Photo by Jackson Edwards
Members of the Moraine community wear black as a symbol of solidarity to kick off Black History Month.
By Jackson Edwards, Photo Editor
Moraine Valley is uplifting Black culture this Black History Month.
Throughout February, the school is holding three more events to celebrate, following the Black Solidarity Day Reception that kicked off the month’s observance on Feb. 1 in the M building. Students and staff wore black clothing that day as a “symbol of solidarity” and refreshments were served during the reception.
Tianna Richards, manager of multicultural student affairs at Moraine, created this event in hopes of spreading a message of “resilience and resistance” to students. She said it’s an “opportunity to give students color and a voice.”
Events continue this week with Black Leadership Connection on Wednesday, to be held in the M building in Moraine Room 1. Students of color will be able to talk to college leadership about future career opportunities. There will also be refreshments. Students interested in exploring diversity are encouraged to attend the event.
Sophomore business major Tosin King feels the Black History Month activities will be beneficial to students.
“I think coming back from COVID, people needed motivation,” King said.
The next event in the lineup is Resistance and Resilience: The African American Experience. Led by MV counselor Shanya Gray, the program will “discuss the traumatic impact of systemic racism” and highlight lessons from “historical practices of resistance and resilience that are still very much imperative into today’s world.”
The program will take place at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21 via WebEx.
Finally, the Black Student Association will be hosting a coffee pop-up Feb. 22 at noon. Students will analyze poems and stories of Black resistance and have discussions about Black culture. Refreshments will once again be available.
“This event is a reminder that there’s Black people on campus,” Joselyn Singleton, vice president of Moraine’s Black Student Association, said. “We see each other, but people need to know.”