February is Black History Month, which means it has been exactly one year since the last Black History Month! Between then and now, a lot has happened, including the hiring of a Diversity Educator, chartering of the first African-American fraternity at Stevens, and creation of the Intercultural Space.
To learn more about all that has happened in the past year and highlight the accomplishments of the Black community at Stevens, The Stute reached out to the Black Students Union (BSU), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Alpha Phi Alpha (APA), the D&I committee of the SGA (D&I), and the newly-formed Black Affairs Council (BAC)!
Black Students Union
Since last year, BSU has held many large events for members of the Stevens community. Two events from last semester include Culture Shock and Kwanzaa. According to Olivier Pierre, the Vice President of BSU, the event featured “art exhibitions of different cultures, the spoken words, and the cultural foods.” Culture Shock was held in Babbio Atrium and was “one of our most colorful events that [we] had last semester.” Kwanzaa, was “the most successful event [BSU has] had so far,” said Pierre, thanks to performances by the dancing group Batingua Arts. It “could not have been a better celebration for Kwanzaa, which is a celebration of culture and unity,” said Pierre.
Additionally, BSU won Most Relevant to Theme and Best in Show at last year’s Unity Showcase. Pierre explained that it was the second year BSU had swept the incredibly competitive event for cultural organizations at Stevens. “A lot of work and preparation is necessary” to win, and Pierre has felt that since then, BSU has “gained an elevated, and respected status at Stevens.”
“Our goal as an organization was to create a legacy that will showcase the minority groups in the best way possible, but also have a positive impact for all,” said Pierre. “We were able to display that best when we competed, as the theme was ‘Our New Beginnings’ — we paid tribute to HBCUs, and the entirety of their social construct.”
In terms of future goals, Pierre said to “be on the lookout” for BSU’s Unity performance this year. Treasurer Micah Elias added, “I’m looking forward to seeing what all the Black organizations on campus will create and develop as one unit and one force. Not only is this an act of bringing our community closer together, but it is an act of creating a presence and establishment that will have a lasting impact for our other Black peers who will come down the line.”
National Society of Black Engineers
Last fall, NSBE hosted the Region I New Jersey Zone Conference. At the conference, students could engage in professional development, leadership development, and technical development as well as have opportunities to network with fellow collegians and professionals in the field. There were 47 professionals and students in attendance, in addition to Regional Board members and presenters outside of NSBE.
The theme of the conference was “Fusing Power and People” and was chosen early in the planning process. “We were thinking about how we wanted the conference to help bring the NJ chapters together and strengthen the leadership pipeline,” explained Ha-mil Hutty, NSBE’s Conference Planning and PR Chair.
“I thought the theme was perfect, because NSBE’s mission is to increase the number of culturally-responsible Black Engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community,” explained Shania Taylor, who is currently serving as the NJ Zone Chair. “If we retain the power within each one of us as Black professionals, then we can achieve our mission,” Taylor said.
The event featured an alumnus keynote speaker and was planned through the summer and early fall of last year. Porschia Morrow, President of NSBE, felt that the conference went well because the Stevens chapter took first place in their Academic Tech Bowl, and their Vice President, Alexandria Alberic-Brown, took second place in the Draper Technical Challenge. Although funding the conference was a challenge, she is looking forward to expanding NSBE and providing more opportunities for their members to succeed!
Alpha Phi Alpha
Five men crossed as the chartering line of the Phi Theta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha last April, becoming the first members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at Stevens. Since then, they have added two more members for a total of seven.
The official aims of the fraternity are “Manly Deeds, Scholarships, and Love for all Mankind,” which Bro. E’nigel Owusu-Ansah stated are “simply the foundational values, which the brothers build upon.” As the first National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organization at Stevens, the organization provides men affiliated with the opportunity to be part of a community larger than Stevens.
In a previous interview with The Stute, Malcolm McDaniel, the Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, stated, “I think this is an exciting time for Stevens […] I believe it will bring a different perspective to the Fraternity and Sorority community, encourage more conversation about the Cultural Greek Council and diversity, as well as provide men interested in joining a fraternity with more options,” as well as that he is “excited to work with Alpha Phi Alpha and to help them build a foundation for a lasting impact on the Stevens community.”
Art Harper Saturday Academy
Last semester, Stevens unveiled the creation of the Art Harper Saturday Academy, a program for underrepresented students from high schools in the area interested in pursuing a career in STEM-related fields.
The academy was named after Art Harper ‘78, in honor of his commitment to supporting students from under-resourced communities. According to DuJuan Kirk, who is the Program Assistant for the Academy, the program was in the works for at least one to two years. He said it is definitely a “really big stepping stone for the University.”
Participants of the program are called “scholars,” and according to Kirk, he sees the impact of the program on the students’ lives “academically, professionally, and personally. “I see myself in a lot of them, because of our backgrounds. What excites me the most about them is their eagerness to come on a Saturday to really better themselves and strive to be the best.” said Kirk. “Our scholars aren’t the only ones who have a love for the program, that staff does as well (shoutout to thee Grant Fowler, Antony Cruz, Cameron Conway, and Matthew Seedhom). Huge shoutout to Edlyn who is in charge of it all, and even advising the Black Affairs Council, and the instructors (Alicia Muth, Amalia Terracciano, and Andrew Mai).”
Hiring of a Diversity Educator
After the departure of Jacquis Watters in Fall 2018, the Stevens community was left without a Diversity Educator for several months. Fortunately, in April 2019, Liliana Delman filled the void that campus felt. “Liliana has certainly made life easier for all of us in coordinating our efforts for inclusion on campus,” said Montalvo. “During the time Jacquis Watters had left, it was clear that there was a change on campus (the voting poster scandal, for example). Now that we have a Diversity Educator and approach her one year anniversary, I hope that we can continue to fight the good fight and amp up our efforts.”
Opening of the Intercultural Space
The Intercultural Space was established for support of marginalized students as part of the Student Center which opened this spring. The Intercultural Space is the fruit of student activism by the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Committee of the Student Government Association. Rooted in early campus efforts for Diversity Education, the need for inclusive space gained momentum through the Diversity Initiative that began in October 2018. Nasir Montalvo spearheaded the fight for the creation of an Intercultural Center, completing his case with student survey results and a review of resources available.
“The Intercultural Space, although not the original ask, is an important step in making campus more inclusive,” explained Montalvo. “For Black students, when other spaces on campus quickly make you feel like the ‘other’, this space will put them and their needs at the center. I cannot be anymore grateful to have been a part of this initiative, and I hope it becomes an instrumental part of the Black experience at Stevens.”
The Intercultural Space features the Diversity Education Lending Library, student artwork, and documentation on the history of the space, and it has been holding events all week to celebrate its opening.
The Black Effect
Last semester, Nasir Montalvo started publishing a bi-weekly column titled Black Effect in The Stute. Montalvo would discuss topics relevant to the Black community, sometimes in the format of an interview with friends. “I think this column was an important step to take in bringing community members who were out of the conversation in. After a few of the articles I posted, I received emails from various faculty and staff around campus expressing what they learned and that they were happy these Black experiences were being spoken about.”
Montalvo calls “‘The N-Word’ with Zharee Richards” his “most impactful piece to date,” as it was the fifth most read Stute opinion piece of 2019. He added, “People were glad, people were mad, but overall, we said what had to be said: don’t say it if you aren’t Black. Period.”
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