Looking Forward
HIRAM UPWARD BOUND
- February 16: Group Advisement
- February 22: Oglethorpe College Tour
- Community Service: Every Thursday from 3:45-4:45 in room 200
POLK UPWARD BOUND
- February 4: Senior Bootcamp
- February 8: Meet Us at RHS
- February 15: Meet Us at CHS
- February 18: Senior Bootcamp
- February 22: Oglethorpe College Tour
EAST PAULDING UBMS
- February 15: Group Advisement
- February 25: SPACE Illuminarium Field Trip
- February 28: Advisement Survey Closes at 11:59pm
Black History is American History.
KSU TRIO is proud to celebrate and recognize the achievements of all the Black Americans who helped shape our history, our nation, and our culture. This month-long observance in the US and Canada gives us a chance to remember the success and hardships of the Black community, time to reflect on the pervasive systemic racism that yet still persists, and give visibility to the people and organizations creating change.
This celebration began in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson and other important Black American heroes of his time. The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, when President Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
This is a time to celebrate the diversity of America and honor those who shaped our nation into a better place for future generations. As we continue into the historic year of 2023 with the most diverse government America has ever had, it is important to learn about those whose sacrifices made it possible.
Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. - Harriet Tubman
Back in 1926, Woodson realized the importance of providing a theme to focus the attention of the public. The intention has never been to dictate or limit the exploration of the Black experience, but to bring to the public’s attention important developments that merit emphasis. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) continues this tradition today, and this year's theme is "Black Resistance."
By resisting, Black people have achieved profound and world-changing feats. The triumphs, successes, and progress championed by the Black community saw the end of chattel slavery, the dismantling of segregation, increased political representation at all levels of government, and the passage of laws that protect us all in the face of discrimination. Black resistance strategies have served as a model for every other social movement in the country, thus, the legacy and importance of these actions cannot be understated.
Yet, the issues Black Americans still face today are undeniable. Current calls for the elimination of teaching of Black history, the racial wealth gap, and inequality should still motivate us all to continue to rely on our capacity to resist injustice and promote truth. This month, we will be learning about two women who have built their lives on doing just that.
Elizabeth Eckford: resilience is powerful
Most people today think of our nation's heroes in the context of the iconic photographs we have seen in school, but in 1957, one 15 year-old's photograph was so powerful that it sparked a movement even in its own day.
Elizabeth Eckford was born one of six children to Oscar and Birdie Eckford in 1941. Her life was normal for the time, she had been known to be a bright student and was chosen to attend the most prestigious high school in her state. There was just one problem - although the Supreme Court declared segregation of public schools illegal in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the decision was extremely difficult to enforce. But after three years of waiting for Arkansas to follow the law in 1957, the federal government ordered the desegregation of Central High School, located in the state capital of Little Rock, where Elizabeth's school was.
Putting together a plan, they decided that the nine students were to arrive on the first day of school together to show solidarity and have safety in numbers. On September 4, 1957, a minor miscommunication changed the course of history. Elizabeth Eckford's family did not have a telephone at home and was unable to be reached to learn about the carpool plan. Still determined to show up for her classmates, she took the city bus which dropped her off within two blocks of the school. Unsure of what to do, Elizabeth went to the school alone. What she was met with, no person should ever have to face... much less, a girl of 15 alone. The historic day was planned to be photographed, and the images taken of Elizabeth sent shockwaves throughout the world.
"Through the photos, the world got a glimpse at the injustices Black Americans had to endure just to go to school. We can see Elizabeth being followed by a group of angry white segregationists, but we can't see that they were yelling, 'Lynch her! Lynch her!' We can see the Arkansas National Guard, but we can't see that President Eisenhower would have to call in federal troops weeks later to finally get the students into the building. We see Elizabeth walking with her head high, but we can't see the courage and resolve it took her not to walk through a crowd of people threatening to kill her just for wanting to go to school. We see a snapshot of a horrific moment in American history, but we can't see what happened after." Source
The Governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, was later forced to call off the guard, and in the tense standoff that followed, TV cameras captured footage of white mobs converging on the “Little Rock Nine” outside the high school. For millions of viewers throughout the country, the unforgettable images provided a vivid contrast between the hate-filled forces of white supremacy and the dignified resistance of Black students.
It's easy to think of these events only as black and white photographs from the past, but that is not the whole truth. Both Elizabeth and the woman screaming behind her in the iconic photograph are alive today. The other woman is named Hazel Massery. After the events of the school year followed, Hazel would have a change of heart. She became a follower of the civil rights movement and began to understand how wrong she had been. In 1962 or 1963, she called Elizabeth to apologize, and eventually they had a lot in common as individuals and became friends, making several appearances on television talking about reconciliation. But unfortunately, the friendship did not last. Hazel seems to have felt frustrated that Elizabeth wouldn't absolve her completely of her past racist behavior, and she ultimately cut off ties with her.
Ten years ago, David Margolick, who had interviewed both women multiple times over the years, asked Elizabeth and Hazel to pose together for one last photo. Elizabeth agreed, but Hazel refused. This is a sobering reminder that the events that shaped our nation's history are still yet actively unfolding. We always have the chance to be the change we want to see in the world, at 15 or at 81.
Kimberlé Crenshaw: Names are important
Today, there are a lot of conversations centering around Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw's work, so much so that you've probably heard of her without realizing. Professor Crenshaw is responsible for coining the term "intersectionality," but you might be surprised to learn what the word actually means vs. how we hear it being used.
Professor Crenshaw first publicly laid out her theory of intersectionality in 1989 in her paper titled “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex,” which is linked at the end of this section of the newsletter. The paper centers on three legal cases that dealt with the issues of both racial discrimination and sex discrimination which Professor Crenshaw says show that the court’s narrow view of discrimination fails. She purports that the cases were a example of the “conceptual limitations of ... single-issue analyses” regarding how the law considers both racism and sexism.
"For example, DeGraffenreid v. General Motors was a 1976 case in which five black women sued General Motors for a seniority policy that they argued targeted black women exclusively. Basically, the company simply did not hire black women before 1964, meaning that when seniority-based layoffs arrived during an early 1970s recession, all the black women hired after 1964 were subsequently laid off. A policy like that didn’t fall under 'just gender' or 'just race' discrimination. But the court decided that efforts to bind together both racial discrimination and sex discrimination claims — rather than sue on the basis of each separately — would be unworkable. In other words, the law seemed to forget that black women are both black and female, and thus subject to discrimination on the basis of both race, gender, and often, a combination of the two. Crenshaw argues in her paper that by treating black women as purely women or purely black, the courts, as they did in 1976, have repeatedly ignored specific challenges that face black women as a group." Source
“Intersectionality was a prism to bring to light dynamics within discrimination law that weren’t being appreciated by the courts.” — Kimberlé Crenshaw
What was coined to describe the unique intersect of discrimination in the legal arena exploded onto the pop culture scene in 2015 when the word "intersectionality" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary and entered common use. Today, the definition of intersectionality varies wildly based on the beliefs of the person using it. At its core, this evolution of language illustrates a very specific issue that is becoming paramount to understanding discussions of social justice and identity.
Often, we are bound by the constraints of the language we speak to communicate effectively. Often, if we do not have a name for something, we simply do not talk about it. Regardless of how you feel about Professor Crenshaw's work, it has opened the door for more effective conversations that more accurately detail the experiences of individuals. These conversations are incredibly important in the aim of understanding our fellow members of society, and have inherent value.
Staff Spotify Playlist
This month's playlist was specially curated by Dr. Lemelle! Check out his playlist here.
