
• 17:44you provided me with that counter
• 17:46narrative that black people in this
• 17:48country can be activists and leaders,
• 17:50artists, medical professionals,
• 17:52business owners, engineers,
• 17:53scientists, tradespeople, educators.
• 17:55I learned about the historical
• 17:58initiatives such as the lunch counter
• 18:00sit INS that were organized by the
• 18:03North Carolina A&T for students,
• 18:04the freedom rise that were coordinated
• 18:06throughout the southern states,
• 18:08the activism efforts to form the first
• 18:10black student union at a predominantly
• 18:12white institution in San Francisco.
• 18:14I can remember from personal experiences
• 18:17the gut wrenching news coverage of the
• 18:19killing of Trayvon Martin and the student
• 18:22activist that were at my institution.
• 18:24That galvanized the community to take
• 18:26part in actionable solutions because we
• 18:29couldn't just sit and stand by and watch.
• 18:31I remember,
• 18:32if I sit still for long enough,
• 18:33that feeling that I had when we were
• 18:35at an election night watch party and
• 18:37former President Barack Obama was
• 18:39elected as the first black president
• 18:41of the United States of America.
• 18:44My HB CU taught me black resistance.
• 18:48But my journey wouldn't be told
• 18:50authentically without mentioning the fear.
• 18:52I was told my degree wouldn't be reputable.
• 18:55Coming from an HP CU,
• 18:57I would never be taken seriously.
• 18:59I would have to work twice as hard,
• 19:01and even then that wouldn't mean much.
• 19:03I pursue my next degree at a predominantly
• 19:06white institution out of trepidation
• 19:08that I will be seen as inferior.
• 19:10That I wasn't enough,
• 19:12I wasn't good enough.
• 19:13I learned from bright minds
• 19:15at that institution,
• 19:16but I missed that palpable
• 19:18feeling of black resilience,
• 19:20black intellect, black resistance.
• 19:21And I yearned for that safe
• 19:23space where I could learn,
• 19:24discover, and build community.
• 19:26I returned to an HB CU Howard
• 19:28University because I was inspired
• 19:31by the representation of black
• 19:33excellence that I saw in my community,
• 19:35on my campus and in the classroom.
• 19:38The HBCU experience served as a
• 19:40beacon of promise and pride for me.
• 19:43It's an indescribable semblance of assurance,
• 19:45reassurance of black resilience
• 19:48in the face of resistance.
• 19:50Unfortunately,
• 19:51as our title suggests,
• 19:52the struggle is still real.
• 19:55There are just over 100 HBC US in America,
• 19:58which only constitutes about 3% of the higher
• 20:02education institutions in the country,
• 20:04and those schools are mainly clustered
• 20:06in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic states.
• 20:08And many of the misconceptions
• 20:10about their rigor and the lack of
• 20:13upward mobility and challenges
• 20:15with systemic racism have left
• 20:17them vulnerable to enrollment
• 20:19declines in public underfunding.
• 20:21HBC's continue to be forced into lockdown
• 20:23and evacuations because of bomb threats,
• 20:25some of which I experienced while I
• 20:27was right there at my institution.
• 20:29They face racial inequities and our
• 20:31discounted informs on research and
• 20:34scholarship of the highest caliber.
• 20:36There's a significant omission in
• 20:37conversation about the black and
• 20:39Brown colleagues who attended HBC US
• 20:41and still contribute their advocacy
• 20:43and leadership efforts every day
• 20:45to each of our missions right here
• 20:47in this room. Still,
• 20:49HBC use must go on because these
• 20:52institutions continue to stand as
• 20:54a testament of black resistance,
• 20:55all while empowering generations of
• 20:58leaders such as Justice Thurgood Marshall.
• 21:01Doctor Martin Luther King,
• 21:02Junior Congressman John Lewis and our
• 21:05current Madam Vice President Kamala Harris.
