The Cardinal community celebrated Black History Month with open forums, panel discussions, a field trip to the National Museum of African American History, and movie and music nights.
Take a look back at some of the highlights and insights from the month:
The Black Student Alliance (BSA) held their annual Black & White Tie Affair and dance at Heritage Hall Feb. 25. to celebrate Black History Month. A Feb. 28 intercultural dialogue and a screening of Soul Food, a student-produced documentary, was followed by a student-panel discussion inside The Great Room at the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. The Center for Cultural Engagement hosted coffee hour conversations with Black leaders on campus.
Jeff Cherry, B.A. 1982, M.A. 1985, managing partner of Conscious Venture Fund, shared with students how the University paved the way for his successful career as an entrepreneur reshaping the business world.
“Black alumni, like Jeff Cherry, are role models for me as an African-American girl, and also as a business student,” said first-year student Frankie Mansaray of the event, which was part of The Busch School of Business’ CEO Lecture series. “I feel empowered to dream big and do bigger things by being in a learning environment influenced by such an individual.”
Black Student Alliance president Kayla Tingley, a junior sociology major, finds mentors in instructors such as Chy McGhee, who taught an Africana Studies class last semester. McGhee is the director of undergraduate studies in elementary education at the University.
As BSA president, Tingley also feels a responsibility to serve as a mentor to her fellow students.
“Don’t dim your light because you deserve to take up as much space as you want,” Tingley advised fellow students. “You should be at every seat at the table in whatever way that looks like for you.”
Retired NFL star turned Pro-life advocate Benjamin Watson and leading Catholic champion for racial justice Gloria Purvis visited campus to inspire students to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Watson, a Super Bowl champion told students to find inspiration from the civil rights movement in their defense of life, “from womb to the tomb” during his Feb. 8 visit to campus.
Purvis told students Feb. 16 that shared how her Catholic faith motivates her advocacy for change.
“I firmly believe that we as Catholics, with what we believe, with the power of the sacraments, are rightly disposed to be able to address this scourge,” said Purvis. “We’re starting to have the conversations that really matter. We’re starting to see that maybe the way we conceive things needs to change.”