“It’s really sad,” said Coote. There's a lot going on all over the place. Amid a national reckoning on race sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people, thousands of high school students joined demonstrations across the country against police abuse. “Even though segregation and all that stuff is over, it’s really not because people still have hidden animosity,” said SCSU student Aaron Gray. students to speak out. This year’s conference seeks to turn inspiration into celebration and abundance by looking at Blackness across fields, mediums, and borders. Our 25th annual Black Solidarity Conference is a celebration: we will explore the expanse of Blackness by honoring our past and reimagining our future. It reminds me of what I feel for the world.”. Galvanized by recent events, including last week’s decision by a Kentucky grand jury not to charge police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor, these students expressed frustration with today’s racial environment. “While we don’t know what tomorrow may bring, trust that feeling inside you that says ‘I was built to do this. “We need to speak up,” said SCSU student Troya Coote.

“I think that’s the most important and with awareness comes action.”. Student “Personal power does not require nor hold a specific title,” Bradley said. Teacher - Middle School Attorney. “They can This article appeared in the September 21, 2020 issue of the Hatchet. In the final video of this series, students share what they wish educators knew. Student Association President Howard Brookins said the “strength and unity” of the Black community at GW inspired him to run for SA president. “I don’t know when it’s ever going to stop but

Teacher - High School In alphabetical order, the students featured in the videos are: Jaden Adeyemi, a senior at Highland High School in Albuquerque, N.M.; Helena Almaw, a senior at DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School in Denver; William Bell, a recent graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C.; Malik Coleman, a recent graduate of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, S.C.; McKenzie Curry, a recent graduate of Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio; Onome Grell, a senior at John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury, Mass. Federal Government Personnel

He encouraged students to be politically active and find ways to improve the common good of the country and the world. Against that backdrop, Education Week spoke with 10 Black high school students from across the country about how they think issues of race and racism should be handled in school. During this first weekend of October, take a break from studying and log onto a stand-up comedy show on Animal Crossing.

“(Students) have the power to invoke change,” said organizer
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“Celebrate the richness of your diversity,” he said. On a stage, surrounded by pictures, commemorating Black lives Events Sistah Summit 2020. Black Student Union President Devon Bradley urged attending students to use their "personal power" to bring about change on campus. “It just brings awareness,” said SCSU graduate student Yarelis Canales. In the third video of this series, students talk about the impact of policing in schools. Investment Community Janitorial staff member. SCSU where students can speak up about racial issues without having to do it anonymously. way of helping students find a voice. “Even if it’s repetitive it needs to be heard.”. “Nothing has changed. 1-800-445-8250 (Customer Service), By clicking "Register" you are agreeing to the, ERS Practical Tools for District Transformation, Classroom Discussions on Race: Hear What 5 Black Students Say They Need, Assistant Director (Education Policy, Equity, and Accountability), Brevard Public Schools, Melbourne, FL, US, East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Baton Rouge, LA, US, Hamilton County Department of Education, Chattanooga, Tennessee. He said GW’s Black community has been at the forefront of positive change on campus, despite the challenges that Black students face at a predominantly White institution. ; Zoë Jenkins, a senior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, Ky; Davion Pilgrim, a junior at Morningside High School in Inglewood, Calif; Zion Sanders, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami; and Rena Mateja Walker Burr, a junior at Cleveland High School in Seattle. Student leaders and officials welcomed Black students to GW Saturday at a virtual convocation organized by the Black Student Union.. “I believe it is my role to imagine and create the university that our Black students deserve,” West said. It is only when each of us have done right by our peers and loved ones that we can access our personal power.”. with me still being here and alive, I’m going to make sure my voice is heard.”, Trump Has ‘Mild Symptoms' After He and First Lady Test Positive for COVID-19, Crews Respond to Barn Fire in Ellington: Tolland Alert, Governor to Sign Bill on Absentee Ballots This Morning, Copyright © 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC.

School Board Member Arpino-Brown said she initiated Wednesday’s event as a Copyright © 2020 Hatchet Publications, Inc. • Proudly Powered by WordPress, GSPM hosts panel analyzing first presidential debate, Essay: Leading a student organization during the COVID-19 pandemic, Weekend Outlook – Watch an Animal Crossing-inspired comedy show. The 20-minute video included advice and insight about GW from leaders of several Black student organizations and administrators, like Provost Brian Blake and Jordan West, the director for diversity and inclusion education. School-based Leadership (Principal, Asst.

In the first two videos of this series, students tell educators what they need from their schools to feel safe and supported, and how they’ve experienced classroom discussions about race. We know the experience of trying to keep up with it all, or of hearing too late about some event you really would have liked to experience. SCSU Students Hold Black Lives Matter March On Campus A three-hour march and vigil organized by student leaders drew over 100 students. It included speakers and entertainers before culminating with a vigil. District Personnel - Other (Admin., Specialist, etc.) District Superintendent, Deputy/Asst.

Students say they are rallying not only for themselves but for future generations. Library to the center of campus. “Black lives need more love.” The students said they think it’s important for kids to be a part of social justice conversations — especially at a young age. Southern Connecticut State University students gathered Learn more. The Hatchet has disabled comments on our website.

BSU President Devon Bradley opened the program, highlighting reform that Black students on campus have pushed for and encouraging students to use their “personal power” to make a change in the GW community.
West reminded incoming students that their peers and GW’s faculty and staff are there to support them. District Leadership - Technology Student leaders and officials welcomed Black students to GW Saturday at a virtual convocation organized by the Black Student Union. District Leadership - Business, Communications, HR The event, which started at 5 p.m., lasted three hours. “And know that you have your ancestors in your veins, by your side and carrying you right along.”. BSU encourages unity, inspires leadership and asserts dignity. Instead, the policing of students is often a critical step in the school to prison pipeline. place for them to speak.”. Credits:

Black Cultural Events is your gateway to the rich cultural life of the Black Community. COVID-19 wrecked every event and idea we had envisioned, forcing us to rethink how we fundamentally exist and operate within the GW community.