• 21:09HBC US have a legacy that continues
• 21:11even now into the 21st century,
• 21:14which makes them celebrated,
• 21:15indispensable and a model of
• 21:17modern day black resistance.
• 21:19I am a product of a HB CU
• 21:22I am black resistance.
• 21:25Thank you.
• 21:31Thank you so much for sharing that,
• 21:33Brianna and. I'm so pleased that
• 21:37you decided to bring yourself
• 21:39here and share your gifts with us.
• 21:42So the next person we're going to hear from,
• 21:45you all heard from before,
• 21:47who is Miss Belinda Oliver?
• 21:50And but we're actually going to hear
• 21:52from her from a different hat that
• 21:53she's worn for many, many years.
• 21:55And so she's going to share
• 21:57with us about the Black Church
• 22:00and her experiences there.
• 22:02Belinda.
• 22:03Thank you, Tara. First piece is
• 22:06there's so many different layers when
• 22:08we talk about the Black Church and
• 22:10we would be here for days and so,
• 22:13but I wanted to be a little succinct today
• 22:15and there may be conversations later.
• 22:17So I will begin. Ironically,
• 22:19when we began the clinical care rounds
• 22:21after George Floyd's murder in 2020,
• 22:24we were initially told.
• 22:26We could not call on the name of Jesus.
• 22:29Many missed that this is how the
• 22:32Black Church flows IE through prayer
• 22:34and calling on God's son Jesus.
• 22:37And remember when we were zoom bomb?
• 22:39Well the next request became
• 22:41can we have prayer?
• 22:42So that was a contrast right there.
• 22:44But isn't that typical of black resistance?
• 22:47We must fight for our space to be
• 22:49heard and treated like human beings.
• 22:51We are no longer carted on
• 22:53cargo ships from our homelands,
• 22:55yet still many of us are
• 22:57locked up in our minds.
• 22:58Our jobs, our homes,
• 23:00and our black men continue to fear for
• 23:03their lives as a fourth generation
• 23:06child of a Christian family.
• 23:08Minister, I am also one.
• 23:10I ponder the dynamics,
• 23:11the dynamics of the Black Lives
• 23:13Matter and black resistance.
• 23:15I cannot say that there are any right
• 23:17or wrong answers for today's session.
• 23:19However, I can share some of my thoughts.
• 23:22We have traveled a long way but
• 23:24still have a long way to go.
• 23:26We state the Black Church,
• 23:27yet Christ does not see color,
• 23:29for we're called to love all of humanity.
• 23:33There are layers and nuances we cannot
• 23:35deny that systemic privilege and white.
• 23:38Agility and privileges are real.
• 23:41Some churches emphasis on churches
• 23:43because we have always had allies
• 23:45house those who stood in the forefront
• 23:48or ran for their lives and contrast.
• 23:50For years, Christianity was used
• 23:52as a weapon to manipulate tribes.
• 23:55For example,
• 23:56I recently saw a movie about Queen and Zynga.
• 24:00She was a Southwest African ruler.
• 24:03Who served as Queen of the Ambunda kingdoms,
• 24:06and she's now will be considered
• 24:08the present day Angola.
• 24:10The movie shook me.
• 24:11I encourage you to check it out on Netflix.
• 24:14One of her parting words to one
• 24:16of the priests was why should
• 24:18I serve a God that treats your
• 24:21people differently from mine?
• 24:22The Portuguese had requested the tribes
• 24:25be baptized and filed their ways,
• 24:27and at the same time they demanded 200
• 24:30slaves to appease the war between the two,
• 24:33the tribes and the Portuguese.
• 24:34It was bloody.
• 24:36Please keep in mind that many races
• 24:38were indentured slaves so they could.
• 24:40Court for their freedom and contrast, really.
• 24:43Were Africans able to become free?
• 24:46They were considered chattel and not human.
• 24:48My grandmother once told me how many
• 24:51thought we had tails like monkeys.
