Black African Heritage

Black History Month: Mason Nation Recommends

Jeannine Harvey — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 15:43:28 +0000

Black History Month: Mason Nation Recommends Jeannine Harvey Wed, 01/10/2024 - 10:43

For many, Black and African Heritage Month is a time for learning, sharing, and community. Presented here are read, watch, and listen to recommendations from students, staff, and faculty around campus. This list will grow throughout the month with additions added to the top of the page.

compiled and edited by Shayla Brown

Updated 23 February 2023

Read The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss. This 2012 novel was recommended by Anne Reynolds, the Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations director of advancement communication. It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and recounts the story of General Alex Dumas, the real-life father of Alexandre Dumas -- author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. “General Dumas was a brilliant commander of armies during the French Revolution and was also the son of an enslaved person, born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). The book is a great story of his military exploits but also explores the multi-racial society that 18th-century France tried to establish,” said Reynolds.

Watch “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America” on Netflix, recommended by Patriot parent Duane Diviney. The 2021 docuseries is based on the culinary narrative history book High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica B. Harris. This series shows that Black food is American food. “Black and African Heritage Month annually offers a time to reflect upon how foundational the cultures and experiences of Americans of African descent are to America's past, present, and future,” Diviney said.

Read Blues People by Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka), recommended by alum and assistant professor of jazz studies John Kocur. This book, published 60 years ago, is one of the first full-length books on jazz and blues by a Black author, Kocur said. “Baraka pulled no punches as he honestly assessed ‘The Negro Experience in White America and the Music that Developed from it’ as the subtitle puts it,” Kocur said. “I first read it as a graduate student at Howard University, and it has stuck with me ever since.”

Experience another recommendation by Kocur, who also suggests listening to the 2021 album We Are by Jon Batiste, a mix of jazz, soul, pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The album has 13 songs and is just under 38 minutes. It is Batiste’s sixth album and won the 2022 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It includes award-winning songs such as “Freedom,” “I Need You,” and “Cry.”

Updated 16 February 2023

Read (and watch) “Kindred” written by Octavia Butler,

recommended by Amanda Leigh Bryan, an assistant professor with the English department. This is a story of a time-traveling Black heroine whose trip through time explores the effects of racism, sexism, and White supremacy in the past and the present. “I am loving watching Kindred! It's an amazing retelling of Butler's work,” said Bryan. The novel was turned into a science-fiction series on Hulu in December 2022.

Read “Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families” by Nicole Lynn Lewis, recommended by Kelly Chandler, the programs administrator at the Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning. This nonfiction book is written by a Black woman who is from the NOVA area. She also owns a DC nonprofit called Generation Hope, which focuses on supporting pregnant and parenting teens pursuing a college education. “Her story is one of resilience and inspiration and is also extremely informative for faculty, staff, and administration when it comes to the difficulties and barriers that pregnant/parenting students may face, especially those of color. Students would also enjoy and learn from the book, regardless of whether they are pregnant/parenting or a person of color themselves,” said Chandler.

Listen to the podcast Affirmations for Black Girls hosted by Tyra The Creative, recommended by Davita Colclough, a campus planner Facilities. This podcast provides a space for Black women to be open and vulnerable, to express themselves and their feelings without shame or judgment. Tyra The Creative focuses on reflection while touching on topics such as relationships, faith, careers, self-love, and personal development.

Experience The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration in Montgomery, Alabama, recommended by Jalen Stubbs, a senior Communication major. The museum “displays Black History in full effect, dating from when our ancestors were shipped to America to the present. This museum will have you leaving in tears of not only sadness but tears of joy for what Black people have persevered through,” said Stubbs. The museum also offers exhibits such as the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and a world-class art gallery with works from some of the most celebrated Black artists in the country.

Updated 08 February 2023

Experience the online exhibit “Black is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite” recommended by Office of University Branding web content creator Jeannine Harvey. The virtual exhibit of Kwame Brathwaite’s photography popularized the political slogan “Black is Beautiful” throughout the late 1950s and 1960s. “It still resonates as powerfully today as it did at the height of the second Harlem Renaissance,” said Harvey. This exhibit features 40 portraits and behind-the-scenes photos of the artistic community in the colorful city of Harlem.

Read “Non-Negotiable Self-Care: A No-Nonsense Approach to Making

Self-Care Your #1 Priority” by Deon Brown, a licensed clinical psychotherapist. This recommendation came from associate dean of University Life Lewis Forrest. It takes on the various reasons why we put self-care on the back burner and how we can change that about ourselves. This non-fiction read is for readers of all demographics and incorporates resources in each chapter for readers to utilize while working on their self-care habits.

Watch Black Art: In the Absence of Light, a 2021 HBO American documentary film directed and produced by Sam Pollard. This film was recommended by the senior director of communications in the College of Engineering and Computing’s Dean's Office, Martha Bushong. It follows various Black American artists and their contributions to the contemporary art world. The documentary is inspired by the work of artist David Driskell who passed away in 2020. It spotlights current Black artists such as Theaster Gates, Kerry James Marshall, and more.

