Top Five Lessons Learned From UNR/Northern Nevada Black History Month Events
Krystal Carter reflects on lessons gained from a multitude of events in February 2023.
As a Black student, reporting on Black History Month events this year, I have gained a greater appreciation for my community and a greater understanding of my purpose on this campus.
This year, UNR’s Black Diaspora program along with other “Black at the Pack” faculty hosted an array of Black History Month (BHM) events that extended beyond the UNR campus into the greater Northern Nevada community. Many conversations were had, but more connections were made. From these interactions sparked five valuable lessons for the Black community at UNR to heed to.
Lesson 1: Safe spaces for Black students and faculty are needed and valued at a Predominantly White Institution.
During the events that happened in February 2023, a prevalent theme was that Black students at UNR felt like there was a lack of safe spaces available to them. Even though the Black Student Organization (BSO) was founded with the intention of being a safe space for Black students at this PWI, many questioned whether this was still true.
A prolonged series of hateful banter in a BSO GroupMe chat sparked a conversation, on Feb. 8, that addressed the divisiveness and willful ignorance spread through BSO by certain members, as well as executive board members. The lack of leadership effort, by the executive board, to seize all damaging discourse was called into question.
BSO members pressured the executive board into an open forum, on Feb. 16, where they were asked to reflect on how they’ve offended students and failed to contribute to curating a safe space for Black students.
The open forum provided a space for Black students to challenge BSO leadership and champion for the reestablishment of a true, dignified safe space. Through advocating and actively building safe spaces for Black students, we create more opportunities for unity.
Lesson 2: Black student body leadership positions are crucial.
In the aftermath of the open forum, it was clear that students began to see the value of Black student body leadership positions, like those in BSO. They are more than just titles and accomplishments to put on your resume.
One stellar Black student leader, in particular, had the courage and determination to bring a special guest speaker, Dr. Frederick Gooding, to campus for a series of Hip-Hop and Black culture-centered events
Serene Townsell, 22, along with the help of Black faculty members, such as Brandon Sanders managed to orchestrate a series of events from Feb. 21 through Feb. 22. The schedule of events included a Lunch with Dr. Gooding, a Community Mixer and Open Mic, a “Freewall Jam” outside the Knowledge Center, and two lectures presented by Dr. Gooding on “Diversity Thru Media” and “The Genius of Hip Hop.”
At these events students, faculty, and community members got to engage in a variety of conversations pertaining to Dr. Gooding’s field of study, Hip-Hop culture, community building, experiences working at a PWI, and being Black students navigating flawed education and social systems.
Among the many concepts he discussed, Dr. Gooding made sure to emphasize the importance of leaders [like Serene] in our community and what they do to get things done. “It starts with one,” he said, and where there is one, there are many.
Lesson 3: We must contextualize our past and present so that we may acknowledge our mistakes and tell our history accurately.
Dr. Gooding imparted a myriad of insightful concepts and arguments onto the event attendees. A standout point that he made was our duty, as members of the community, to contextualize the past and present to tell our history.
Simply put, to move forward in the name of unity, on this campus, the student body has to acknowledge our mistakes — past and present. To acknowledge our mistakes would be like laying the foundation for our accomplishments to stand firmly.
Contrary to popular belief, Black students’ perspectives at a PWI are important. After all, how would Universities be able to market “Diversity and Inclusion,” if it weren’t for the Black student body? By lacking an authentic contextualization of the state of the Black community and Black history at UNR, we are surrendering our voices to other entities.
The Black community at UNR is an entity in itself, an entity that thrives in unity. By bringing Black [multicultural] perspectives to current events in the community, we have the ability to understand and speak on why things like divisiveness, exclusion, and willful ignorance have plagued the community, among other things. In doing so we strengthen our voice at UNR and play eminent roles in the documentation and telling of our history.
Lesson 4: Send out event polls in advance for everyone to provide input into what events they’d like to see during BHM.
The events that occurred this month had impactful turnouts. Even if the attendance wasn’t large, the positive energy from the people that did attend was enough to fill each room.
Although those that came to the events generally enjoyed them, some advocated that there needs to be opportunities made available to them so that they can give suggestions for events.
Perhaps sending out polls through social media platforms and posting flyers, with QR codes, around campus would help attendance surge at BHM events next year.
However, as students we should also consider what we can do to help spread the word about events, to get more people to attend and expand our community. Most importantly, we must show up.
Lesson 5: Show up and be more than present, for our presence is power and there is power in unity.
By at least showing up to events, we challenge ourselves to be actively involved members in our communities. We open ourselves to the opportunities of building our networks and making valuable connections. Thus, by showing up we are involving ourselves in the active effort to unify the Black community at UNR and in Northern Nevada.
This lesson also challenges the BSO to be more active in the community. Initially some students stated that they felt like the BSO was “just present to be present.” After the BSO open forum on Feb.16, their lack of attendance and participation at BHM events implies that they’ve chosen not to have a significant presence in the community.
What is to be said about BSO, the largest organization for Black students and longest lasting multicultural student organization at UNR, when a substantial portion of Black students don’t feel welcome and Black community members haven’t heard anything about them? To be addressed in another article, another day…
Nevertheless, being a student in a majority White city can be intimidating, especially when it comes to venturing into social interactions off campus. Yet, sometimes this is where you’ll make the best connections.
Although Black History Month has come to an end, we are still making history on a daily basis, but we have to be present to know that. To the Black community, specifically Black students, let’s challenge ourselves to get out and be more involved in our community, lead our community and exercise our voice beyond the Black community. As indicated in an OutKast song: “git up, git out and git something [sic], don’t let the days of your life pass by.”
Explainer reporting by Krystal Carter for the Reynolds Sandbox