• 24:53That's not that long ago was
• 24:55the 1920s she was born.
• 24:57I often wonder if the Black Church
• 24:58has lost much of its power because
• 25:01many leave leaders have chosen
• 25:02to live off the backs of blacks.
• 25:04Have we traded one form
• 25:06of slavery for another?
• 25:07From a cognitive perspective,
• 25:09it is our nature.
• 25:10The desire of power and I have discovered
• 25:12that when you have none within your life,
• 25:15you will look for it elsewhere,
• 25:17and that too includes power seeking
• 25:19individuals within the Black Church.
• 25:21I say none of this for
• 25:23anyone to look down upon us,
• 25:24but to consider the
• 25:26complications of our history.
• 25:27As we continue to serve our the Community,
• 25:30we must often ward off our
• 25:32demons instituted by others
• 25:33who chose to steal us from
• 25:35our origins. Thank you.
• 25:43Thank you, Belinda.
• 25:45And I don't know how many people
• 25:48also realize how instrumental the
• 25:51spaces that we're talking about
• 25:54have been to progress and change.
• 25:57I mean, the Black Church offered.
• 26:00Space for convening if you're
• 26:02sharing and for planning for much
• 26:04of the civil rights movement, yes.
• 26:06And so those spaces continue
• 26:08to empower and there.
• 26:10But as Belinda has shared rights,
• 26:12not without complications.
• 26:12It's not all just black
• 26:14and white and so easy.
• 26:15There's a there's a lot of nuance there.
• 26:17But thank you so much for
• 26:19sharing that with us.
• 26:23And so now I will ask Miss
• 26:25Taryn Anderson to join us.
• 26:28And she's going to share her
• 26:29experience as being a member of
• 26:31the Divine Nine and she'll give
• 26:33us more information about that.
• 26:35Thank you, Terry.
• 26:36Hi, good afternoon,
• 26:38everyone. Please, please excuse my voice.
• 26:41So I am one week shy of 16 years in
• 26:44Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated
• 26:46and next week I will join 5000 of my
• 26:49sorority sisters from Maine to DC in
• 26:52Philadelphia for our annual notable
• 26:54North Atlantic Regional Conference.
• 26:56Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated
• 26:58was founded on January 15th,
• 27:0119108 on the campus of Howard
• 27:03University in Washington DC.
• 27:04We are the oldest Greek letter
• 27:06organization founded by African American
• 27:08College educated women of the 25.
• 27:11Women that graduated from Howard
• 27:13University between 1908 and 1911.
• 27:15Sixteen of them were women
• 27:17of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
• 27:19The purpose of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sword
• 27:22Incorporated is to cultivate and encourage
• 27:24high scholastic and ethical standards,
• 27:26to promote unity and friendship
• 27:27among college women,
• 27:28to study and help alleviate problems
• 27:31concerning girls and women in order
• 27:33to improve their social stature,
• 27:34to maintain a progressive
• 27:36interest in college life,
• 27:37and to be of service to all mankind.
• 27:40For the last 115 years,
• 27:42Alpha Kappa Alpha has been an
• 27:44active force in black resistance.
• 27:46Alpha Kappa Alpha has continued to
• 27:48engage the community through service
• 27:49projects and advocating for those
• 27:51who cannot advocate for themselves.
• 27:53In 1915,
• 27:54Alpha Kappa Alpha hosted their
• 27:56first public action conference.
• 27:59In the 1920s,
• 28:00Alpha Kappa Alpha advocated for
• 28:02the passage of anti lynching laws.
• 28:04In the 1930s,
• 28:05the Mississippi Health project
• 28:07provided appropriate healthcare
• 28:08in the Mississippi Delta following
• 28:10the Great Depression and Alpha
• 28:11Kappa Alpha has a long lasting
• 28:13partnership with the N double ACP.
