On Wednesday, February 10, from 6 to 8 pm, a small but focused group met in the Wang Center Theater to discuss issues facing the Black community at Stony Brook University, as well as reflect on the progress the community has made over the past few years.
The 2016 theme for Black History month at SBU was “Sankofa: Together We Rise.” “Sankofa,” which means “to go back and fetch,” is derived from King Adinkera of the Akan people of West Africa. “Sankofa” teaches us that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. A very fitting theme, considering we are living in a time in which people of color in the United States, especially Black people, are enjoying their freedoms, but continue to be marginalized and unnecessarily criminalized.
The evening began with a two-year review of the Black community’s achievements, which include the success of Black History Month 2015, #SBU4Mizzou, the opening of Island Soul, SBU’s Caribbean Food Station, the formation of the Interim Black Student Union, and President Samuel Stanley’s upcoming plan to revise diversity at Stony Brook. Students did not forget, however, that there was still a lot of work to be done.
In November of last year, the African Studies Department sent an official letter of support to the Stony Brook community after students held a town hall meeting with the President and other administrators. Students shared stories of discrimination in the classroom, on campus, and in residence halls. They initiated a conversation that highlighted the need for action in several key areas, including, but not limited to, increased enrollment of underrepresented racial groups at the undergraduate and graduate level, hiring and retention of more faculty from underrepresented groups, classroom environments that foster cultural sensitivity, an inclusive curriculum for all students, and diversity and inclusion training for faculty and staff. This list of future projects brought the question, “Where does the Black community at Stony Brook stand?”
The next segment of the evening featured a panel of six students who aimed to answer that question. Ranging in class year from Freshman to Senior, the student panel was moderated by Dr. Jarvis Watson, Assistant Dean for Multicultural Affairs and Dr. Zebulon Miletsky, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies. The panel answered questions regarding support of black students, university programming, and the budget for black clubs.
Much of the discussion that night centered on the lack of funding for many black clubs on campus. One of the issues was a lack of transparency from the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) about why primarily black clubs are receiving cuts in their funding each academic year while other clubs see their budgets raised, and why they are often not properly informed of when to submit budget proposals. Without money, the panel said, it is difficult to promote and get support from the campus community. This blatant discrimination raises the question, “ Who is considered important on this campus? And why are they getting preference?”
Another issue presented was the lack of unity within and among black clubs and organizations at the university. Some of the questions raised were “How do we make sure Black affinity groups on campus are able to coexist and avoid stepping on each other’s toes? How do we change the issue of a lack of physical space?” The latter question referred to the relocation of student groups on campus due to the upcoming renovation of the Union, which has consequently resulted in smaller time slots for students for club meetings.
One of the panelists, Dominique Wolff, a freshman Multidisciplinary Studies major with a focus in Africana Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Sociology said, “the SBU Black Community can continue to grow and expand within the next year. To see growth with our community though, I feel that we have to become more inclusive and work more cohesively with one another to better our SBU Black Community and continue to diversify our campus community as a whole.”
Audience members expressed varied opinions on the current climate of racial inequality at our university and how it particularly affects Black students on campus. One audience member mentioned that the reason Black clubs are not getting the funding they need is because of a lack of advocates in USG; the majority of black students do not understand the political system at this university and don’t know who would support them if they were to run for office.
Another audience member raised the question, “What issues do you think Black women in particularly face at Stony Brook?” Answers from the women on the panel included exeperiences of a lack of emotional and mental support, concerns not being taken seriously, and being labeled as “angry or aggressive.”
At the end, the group created a plan of action which included creating a Black Caucus, bridging the divide between the Black and Brown communities, collaboration between clubs for events, and the forming of a united front by way of the Black Student Union. This urgent plan sparked a drive in students to continue the conversation after the State of the Union. One of the panelists, Randy Ferguson, a senior Economic major, reflected, “I see the Black Community in 5 years more unified, having a reason to wake up and go to class without worrying if Stony Brook is the right place for me. The way we can get there is by uniting with one another. We should be able to talk to each other my brother or sister without any negativity to one another, at the end of the day, we are Stony Brook no matter what.”
The Black community at Stony Brook has made a lot of progress in recent years, but the State of the Black Union reinforced that the journey ahead is still long and filled with many obstacles we must overcome together.