Listen to The 1619 Podcast by The New York Times, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, who also writes for the NYT Magazine. “I thought it was beautifully made and the storytelling was incredible,” said recommender Philip Wilkerson, employer engagement consultant at University Career Services. The podcast looks at the shadow of American slavery and its effects on today’s society. This audio series is for anyone who enjoys listening to podcasts learning about American history. You can tune in on the NYT website with Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Stitcher.

01 February 2023

Experience the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), recommended by staff member Kimbley Green of the Office of University Advancement and Alumni Relations. The museum is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments, past and present, of the Black community and educating those who visit the building. “The outside of the building is made of beautiful bronze-colored panels, and the inside immerses visitors in endless stories. The museum has education initiatives dedicated to a variety of areas from STEM to early childhood education. Although the focus is African American history, the museum also celebrates the achievements of other underrepresented groups, such as the LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities.” The museum currently has four centers and four exhibitions that showcase the Black experience for visitors to explore.

Watch the Netflix Docu-series When They See Us, recommended by Communication major David Kendrick. The show, directed by Ava DuVernay, tells the tragic story of the Exonerated 5. During a biased police investigation, five Black and Brown men were wrongly accused and convicted of a violent crime. The story spans over 25 years, from their teenage to adult years, as these men navigate a world that sees them as nothing but criminals. The series includes well-known actors such as Michael K. Williams and Joshua Jackson and an award-winning performance from Jharrel Jerome.

Read The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar by Robin R. Means Coleman and Mark H. Harris, recommended by graduate admissions and outreach manager and master’s candidate in English Rafaella Silva. “The Black Guy Dies First is a fantastic look into one of horror's most common clichés: the Black character dies first,” Silva said. “As a horror fan and student of English cultural studies, I am always looking into ways to analyze every plot point from a socio-political perspective as horror films are a reflection of the contemporary societies they are produced in, and the information in this book is the foundation on how to do so. With amusing commentary and well-explained analysis, I recommend this book to any passionate horror fan.” From the 1968 Civil Rights Act and the assassination of Dr. King to cinematic masterpieces such as “Candyman” and “Get Out,” this book explores themes, stereotypes, and the characterization of Black bodies in horror. Read all about the journey of Black characters in horror in cinema with this recommendation.

(This can also be experienced in the form of a documentary called Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, directed by Xavier Burgin and featuring esteemed actors such as Tony Todd, Jordan Peele, and Loretta Devine.)

Listen to the Mix(ed) Tape Podcast recommended by College of Public Health assistant professor of social work Melissa Villodas, hosted by two Afro-Latin PhDs, Mason’s very own Villodas and economist Andrés Hincapié. Each episode brings listeners multiple guests with diverse perspectives on various topics. Created in July 2020, Mix(ed) Tape Podcast is entering its third year. You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Thanks for joining us on this journey.

Topics

Black African Heritage

African American/Black

Black Lives Next Door

Author, activist Brian P. Jones talks about Black education in DuBois lecture

Shayla Brown — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:18:23 +0000

Author, activist Brian P. Jones talks about Black education in DuBois lecture Shayla Brown Thu, 02/23/2023 - 12:18

In This Story

LaNitra M. Berger, PhD

Dr. Brian P. Jones speaking at Mason's 2023 W.E.B. DuBois Lecture. Photo by Shayla Brown.

When Brian P. Jones was teaching in Harlem in the early 2000s, he fought against what he saw as a movement to privatize public education, which he feared would rip the rug out from the education of his almost all Black students.

“It got me thinking about patterns of Black education and how Black students themselves have so often challenged patterns of social engineering,” said Jones. “That's what brought me all the way back to Tuskegee; there was no book on that, so I wrote the book.”

His book, “The Tuskegee Student Uprising: A History,” was the focus of his talk as ��ӽ紫ý’s 2023 W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture Series guest speaker hosted by the African and African American Studies Program.

Jones is currently the director of the Center for Educators and Schools at the New York Public Library.

“[The series] invites noted national scholars to come and speak about their research on the Black experience, and how it connects to the legacy of Du Bois,” said LaNitra Berger, director of African and African American Studies Program. “As soon I saw Dr. Jones’s book, I knew that it was exactly the kind of book that we would want our students to read, and the kind of conversation we would want to have as a Mason community.”

Jones, whose father went to Tuskegee, conducted six years of research on the university and its students. He and his father took a road trip to the university to dig through some of the archives, he said.

Tuskegee arose after the overthrow of Reconstruction. “Reconstruction,” Jones said, “is interesting because we're looking at a moment of Black power whose effects are democracy, and actually are of great benefit to the majority White population.”

Du Bois called this “a moment in the sun,” said Jones. It is mentioned in Du Bois’s book, “Black Reconstruction: 1860-1880,” and references the time between slavery and Jim Crow.

“It was overthrown with violence, with terror, with intimidation, and murder. Schools that were built, were then burned,” said Jones. When Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute as a teacher-training school in 1881, he downplayed the idea that Black people should fight for civil and political rights, and emphasized education, hard work, and land ownership instead.