• 28:16In the 1940s and 1950s,
• 28:18Alpha Kappa Alpha continued to
• 28:20partner with organizations to fight
• 28:22against discrimination and inequality,
• 28:24along with making financial
• 28:26contributions to black businesses
• 28:27and sickle cell research.
• 28:29Alpha Kappa Alpha.
• 28:32Women have were actively participating
• 28:34in the civil rights movement,
• 28:36and Alpha Kappa Alpha opened the
• 28:38first federally operated job
• 28:39port for women in Cleveland, OH.
• 28:41In the 1980s,
• 28:42we began to see Alpha Kappa
• 28:44Alpha expand to international
• 28:46service projects and establish
• 28:48the Educational Advancement Fund,
• 28:50which provides scholarships,
• 28:52grants and fellowships currently totaling
• 28:55over $100,000 annually in giving.
• 28:56And this is only a mere glimpse of
• 28:59the work that Alpha Kappa Alpha
• 29:01has done for the last 115 years.
• 29:03So how did I become one of the
• 29:06114,000 active members today?
• 29:08I was born, raised and educated in New Haven.
• 29:12I'm a proud product of the New
• 29:14Haven Public schools.
• 29:15I am a daughter of two Jamaican
• 29:17immigrants who came to the US
• 29:19when they were in middle school.
• 29:20I've always done well academically.
• 29:22In school,
• 29:23I was usually chosen for special
• 29:26programs such as tag or the Macy's
• 29:28Honors program at Hill House.
• 29:30I was chosen to represent my school at
• 29:32various events and receive numerous awards.
• 29:35I was fortunate to have teachers
• 29:37who not only looked like me,
• 29:39but were supportive and spoke
• 29:41positively over my future.
• 29:42I began to notice early on that in some
• 29:46programs I attended outside of school,
• 29:48I would be one of few students of color.
• 29:50Although this was my experience
• 29:53in academic settings,
• 29:54my home life was filled with safe spaces
• 29:56similar to what had been discussed earlier.
• 29:59So I attended a black-owned dancing
• 30:01school here in New Haven for 11 years.
• 30:03My church was predominantly Jamaican
• 30:05and at home I was surrounded by
• 30:08my huge Jamaican family.
• 30:10My senior year of high school,
• 30:11a teacher suggested that I apply
• 30:13to Yale because I was the type of
• 30:16student they were looking for.
• 30:17All I knew about Yale was
• 30:18that it was the big school,
• 30:20famous school down the street,
• 30:21with all the smart kids.
• 30:23I didn't know who.
• 30:24I didn't know people who looked
• 30:26like me that were there.
• 30:28I told the teacher if they were
• 30:29willing to write the recommendation,
• 30:31I would apply.
• 30:33I was accepted to Yale,
• 30:34along with other state schools,
• 30:36small liberal arts colleges,
• 30:37all girls colleges, and HBC.
• 30:39I realized I could not pass up on
• 30:42the opportunity to attend an Ivy
• 30:44League University in my backyard with
• 30:47an amazing financial aid package.
• 30:49I was concerned about how I would
• 30:52connect with students on campus,
• 30:53even though I had become used to being
• 30:56one of few students who looked like
• 30:58me when I went to certain places.
• 31:00I remember visiting Yale for
• 31:01Bulldog Days which is Yale's
• 31:03accepted students weekend.
• 31:04I fell in love with the school.
• 31:06There were events that we can
• 31:08gear towards students of color.
• 31:09I was able to connect with other students
• 31:11who looked like me and explored the campus.
• 31:13I attended cultural connections
• 31:15which was a pre orientation program
• 31:17for students of color at the time.
• 31:20My safe space at Yale.
• 31:23Was the African American Cultural
• 31:25Center effectually known as the House?
• 31:27The house was established at a time
• 31:29when there was an increase in issues
• 31:31surrounding race and civil unrest at
• 31:33Yale and in the New Haven community.
