Black History Month at SMC: A reflection
Black History Month was celebrated nearly every day at Santa Monica College (SMC) in the month of February. The Pan African Alliance and Black Collegians Program Umoja Community worked together to provide students, faculty and allies a safe space to enjoy community. The Black Collegians Program and The Pan African Alliance created six events to celebrate the month of Black History month.
The Black Collegians Board members and Director of Publicity focused on student engagement through Instagram to ensure their following knew about every event. Each had its own poster to commemorate the occasion, made by SMC students Estrela Boateng, Stacey Lee and Jaycob Beard.
Beginning the festivities for the month on Thursday, Feb. 20 a panel of Black Collegians student leaders was moderated by Sherri Bradford, Black Collegians Program Leader, and Jocelyn Winn, Student Services Specialist. Leaders Aalyiah Edwards, Justin Ellis-Brooks, Jaycob Beard, Tyler Jackson-Zeno, Stacey Lee and Mauhnee Duarte gave advice to their audience on how to stay true to yourself during the college experience.
A question from Winn posed, “What advice would you give someone who is afraid to take on a leadership role?” The leaders gave answers such as starting small with group projects taking initiative and finding a position that’s comfortable and not overwhelmingly scary.
President of the Black Collegians Program Club, shared a few of his past experiences with the club, emphasizing teamwork as the key to success for this new semester. Duarte said, “If people see me being a leader and having fun, it will empower them to step up in their own way. If you are a leader, you can create other leaders.”
Bradford was sure to inform everyone that the SMC Board of Trustees regularly hosts a conference with Public Comments, where the SMC community can share their concerns for two minutes.
The second event, presented as “Better Together: Black History Month Poetry Slam” became an “Open Mic Night” on Thursday, Feb. 25. The slam was hosted by Pan African Alliance Vice President Kristin Ross and SMC English professors Regis Peeples and Wilfred Doucet. Various students and faculty came to share their talents, passions and poetry.
Most poets, like Yvette Williams and Zhanya Martin, honored their family lineage by expressing the power in their heritage. Symbolism navigated its way through the room in the oxygen as Peeples expressed his triumph in his poem “Too sick.” Xeandric Ross shared his passion for hip-hop by giving a physical and verbal presentation of history and social dances. The event ended in a group poetry session, where volunteers finished each other's sentences.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the third day of events took place. The faculty members held their own panel in the afternoon called “Reflections on our Journey and Words of Wisdom for the Road Ahead.”
In the evening, a karaoke event took place in the Cayton Center. Both talent and entertaining personalities rang through the speakers that evening. The occasion had everyone in one rhythm, specifically the youth who were in attendance. As they sang to the crowd, they were faced with smiles from their elders. A rendition of “Brownskin” by India.Arie closed out the night around 6:30 p.m.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, a vision board session was held, dubbed ‘Dream Big; A vision Boarding Session with Art History Faculty Dr. Kaelyn Rodriguez.’ This social event allowed guests to envision the life they would like to maintain and place it on paper using photos.
Rodriguez encouraged the participants to wisely choose visual representations regarding their goals. These photos would serve as a visual reminder, and motivate participants, to place these goals into fruition.
Lastly on Friday, Feb. 28, the Pan African Alliance hosted a Black History Month Celebration and Luncheon. The third official ceremony honored the history of the month and SMC’s own students and faculty. The celebration began with a prayer from accounting professor Gregg Brookins and a libation ceremony by Bradford and Jackson-Zeno to call upon ancestral spirits and allow them to rejoin the space.
Student performers Eden White and the Melanated Roots Choir took the stage and served as entertainment. Faculty members Benny Blaydes, Doucet and Trisden Shaw received an award, as did Jackson-Zeno. After the celebration, a luncheon was hosted for everyone to enjoy and commemorate the moment of the last event of this grand extravaganza.
Black Collegians will host events every Tuesday during activity hours. To find out more information follow their Instagram page. (@blackcolligeanssmc)