As part of his talk, Jones shared photos that he took or found during his research. The images included student strikes from 1896 and 1903, and the statue of Booker T. Washington that greets visitors to the Tuskegee campus in Alabama that shows him holding the Veil of Ignorance over an enslaved person—some argue he is pulling it up, while others argue he is putting it down. He also shared photos of some of his interview subjects including the first Black woman elected student body president at Tuskegee, Gwen Patton.

“To me, Gwen Patton represents the political savvy of Tuskegee students whose radicalization and intellectual development was largely happening off campus. She would participate in sit-ins and other protests off campus before going back to class, said Jones.

Dr. Brian P. Jones signs copies of his book after the lecture. Photo by Shayla Brown.

During the question-and-answer portion of the lecture, a student asked Jones, “How did you feel while you were interviewing the student activist?”

“I talked to 21 former Tuskegee students and community members. I remember feeling a sense of pride that I was able to help them pass along a story that they held,” said Jones. “It’s little bit daunting to have somebody give to you something that's so important to them, and to try to do it justice.”

Du Bois touched many academic subjects including art history, education, politics, and sociology, said Berger. “His scope was so wide in terms of the ideas that he infused that naming the lecture after him allows us to invite scholars from almost any discipline.”

“There are many brilliant Black student movements across many campuses who aren’t just going to take the world as it is, they’re going to change it,” said Jones.

Topics

African and African American Studies

Guest Speaker

Campus News

African American/Black

Black African Heritage

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

From archaeology to artistic representations, Mason students help reveal the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 21:55:27 +0000

From archaeology to artistic representations, Mason students help reveal the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 02/15/2023 - 16:55

In writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights, U.S. Founding Father ��ӽ紫ý IV took a stand for individual rights. His ardent defense would later inform the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution’s Bill of Rights—documents critical for securing liberties.

But a challenging irony rests in Mason’s words versus his actions.

“There’s this rather profound discomfort for us in reading about ��ӽ紫ý saying, we don’t want to be slaves to the British government, when he’s enslaving other people,” said Rebecca Martin, director of education and guest experiences at Gunston Hall, the historic home of ��ӽ紫ý IV.

Mason called slavery a slow poison that contaminates the country, Martin said, yet he kept hundreds of people in bondage.

The Enslaved People of ��ӽ紫ý Memorial on the Fairfax Campus. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

Exploring a Complicated History

The complex history of ��ӽ紫ý’s namesake is something the institution has explored for some time.

In 2016, Mason students, mentored by faculty, explored the little-known slave-holding legacy of the university’s namesake, which led to the creation of the Enslaved People of ��ӽ紫ý Memorial on the Fairfax Campus.

Artifacts found in the pit of a slave dwelling at Gunston Hall, including a bottle seal with ��ӽ紫ý's initials and the date "1760," a cowrie shell from the Caribbean, and pieces of petrified wood. Photo by Mariam Aburdeineh.

A group of students also supported Gunston Hall in eventually finding the dwellings of the enslaved when they dug square pits at 20-foot intervals to the east of the mansion in 2000, said Gunston Hall archaeologist David Shonyo. In 2013, when Shonyo was trying to find these dwellings, he dug farther down at a spot the students recorded as having darker soil, charcoal and artifacts.

“Thanks to the careful record keeping of students years before, I was able to almost immediately find what we now call the East Yard Quarter,” Shonyo said. “I found what turned out to be a pit dug into the floor of a slave dwelling that had been used as a receptacle for household refuse.”

Bringing Their Stories to Life

Bringing narratives of the enslaved people to the forefront is ongoing. Last year, senior painting major Katherine Ashby was commissioned to create life-size portraits of ��ӽ紫ý IV and other people who lived at Gunston Hall, including some of the people held in slavery there.

“One of the challenges of working in a historic house museum is helping visitors to understand that spaces which today seem quiet and pristine were once bustling and full of life,” said Kate Steir, curator at Gunston Hall. “Katherine’s illustrations help to do that very important work.”

“I’ve had visitors tell me that [Ashby’s] figures draw them into the spaces and help visual learners who previously struggled to imagine the full range of people who lived and worked at Gunston Hall in the 18th century,” Steir said.

Mason student Katherine Ashby was commissioned to create life-sized portraits of those who lived at Gunston Hall. Photo by Cristian Torres.

The excavated artifacts and Ashby’s portraits will help bring a fuller narrative of Gunston Hall to life, and support Gunston Hall’s East Yard Project, which will include recreating the quarters where the enslaved lived.

“It’s essential to tell the true, honest and full history of Gunston Hall and the people that were here, and to provide humanity and respect to the enslaved,” said Scott Stroh, executive director of Gunston Hall. “In rebuilding [the quarters], we’ll create some structures we know would have been located here and for the first time really create a tangible presence.”

Stroh said The East Yard project, which will begin in March 2023, will include more archaeology, as well as scholarship to expand knowledge of the enslaved community.

A rendering of the East Yard Project. Courtesy of Gunston Hall.