• 31:36Everything happened for me at
• 31:37the house while I was a student,
• 31:39from student group meetings and events,
• 31:41conferences, guest speakers,
• 31:43parties, hanging out,
• 31:45watching TV and church on Sunday morning.
• 31:49The Dean at the time,
• 31:51the Dean at the Cultural Center at the time,
• 31:52was like a mother figure to all of us.
• 31:55We recently celebrated the
• 31:5750th anniversary of the happy.
• 32:00So it was at Yale that I became
• 32:02a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
• 32:04sorority incorporated through the
• 32:06zealous Diamicron chapter.
• 32:07I am now a member of Theta Epsilon
• 32:09Omega graduate chapter serving here
• 32:11in the greater New Haven area.
• 32:12I have served in chapter and
• 32:14regional position.
• 32:15In 2010,
• 32:16I Co chaired our emerging young leaders
• 32:18mentoring program for middle school girls.
• 32:20I have also worked on our fundraising
• 32:22committee to plan events which raise
• 32:25money for community programs and
• 32:27our scholarship fund and actually
• 32:28while student at Hill House.
• 32:30One of my scholarships did come from they.
• 32:32That's not Omega chapter,
• 32:33so a lot of full circle moments
• 32:35for me here today.
• 32:36Our current theme is soaring
• 32:38to greater heights of service
• 32:39and sisterhood.
• 32:40Some of our current programs are
• 32:43focused on addressing childhood hunger,
• 32:44mental health awareness and
• 32:46creating home and community gardens,
• 32:49shredding and recycling days,
• 32:51and voter education,
• 32:52registration and mobilization.
• 32:53Our Youth Leadership Institute is for
• 32:56ages 11 to 13 and we're also focused
• 32:59on promoting women entrepreneurs and
• 33:01supporting black-owned businesses
• 33:03with our black dollar dates.
• 33:05We have also created the first
• 33:08black-owned woman LED sorority based
• 33:11digital credit union for our members.
• 33:14As I reflected on this year's theme,
• 33:16I know that I am blessed,
• 33:17and I have benefited from many
• 33:19of the safe spaces that have been
• 33:21created through black resistance.
• 33:23My purpose has always been to help others,
• 33:25whether through serving my community
• 33:27with my sorority sisters or now here
• 33:29working at the Yale Child Study Center.
• 33:31I want to see the next generation
• 33:33have a better lived experience
• 33:35and more opportunities than I had.
• 33:37I want young girls who look like me
• 33:39to know that success is possible,
• 33:41no matter how they define it.
• 33:43I want to continue to pull others
• 33:45up along with me as my sorority
• 33:47sister in the White House,
• 33:48Kamala Harris stated in her
• 33:50acceptance speech in November 2020.
• 33:52And I'm paraphrasing this a little bit.
• 33:54I may be the first. But I won't be the last.
• 33:58Thank you for your time this afternoon.
• 34:05Thank you so much for sharing as well.
• 34:08And you know you heard Terrence experiences.
• 34:11I'm actually from a number of different
• 34:14kinds of forms of resistance that she has
• 34:17actually been held in and empowered by
• 34:20and continues to contribute to financial
• 34:22institutions are another thing I didn't
• 34:25know about AKA's financial endeavor.
• 34:29So that's amazing. There are other just.
• 34:34She gave us a sampling that I wanted to share
• 34:38that there's also Alpha Phi Alpha Phi Alpha.
• 34:41She's from Alpha Kappa Alpha.
• 34:43There's Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi,
• 34:45Phi Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma,
• 34:48Zeta, Phi Beta Sigma Gamma rho,
• 34:50and iota Phi Theta as other
• 34:53organizations that exist in support.
• 34:56And before we move on to Doctor Emmons,
• 35:00who has some who has been,
• 35:02she had, her sharing of prose
• 35:04has become a little bit of a.
• 35:07Tradition, I would say for our
• 35:09Black History Month events,
• 35:10and she always puts together
• 35:12something that highlights our theme,
• 35:14but we also in the past and also now.
