What is your background and current position at Western?
First and foremost, I am a Black woman born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I moved to Bellingham in July of 2021. I am a first-generation college student, and the first in my immediate family to receive both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I have a B.S. in Agricultural and Consumer Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a M.S. in Educational Leadership Studies with an emphasis in College Student Development from Oklahoma State University.
I have been at Western for a little over a year, formerly serving as the Resident Director of the Beta Gamma Community. In August 2022 I transitioned over into my current role, in which I have the honor and the privilege of serving as the inaugural Coordinator of the Black Student Coalition.
Tell me about your work with the Black Student Coalition.
As the coordinator of the BSC, I oversee all operations related to this office. I work with my student staff to create small- and large-scale programming, and I serve as a co-advisor to the BSC Clubs that are housed under both the Black Student Coalition and the Ethnic Student Center. Another facet of my position focuses on outreach, so not only collaborating with campus partners but connecting with the Bellingham community in large.
What aspects of this role are most rewarding?
If I had to narrow it down, I would say first is the daily interactions I get to have with my students. There is something beautiful about the genuine relationships I have the opportunity to build with each student that comes in the door. To see them smile, laugh, commune with one another, and feel a sense of belonging makes the job worthwhile.
The second thing that I find most rewarding is the gratitude that is always expressed by our students. When we had our first large-scale program, which was a private screening of “Black Panther 2,” they were ecstatic! I remember students walking into the theater, and when they realized it was only our group they said, “Oh, we have this to ourselves! This is nice!” The pure Black joy that existed in that moment in having that shared experience, and the freedom to truly engage with the movie, was absolutely amazing.
The second event was one of our smaller-scale programs with Dr. Sislena Ledbetter, the executive director for Counseling, Health, and Wellness, called the Love Space. The time before finals can be chaotic and stressful for our students. We created this space where we could care for our students by making them food, providing a space to study, and helping them to take time to care for themselves. There was dancing, singing, and laughter, and they were so grateful to have that moment. The students were constantly saying how much they needed a break and how this one event gave them the momentum they needed to finish strong.
It’s the small things that make this job, regardless of any challenge I may face, so rewarding.
When it comes to life on campus, what are some of the main challenges and concerns expressed by Black-identifying students?
Being a Black student at a predominantly white institution (PWI) is a challenge within itself, and our students are forced to learn how to navigate these systems. In conversations that I have had with my students, and what I know of the history of the Black student experience at Western, there are a few common challenges: having a sense of belonging, addressing the anti-Blackness that exists at Western and in Bellingham, mental health, safety, and having their experiences not only heard but having the university take action to address their concerns.
How is the University working to address these concerns?
We have done a few things as a university to begin addressing some of these challenges, such as creating the BSC, a space that exists because of student advocacy. We have Black Affinity Housing, which is one of the affinity programs within Housing and Residence Life. We have held care spaces and listening sessions so that the concerns of our students are going to the ears of leadership. We have also hosted workshops and do a lot of work within the Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Unit to start addressing anti-Blackness on campus.
In my role personally, I focus on creating spaces for our students to be their authentic selves, and another phenomenal thing that is happening on campus is the work that our students are doing to create better experiences for one another.
This year’s Black History Month theme is Black Resistance. What does that phrase mean to you?
There are two definitions of resistance that I favor when I think of Black Resistance. The first is, “the refusal to accept or comply with something.” The second is, “the act or power of resisting, opposing, or withstanding”. When we break down the second definition and look at how the word “withstand” is defined, it is to “remain undamaged or unaffected by”.
When I look at these definitions and think about the history of my people, I am reminded that throughout our history we refused to comply and be damaged by the inhumane systems that were created to tear us down. We continue to fight, we continue to rise, we continue to thrive, and we continue to find joy.
When I think of Black Resistance, I think of the words by James Weldon Johnson in “Lift Every Voice and Sing”: “We have come over a way that with tears has been watered / We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered / Out from the gloomy past / Till now we stand at last / Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast”
Black people have endured so much, and we continue to face injustices, but we stand strong, and we have hope, and that can never be taken from us. When I think of the phrase Black Resistance, I think of Black joy, and how that is centered in our resistance. We are unapologetically and authentically us.
This is how we came up with Western’s theme for Black History Month: Unapologetically Black. To continue to resist, to withstand, we must continue to show up authentically– and what better way to do so than to constantly embody Black Joy?
How would you like to see the Bellingham community uphold the ideals of Black History Month, both in February and throughout the year?
I would like for the Bellingham community to uphold the ideals of Black History Month by not limiting the celebration of Black people to 28 days out of the entire year. I would like for us to move beyond performative acts of having Black Lives Matter on storefront windows downtown and actually do the work to center the Black experience in our practices.
I challenge folks to question: What does it look like to incorporate BIPOC voices in our work? What does it mean to center social justice in our conversations? How can I support BIPOC business? How can I continue my learning so that I am not upholding the systems that were built to work against the success of the Black community?
I believe that it is then– the moment where everyone incorporates access, equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything that they do– that we can truly uphold the values and ideals of Black History Month.
And lastly, do you have any insight into Western’s programming for Black History Month?
We have a lot of amazing programs in store for Black History Month. We are kicking off our month-long celebration with a grand re-opening of the Black Student Coalition and closing out February with the Legacy Ball. In between, we will have educational workshops, cross-campus collaborations, a photo shoot entitled “Black Resistance; Black Joy,” a gallery showcasing Black student artwork, and so much more!
I am so grateful for my supervisor Amy Salinas Westmoreland, Co-Chair Chelsea Joefield, the Ethnic Student Center program manager and club advisor, and my committee for coming up with a wonderful offering of programs for Black History Month, and I cannot wait to share in the celebration with the Western and Bellingham communities.
For more information on Western’s Black History Month programming, visit wwu.edu/black-history-month