For Black History Month, we went to Gunston Hall to learn not only about the Mason family, but some of the stories of the enslaved:

Penny, from the Enslaved People of ��ӽ紫ý Memorial. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

Penny

“Penny was a young girl when she came to Gunston Hall. She was enslaved in Maryland at Ann Mason [��ӽ紫ý IV’s first wife]’s childhood home plantation. Anne Mason’s father essentially gave her as a gift to his granddaughter [Nancy Mason], who was about 10 years old. We believe Penny was about 10 when she was forced to leave her family and come here to have her life and her fate controlled by another 10-year-old girl.

“She lived with Nancy Mason, the oldest daughter, for the rest of her life. She never married. She traveled with Nancy. When Nancy did marry, she did the work of a lady’s maid.” —Kate Steir

Dick

“Dick was enslaved in the house and was in liveried uniform, waiting on people and doing various tasks. We do know that he was present for a lot of conversations between people like ��ӽ紫ý and George Washington, and ��ӽ紫ý and James Madison. They were talking about freedom and the revolution. We also know that during this process, the British government offered freedom to anyone who was enslaved who ran away and fought for them.

“Even if people who were enslaved weren’t able to formally vote, they had a sense of their own politics and a sense of ways they could participate, either through physically moving themselves or choosing to stay.” —Kate Steir

Nell

“Nell was enslaved by the Masons and was trained as a midwife. These specialized skills allowed her to help other women and to earn money. Nell tended to enslaved women when they gave birth. She even traveled to neighboring plantations to help. But babies weren’t born every day. At other times, she likely cared for the Mason children.” —Courtesy of Gunston Hall

James, from the Enslaved People of ��ӽ紫ý Memorial. Photo by Evan Cantwell.

James

“James was a man of mixed race held in slavery by the Masons. He served as ��ӽ紫ý’s manservant or valet, and was likely on duty around the clock. James’s work likely kept him in the mansion most of the week and away from his family. He was probably required to accompany George on his long trips away from Gunston Hall.” —Courtesy of Gunston Hall

Poll

“Poll spent her entire life in slavery at Gunston Hall. She had at least one child. His name was Henry. We know that Poll worked in the mansion because ��ӽ紫ý described her as ‘House Poll.’” —Courtesy of Gunston Hall

Joe

“Joe, an enslaved man, may have worked in the house, the kitchen yard, and the garden, moving from one space to another as he was needed. Perhaps his tasks included delivering firewood to the mansion’s grand rooms, weeding and watering in the garden, and transferring vegetables from the garden to the kitchen.” —Courtesy of Gunston Hall

Topics

Black African Heritage

Gunston Hall

Students

Campus News

Enslaved People of ��ӽ紫ý Memorial

��ӽ紫ý

��ӽ紫ý History

Podcast - EP 47: Black Dance: Housing the past and the present

Damian Cristodero — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 15:11:34 +0000

Podcast - EP 47: Black Dance: Housing the past and the present Damian Cristodero Wed, 02/15/2023 - 10:11

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Lawrence Jackson says colonialism brought an end to authentic African dance. But the associate professor of dance at ��ӽ紫ý, who in 2011 co-authored and edited a special edition on Black dance in the Journal of Pan African Studies, explains to Mason President Gregory Washington how Black dance keeps those African cultural traditions alive and is an affirmation of identity and independence. And did you know that tap, jazz and ballroom dancing have African roots? Jackson explains.

Topics

Access to Excellence podcast

Black African Heritage

black artists

NEH grant supports historian’s work to reveal hidden history

Colleen Rich — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:49:27 +0000

NEH grant supports historian’s work to reveal hidden history Colleen Rich Thu, 02/09/2023 - 14:49

��ӽ紫ý historian Yevette Richards Jordan focuses her research lens on African American history, with an emphasis on racist violence from the 1920s through the 1940s. For the past several years, however, her work has led her to uncover a hidden history of racial violence that struck her own family, and the trauma of that violence that continues today.

Yevette Richards Jordan. Photo provided

“I’ve been researching racist violence in northern Louisiana for probably about a good six years,” said Richards, an associate professor in the Department of History and Art History of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “I became interested in it through stories that I’d heard from my family about lynchings that had occurred—and one particular lynching I could find no evidence of for years and years. It was a very violent incident in which a 13-year-old girl named Carrie Lee, but called Blossom, and a 22-year-old mother, named Mary, were killed, and their own mother Lizzie was shot, and their sister-in-law Emma was shot.

“Years later I found references to this violent event and the victims were listed as ‘unknown,’ ‘unidentified.’ I knew the backstory and I could connect this backstory to these names and these unnamed persons.”

With the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Richards will continue to pursue the details of this hidden narrative. Her project, Between Piney Woods and Cotton Fields: Tracing Racist Violence through Family Networks of Northern Louisiana, received $60,000 in funding, part of the NEH’s August 2022 announcement of grants that will support humanities projects nationwide. In his announcement, National Humanities Alliance executive director Stephen Kidd stressed the importance of the projects being funded. “We are immensely proud of the NEH’s impact across the U.S. and will continue advocating for increased federal support for future grants in 2023 and beyond,” he said.