• 35:17I would like to open up space if
• 35:19there's any questions for our speakers
• 35:21who have gone thus far or anything
• 35:23that anybody else would like to share.
• 35:39All of the presentations have been
• 35:42excellent, but that's what I would
• 35:44like to say and I hope that it's been
• 35:47enlightening for the participants.
• 35:51Thank you, Doctor Cooper.
• 35:54Yeah, this is Linda. I would,
• 35:55I would just like to say yes, they've been.
• 35:58Not just only excellent but incredibly
• 36:00moving and and I just want to hear more
• 36:03because each each one I've learned and
• 36:05I just want to hear more more said.
• 36:07So I think we could have a
• 36:09separate time for each one of you.
• 36:14Yeah.
• 36:25I guess that I'll just I'll just
• 36:28add I'll I'll let go that they were
• 36:31incredibly moving presentations
• 36:32and thank you thank you thank you.
• 36:34I love the word sisterhood sistership.
• 36:37Sister. Sister, Sister I love it.
• 36:39I I was missing a brotherhood and
• 36:42brothers brothers and male voices
• 36:44and so my wish list I would love that
• 36:47you know to hear men's perspectives
• 36:49but thank you this is a. Wonderful.
• 36:56Tara. Kyle Pruitt, I'm just
• 36:59following up on what Andre said.
• 37:03These conversations are
• 37:05so incredibly important,
• 37:08but I was struck by the absence of men
• 37:11on the panel as we really go to work on.
• 37:14On DII has to mean something.
• 37:18And I was kind of struck.
• 37:20I'm sure there's a good reason for it.
• 37:22But so that I can focus my attention
• 37:24on the rest of the narratives,
• 37:26I'd love to hear what what what
• 37:28the thinking was around that.
• 37:30Sure. And I'll be completely honest with you,
• 37:34it wasn't, it wasn't an act of omission,
• 37:38but what I realized.
• 37:39So in the three years that we've done this,
• 37:41I helped plan the first one.
• 37:43The second one crystal Finch helped us with.
• 37:48And I realized in this year that, of course,
• 37:51I've recognized her absence before that.
• 37:53But as we were moving on, I was like, oh,
• 37:55my goodness, I don't have this support.
• 37:57And so there was some time
• 37:59basically there wasn't as much.
• 38:01Time, as I would have liked to have
• 38:02reached out and had those conversations
• 38:04with other people to invite them in.
• 38:06And the truth is we have more women who had
• 38:09these experiences that were willing to share.
• 38:13And so if we're talking specifically
• 38:15about these topics of black resistance,
• 38:18we had primarily women who were able
• 38:20to participate and who I had access to,
• 38:23to be able to ask.
• 38:25So we certainly I know we have
• 38:28a social work fellow who has.
• 38:31Been part of.
• 38:33Or attended an HBC U, and I think
• 38:37we also have a psychic psychology.
• 38:40Practicum student who is a member of
• 38:44one of the Divine 9, but I did not.
• 38:47Have the opportunity to speak
• 38:49with them sooner.
• 38:51So that's really all all it was,
• 38:53but absolutely hear what you are sharing.
• 38:57And we'll we'll all help you
• 38:59bring them along. Thank you.
• 39:01I will take all the hands
• 39:03that we can get. That's great.
• 39:09Were there any other comments before
• 39:13we would have asked Doctor Comer, but.
• 39:18Well, I don't think. I'm sorry,
• 39:19doctor, I didn't think about that.
• 39:22That it's, it is an indication
• 39:24of some work to be done,
• 39:26not necessarily by the committee but
• 39:30by increasing the number of African
• 39:35American males that are working and
• 39:38engaged in research at the center.
• 39:41So you know, I think it's just.
• 39:44That this is an example of not
• 39:46being able to have that voice.
• 39:50Doctor Cooper, I couldn't have
• 39:52said it better myself. Thank you.
• 39:55And you're exactly right.
• 39:58And I I would add, I was
• 39:59thinking this the same
• 40:01and I appreciate you Belinda saying you
• 40:03may have asked Doctor Comer and and I
• 40:05think that we can have more variety of
• 40:08voices when there are more to choose from.
• 40:10And so it the question I think about
• 40:14male voices made me curious about
• 40:16how many black male people there
• 40:18are at the center in general.
• 40:20So I think it's a good question, absolutely.
• 40:34OK, I see some people invited,
• 40:36but I'm not sure if that means they want
• 40:37to contribute or if I should just move on.
• 40:41OK. So Doctor Emmons, thank you for.
• 40:47Agreeing to create and spend some time
• 40:50creating another work for us, and so I
• 40:53know you wanted to also open that up.
• 40:55Let me know when you'd like me to put it up.
• 40:58OK. You will know because I'll let you know.
• 41:03OK. Good afternoon,
• 41:04everyone and thank you for being here.
• 41:07I appreciate the opportunity
• 41:09to share my thoughts.
• 41:11Before I continue,
• 41:12let me just say that Belinda,
• 41:14I did see that documentary Queens of
• 41:18Africa and I do strongly recommend it.
• 41:22Now the content for the this poem,
• 41:25which is resisting to rise,
• 41:29was called from news articles
• 41:31over the past five years,
• 41:34except for the first haiku.
• 41:37I want to showcase just a few
• 41:40of the extraordinary things
• 41:42that black kids are doing.
• 41:45Even on the very difficult circumstances.
• 41:50They are often viewed.
• 41:53And treated as much older than
• 41:57their chronological ages.
• 41:59I remember an African-American
• 42:01professor sharing research at grand
• 42:04rounds that showed that black kids
• 42:07are viewed as four years older
• 42:09than their chronological age.
• 42:14This is borne out in the
• 42:16daily lives of black children,
• 42:18such as when a police officer tells a 9
• 42:22year old girl who is having a meltdown
• 42:26that she is acting like a child.
• 42:31And when a woman watching a
• 42:34girl spraying a Lantern flies.
• 42:37Called the police about a little
• 42:40woman who scares the ****.
• 42:43Tacky out of her.
• 42:46Kudos to you for inviting this
• 42:47girl to do a project here.
• 42:52This, therefore, is a resistance
• 42:55to the adulteration and negative
• 42:59stereotypes of black kids.
• 43:02Each haiku is a snapshot
• 43:05of an extraordinary child.
• 43:08It is followed by a chorus with
• 43:10which I am requesting your help.
• 43:14In the tradition of the
• 43:16African call and response that
• 43:19migrated across the Atlantic
• 43:21to the Americas and Caribbean.
• 43:23I am asking you to say the
• 43:26chorus after each haiku.
• 43:30If your first name starts
• 43:32with the letters from A to G.
• 43:35Please say the first line of the chorus.
• 43:39And if your second year if you're.
• 43:42First of them began begins
• 43:44with the letters between H2Z.
• 43:47Please say the second line of the chorus.
• 43:50If you would be so kind,
• 43:52please on mute so that we can practice.
• 43:59OK, so I will say it.
• 44:02I would say the first line and if
• 44:04your first name falls between A&G,
• 44:06please repeat it after me.
• 44:08And if and I will say the second line and
• 44:12if your first name falls between H&Z,
• 44:15please repeat after me.
• 44:17Are we ready? Yes, yes, yes.
• 44:22Are we ready? Yes. Let's go.
• 44:28When you look at me, what do you see?
• 44:32And you could please put it up now, Tyra.
• 44:36Woman, do you see when you look at me?
• 44:41OK, so I'm beginning resisting the
• 44:44premise called resisting to rise
• 44:48attribute to African American children.
• 44:52Small girl walks to school through violent,
• 44:57angry crowd. Proud. Determined. Calm.