Richards’s work illustrates this impact. Her project examines multigenerational family networks in early 20th-century Louisiana, and their connection to broader racial dynamics and power structures in the United States. The research cuts close to home.

W. C. Williams lynching memorial column at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Photo provided

“There are two lynching events: the Taylor sisters, and then W.C. Williams,” said Richards. “And I’m not directly related to W. C. Williams, but I have cousins who are related to him. So I am also able to see how Black families are interconnected. Black families who are the victims are interconnected.”

The Williams incident was well known, she said. “His lynching in 1938 represented the last mass daytime lynching in Louisiana, and thousands of people came out to view his body.”

She had a more difficult time learning about the Taylor sisters. “I found that I’m related to them through my mother’s side—her grandmother,” she said. “I first learned about the Taylor sisters through my cousins, the Caldwell cousins, who told me that their father’s first wife had been lynched. No one ever mentioned it, and it was just a vague memory for many of my other older cousins. But these particular Caldwell cousins told me that their father would talk about his first wife, Mary, usually around Christmas, and talk about what happened. But there were few details about the Taylor sisters that they knew beyond this immediate violent event.”

Richards’s search for information has been hampered by the age of many of the people who knew the truth about the Taylors and Williams, but also by their concern for safety. “Some people never spoke to me,” she said. “They’re elderly, in their 80s and 90s, and they would say a little bit but then they would avoid me. I tried to be sensitive to the fact that they’re still living there, and even though they’ve outlived many of the people who were perpetrators, they realize that their descendants still live there, and the fear was so great at the time that this violence happened, it still carries over with them.”

Richards has also found a relatedness among the perpetrators of the violence. “As I researched the incidents, I came to see that many of the white family members were interconnected; they were connected to each other as cousins,” she said. “Looking at the white family networks, I also began to see the connections that they had with state power. And with the police and judges. And many of them were Klan leaders, as well, leaders of the 1920s Klan. This evidence helped me to understand how this violence could remain so submerged and hidden.”

Despite the obstacles in tracing the lives of the Taylor sisters, W. C. Williams, and the people who have sought to erase those memories, Richards perseveres in bringing the stories to light. "I’ve already developed, with my graduate students, a course on race and lynching,” she said. “That course has helped me in my background research into this area. Once this book is written, it will be included in that course.”

Topics

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Research

Black African Heritage

African American/Black

Department of History and Art History

Student artwork honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights leaders

John Hollis — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 20:31:56 +0000

Student artwork honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights leaders John Hollis Wed, 02/08/2023 - 15:31

Freshman Skye Callaway won the MLK Art Competition.
Photo by Cristian Torres/Strategic Communications

He walked so that those following behind could run.

That was ��ӽ紫ý freshman Skye Callaway’s powerful message with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in mind behind her winning submission in this year’s MLK Art Competition. Winners of the competition, which was sponsored by the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment, were announced during the MLK Evening of Reflection on Jan. 30.

“Being a student and an activist, I realized that without Martin Luther King, we wouldn’t really know a lot about peaceful protests and the right things to do,” said Callaway, an integrative studies major from Long Island, New York. “We are the next generation of activists, but he really paved the way for what we do.”

Callaway dubbed her work “The Blueprint” and used blue ink as a reference to the blueprint left by Dr. King that she aimed to celebrate in her artwork.

“I wanted to focus on how all the division, discrimination, and more happening right now has led to a new age of protesters and ‘freedom fighters,’ ” she said in the artist’s statement about her work. “And how we now know what path to follow because MLK was the blueprint. He walked so we can run.”

Anna Simakova, a freshman art and visual technology major originally from Moscow and now living in Vienna, Virginia, was the contest’s runner-up with her painting, “On the Edge of the World.” The painting depicts a little girl holding a balloon, symbolizing endless possibilities.

“I focused my attention on the central object,” Simakova said, “highlighting that the girl enters this life stage alone and the whole universe is open for her. She is small, fragile and as light as a balloon, but she fearlessly pursues her dream.”

Mason's annual MLK Evening of Reflection was held this year on January 30. Photo by DeRon Rockingham/Creative Services

Acknowledging that activism takes many forms, including art, the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment put out a call for illustrators, painters, and graphic designers of all backgrounds wishing to have their works displayed during the MLK Evening of Reflection, which also included a panel discussion on ways to help in the fight for justice.

“Often forgotten is the importance of visual art in the realm of activism," said Caroline Jacques, assistant director of the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment. "Throughout history, we’ve seen the power of art and how it can evoke many different emotions, from pain to pride. This year, we wanted to remind the Mason Nation of the relevance of this medium in the continuous fight for justice.”

Artists were asked to speak to the theme of this year’s MLK Remembrance events of “Lighting the Pathway: Renewing, Reviving, Restoring and Remembering the Dream.” Artists submitting work were asked to speak to what the theme meant to them and the ways that Dr. King has inspired people to find their path in the fight for social justice, equity and access for all people.

During the Evening of Reflection, event participants voted on the artwork, and the results were announced near the end of the event.

See more student art entries.

Topics

Center for Culture Equity and Empowerment

Students

Black African Heritage

African American/Black

Martin Luther King

Black History Month Student Exhibit

Jeannine Harvey — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:43:00 +0000

Black History Month Student Exhibit Jeannine Harvey Mon, 01/30/2023 - 10:43

Remembering History and Celebrating Black and African Heritage

Student Exhibit

In honor of Black and African Heritage Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students were asked to submit works of art to be displayed during the MLK Evening of Reflection. Please enjoy the powerful works below.

A Look Beyond by Isabella Cuevas

Artists Statement: A look beyond — a profound vision transforming minds while transforming through the minds. His inspiration revitalizes seeds of justice and freedom, reflected in each of us in a unified but unique way. The timeless message is filled with life and humanity, something embedded in all, potential deep within.

Hidden in plain sight by Asiya Freeman

Artists Statement: I created the "Hidden in plain sight " piece in 2019 for my Painting 1 final. After researching how the police originated, I wanted to use a white police officer with a KKK hood to represent racism, police brutality, and white supremacy. Some people aren't aware that The origins of modern-day policing can be traced back to the "Slave Patrol. The mission of the slave patrol was to "establish a system of terror and squash slave uprisings with the capacity to pursue, apprehend, and return runaway slaves to their owners. Tactics included using excessive force to control and produce desired slave behavior". Many people, especially at a PWI, don't know the history or are simply avoiding the truth. " Hidden in plain sight" is the elephant in the room; it makes some people uncomfortable, but the message is clear and exposes the history.

Freedom Fighters by Skye Callaway

Artists Statement: I wanted to focus on how all the division, discrimination, and more happening right now has led to a new age of protesters and “freedom fighters.” And how we now know what path to follow because MLK was the blueprint. He walked so we can run.

"they tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds" by Aseeyah Walker

Artists Statement: This painting is inspired by the quote: "they tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds." I have placed a black power fist in the middle of a sunflower. In American history, black people have had many challenges and barriers placed in front of us to prevent us from succeeding. However, we have persevered, fought against oppression, developed a beautiful culture, and flourished in black excellence. This painting demonstrates how African Americans created something out of nothing. It shows what unity and black pride does for the people.

On the Edge of the World by Anna Simokova

Artists Statement: In the painting “On the edge of the World,” I depicted a little girl holding a balloon, thus symbolizing new endless possibilities. I focused my attention on the central object, highlighting that the girl enters this life stage alone, and the whole universe is open for her. She is small, fragile, and light as a balloon, but she fearlessly pursues her dream!

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Student artwork honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Civil Rights leaders

Topics

African American/Black

Black African Heritage

black artists

Center for Culture Equity and Empowerment

Martin Luther King

student activism

Performing Early Black American Music

Pam Muirheid — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 21:13:36 +0000

Performing Early Black American Music Pam Muirheid Tue, 07/12/2022 - 17:13

In This Story

Dr. Emily Green

Dr. Michael Nickens

Dr. Emily Green and Dr. Michael Nickens.

The Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music were pleased to host a symposium for scholars, performers, and educators on June 23-24 called: Performing Early Black American Music. This state-funded Virginia project was led by Mason music professor, Dr. Emily H. Green with Dr. Michael Nickens (��ӽ紫ý), Dr. Bonnie Gordon (University of Virginia), and Dr. Mary Caton Lingold (Virginia Commonwealth University).

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College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

Dewberry School of Music

Black African Heritage

Remembering Roger Wilkins

Melanie Balog — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:04:11 +0000

Remembering Roger Wilkins Melanie Balog Mon, 02/21/2022 - 14:04

Roger Wilkins talks with students at Mason. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Nicholas Hanson remembers Roger Wilkins’ smile.

Hanson was a freshman at ��ӽ紫ý in 2002, and his modern literature class with Wilkins, the civil rights champion and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at The Washington Post, was, as Hanson said, “one of the great inspirations of my freshman year.”

“He had one of the warmest smiles to let you know that he was on your side,” said Hanson, BA Communication ’06). “Even if he was pushing you for something in class, he had your back. He wanted to see you grow.”

Wilkins, a Robinson Professor from 1986 to 2007, and for whom Wilkins Plaza on Mason’s Fairfax Campus is named, died in 2017 at age 85, but his legacy at the university remains strong.

Especially among those at Mason who knew him best, his students and colleagues.

Jeffrey C. Stewart
Professor, History, 1986-2006
Distinguished Professor, University of California-Santa Barbara, Black Studies

Stewart

Roger and I were tied at the hip, so to speak, in an important way: We were jointly the first Commonwealth Professors to come to ��ӽ紫ý in 1986 as part of an initiative in Virginia to integrate the faculties of its state universities. Arriving in the history department that year, we found little time to interact or get to know each other because there was so much of a demand on our time. Roger, of course, was a celebrity, having been a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer at The Washington Post. But both of us found, I believe, that there was so much hunger on campus among all students for Black History, that we were constantly engaged.