• 45:01No, when you when you look at me.
• 45:07Do you need anything? Whom do you?
• 45:10Whom do you see?
• 45:13Yeah, look at me.
• 45:15Nine year girl. We talked to police.
• 45:19I am a child. Resilient. Brave.
• 45:25Strong. When you looking at me?
• 45:30Hey. Look at me. Look at me.
• 45:36Girl sprays lunch and flies
• 45:39so woman calls police.
• 45:42Curious, right? Bold.
• 45:48That means you see when you look at you.
• 45:53The way you look at me.
• 45:56Japanese Old boy dives into pool.
• 45:59Saves toddler. Courageous. Pure gold.
• 46:04When you look at
• 46:05look at me, what
• 46:07do you see? Do you see when you look at me?
• 46:11This nine year old boy graduated from
• 46:16high school. Driven, focused, cool.
• 46:21When you do you see, do you see?
• 46:27You look at me.
• 46:30Village girl, 13, medical school,
• 46:34accepts her first. Caring. Clever. When
• 46:40you look at me, do you see?
• 46:46Look at me. That's only seven youngest
• 46:51opera singer unique excels dreams.
• 46:58You look at me.
• 47:00Did you see the
• 47:02you see when you look
• 47:03at, when you look
• 47:05at your
• 47:0817100 schools wanted brilliant, the cream.
• 47:15If you look at me.
• 47:18See you see when you look at me.
• 47:23**** plus accepted 100 into college.
• 47:30Power of knowledge. When you look at me,
• 47:34what do you see? You see this
• 47:37look at when you look at.
• 47:40A boundary breaker smashing cheeks.
• 47:43A treasured dreamer and unexpected surprise.
• 47:48Like a powerful muscle being trained,
• 47:52I am resisting to rise. Thank you.
• 48:00Christine, that was awesome.
• 48:03Thank you. Thank you.
• 48:05Loved it. Thank you so much for sharing and
• 48:10for helping to continue that tradition.
• 48:13I just want to circle back for a second.
• 48:16You know, we were talking briefly right,
• 48:18about inclusion and wondering
• 48:20why there weren't voices here.
• 48:23And I asked a question in the beginning,
• 48:25right, which was how do we help and hinder?
• 48:30How do we support? How do we not?
• 48:33And what are the ways that we create
• 48:36supportive environments to bring people in
• 48:39and if there's a clear missing piece for us?
• 48:42And So what does that mean for you?
• 48:44And how do you help us to be able
• 48:46to make sure that we're expanding
• 48:49the definitions of excellence and
• 48:51making recognizing because is there
• 48:54all of them excellence that exists?
• 48:58So. I appreciate the conversation.
• 49:02I also want to give a shout out to
• 49:05the black women who shared their
• 49:07stories and their time today.
• 49:09So yes, we want to be inclusive and
• 49:11we know that men often get the stage,
• 49:14and so it is also an act of resistance
• 49:19to have your voices centered today.
• 49:21So I thank you for that.
• 49:26So we, I don't know,
• 49:27we've got 10 minutes before we go.
• 49:30You might have a little time.
• 49:31I don't know if there's any
• 49:33other thoughts or questions.
• 49:36I just don't know how
• 49:38you're going to follow that.
• 49:40Well done everyone.
• 49:41That was really moving and just fantastic.
• 49:43Great energy as well.
• 49:44Thank you, doctor Emmons.
• 49:46Yes, and thank you to our speakers
• 49:48and thank you for everyone for
• 49:50joining in for, for listening for.
• 49:52I heard some offers to lend your hands
• 49:55to some of this work and I heard some
• 49:58recognition of some places that we can grow.
• 50:01And so I look forward to
• 50:02having you all there.
• 50:03I thank you all for your
• 50:06time and for your attention.
• 50:08And I can't thank our speakers
• 50:10enough for sharing their gifts
• 50:12with us today and always.