Occasionally, though, I remember brief conversations with him. One I remember quite clearly. Roger told me of getting in an elevator with Paul Robeson, the great singer, actor, and human rights activist, as a young man and being amazed at how large a man Robeson was. Roger said that Robeson reached down and shook his hand, and Roger felt as if his hand was swallowed up by Robeson's. I always wondered why he told me that story. My best guess is that Roger, who possessed great conscience, as evidenced in his writings on the civil rights struggle and Jefferson, felt some sadness when he reflected on the well-known smear campaign his uncle, Roy Wilkins, as head of the NAACP, had carried out against Paul in collusion with the FBI. The largeness of Robeson's hand, you see, symbolized the largeness of his spirit, which could not be diminished by smaller minded men.

In that sense, I was always uplifted by the thought that I taught in a department of history that included Roger Wilkins. The quality of his conscience, which he manifested in his teaching, his writings, and his storytelling, represented to me the highest calling of the historian—to mine the past for lessons of how to live more honorably in the future, the theme, actually, of his autobiography, “A Man’s Life.” I miss Roger as I miss the cadre of other travelers on that highway trod by the historians of conscience, for we need them more now than ever.

Budny and Wilkins

Anthony Budny
BA Communication ’07
Television producer, Voice of America

Going into college, I was an aspiring journalist, and Roger Wilkins was largely part of the reason I chose Mason in the first place. As time went on, I took two classes with him and regularly attended his office hours, and we basically developed a friendship. He was a very no-nonsense type of person. He was willing to talk to you about anything, but he wasn’t going to hold back anything from you. Just having a person like him on campus, who had his life and career experiences, it meant a lot to me personally to be able to talk to him about anything on my mind. So his importance to me was certainly multifaceted.

Censer

Jack Censer
Professor Emeritus of History

The students adored the man. He had a vigorous stride. He had a gigantic public reputation. But he didn’t just come to Mason to vegetate. He came to teach. He came to be with students. He threw himself into it. He taught with his experience, from his environment and his own history. He was great in the classroom, very charismatic. Eloquent words flew out of him. Roger just took it to the next level. He’d have a slew of White and Black kids wanting to learn from his experience. He was a guru. You’d see him leave his office with students walking along with him.

Dina Copelman
Associate Professor Emerita, History and Cultural Studies

Copelman

He was very welcoming. Nobody was unimportant. He was interested in everyone. He had great stories that combined history and politics and social life and seriousness and humor. So he could step outside being this public person, but he also connected us to the outside.

The [Robinson Professors'] mission was to make ��ӽ紫ý more visible to the outside world and to teach undergraduates, but he also made the faculty feel part of a more vital national, world discussion. We couldn’t have his reach, but we could keep that as something academics could be and aspire to. It was a very impressive and inspiring model.

Crew

Spencer Crew
Robinson Professor of American, African American, and Public History

He was a person who cared about his students, who cared about teaching and cared about revealing to them the challenges that life has to offer, but offering them ways of how to navigate that and do it safely. I love that the Roger Wilkins Lectures series brings in people who offer challenging and thoughtful perspectives to the students, and I think that is what he stood for—causing students to think deeply and richly about the world in which they live, and also what they can offer to the world. Not just to go through school and get your grades, but how to use this time to have an impact and to think about how your life can have an impact over the long haul.

Hanson

Nicholas Hanson
BA Communication ’06
Creative Manager, ECS

Professor Wilkins was one of the great inspirations of my freshman year. The course he was teaching at the time focused on modern literature across cultures. He taught me to think critically about interpersonal communication, and he opened my eyes to the bridges that can be built between groups with different life experiences and different values. What I learned from him has paid dividends time and time again in my career as a multimedia and communications professional. I’ll always remember Roger’s smile and warm personality. He would challenge me in class, but I always felt he had my back. He wanted to see me grow.

Kelly

Mills Kelly
Director, Mason’s Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Professor, History

Many years ago, at a meeting of a community group I belonged to, one of the board members made an extremely racist statement in front of others during a break in our meeting. I was too shocked to say anything at the time, then felt guilty that I hadn’t. I was unsure how to proceed, then it occurred to me that I worked with Roger Wilkins, so I asked permission to bend his ear. The advice Roger gave me that day was exactly perfect. I was able to respond appropriately to the person who had said that horrible thing, even while defusing the situation. I’ve never forgotten that.

Peter Stearns
University Professor
Provost Emeritus

Stearns

He was, obviously, a tremendously popular teacher, smart and generous with his time and insights. Students flocked to him. At one point a decision was made to split what was then the College of Arts and Science, mainly because people wanted a more specialized College of Science. That left the question of what to do with the humanities and social sciences. Roger played a huge role in providing leadership and mobilizing enthusiasm for what became the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. It was just a tremendous leadership effort. It showed wisdom and very successful collegial interactions. It was simply a pleasure to watch him help turn this around.

Topics

Campus News

Black African Heritage

Masonat50

Mason students documenting the history of Black life at Mason and in the local community

Colleen Rich — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 15:14:09 +0000

Mason students documenting the history of Black life at Mason and in the local community Colleen Rich Mon, 02/21/2022 - 10:14

As part of an effort to research and record local history, ��ӽ紫ý graduate and undergraduate students, along with faculty, have begun documenting Black students who attended Mason and the Black communities that once existed in Fairfax County.

This fall, the Black Lives Next Door website went live with initial research exploring the early years of ��ӽ紫ý College and its transition to a university in 1972. The project, conducted under the auspices of the Center for Mason Legacies, is an ongoing interdisciplinary collaborative effort to highlight voices that history has suppressed.

“This project reflects what we believe, the importance of researching and understanding the past, the importance of showing just how messy history is,” said history librarian George Oberle III, director of the Center for Mason Legacies, assistant term professor and Mason alum. “What we’ve learned is that Mason, while one of the most diverse destinations of higher learning in the U.S., has a haunting past.”

Oberle, Benedict Carton, associate professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and LaNitra M. Berger, associate director of the African and African American Studies Program and senior director of fellowships in the Office of Undergraduate Education, are the founders and primary supervisors of the Black Lives Next Door Project.

The website has a section titled Black Student Biographies, which includes individual stories of Black students in the early days of Mason and the struggles they faced. One biography describes Irma R. Willson’s battle in the 1960s for enrollment in the college and then to change the campus environment. Another section delves into racial ridicule at Mason. In addition, the website has a section describing the School Street neighborhood, a Black community that used to exist near Mason.

“I hope that the legacy of this project is that we recognize what happened in our history and highlight problems from Mason’s past and the community’s past that maybe people don’t want to recognize but should for the sake of recognizing and honoring the erased Black history of Fairfax,” said Veronica Mata, a senior majoring in government and international politics who participated in the research.

The project was inspired by a New York Times opinion piece “Black Lives Next Door” by legal scholar Richard Rothstein, who called for more studies of “comprehensive racial inequity” at the local level, said Berger.

“Now that Mason is turning 50, it’s a good opportunity to look backwards like this and embrace the past, both the good and the bad, as part of the discussion of what Mason will like going forward,” said Berger.

Over the summer, six undergraduate students, two doctoral candidates and faculty members examined the early years of ��ӽ紫ý College, the institutional predecessor to Mason. The group, which received funding through the Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR), attended a two-week research seminar and then probed into primary source material to answer questions about how segregation affected the college and its community and what happened to the Black communities that were once part of the Northern Virginia landscape. Speakers, including Marcia Chatelain, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Georgetown University historian, helped hone the students’ research skills and inspire them in their work. Rothstein also spoke to the students in the fall after the site was published.

Anne Dobberteen, a doctoral candidate in history and a digital humanities graduate research assistant, was one of two graduate students working over the summer to help guide the undergraduate students in their research. She found particularly interesting how few Black students attended Mason as recently as the early 1970s and how far they had to commute to attend.

“Black students were dispersed throughout the region at that time,” Dobberteen said. “It was still a very white college at that time.”

Honors College senior Kyler B. Buckner’s research led him to former Mason professor Robert Houston, considered a “revolutionary” by Mason College administration in the late 1960s for protesting the Vietnam War and running teach-ins on societal racism.

“It was the 1960s and Virginia, so I expected to learn there was racism,” said Buckner, a sociology major. “What was unexpected was finding that there were people trying to do something about it, resisting.”

Berger hopes that the work Mason is doing inspires other colleges and universities to similarly research the hidden lives and suppressed voices within their own communities. As part of that effort, Berger and others have started a social media campaign: #blacklivesnextdoor.

Meanwhile, said Berger, research at Mason is ongoing, and they are always seeking sources of funding.

“I’m so proud of these students and what they’ve accomplished with their high-quality work,” Berger said. “It’s rewarding to watch students get so excited about learning and conducting research of consequence.”

Topics

Students

Research

Center for Mason Legacies

Masonat50

Black Lives Next Door

Black African Heritage

Spirit Fall 22

Black African Heritage

Black History Month: Mason Nation Recommends

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Author, activist Brian P. Jones talks about Black education in DuBois lecture

In This Story

When Brian P. Jones was teaching in Harlem in the early 2000s, he fought against what he saw as a movement to privatize public education, which he feared would rip the rug out from the education of his almost all Black students.

“It got me thinking about patterns of Black education and how Black students themselves have so often challenged patterns of social engineering,” said Jones. “That's what brought me all the way back to Tuskegee; there was no book on that, so I wrote the book.”

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From archaeology to artistic representations, Mason students help reveal the stories of the enslaved at Gunston Hall

Exploring a Complicated History

Bringing Their Stories to Life

Penny

Dick

Nell

James

Poll

Joe

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Podcast - EP 47: Black Dance: Housing the past and the present

In This Story

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NEH grant supports historian’s work to reveal hidden history

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Student artwork honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and civil rights leaders

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Black History Month Student Exhibit

A Look Beyond by Isabella Cuevas

Hidden in plain sight by Asiya Freeman

Freedom Fighters by Skye Callaway

"they tried to bury us but they didn't know we were seeds" by Aseeyah Walker

On the Edge of the World by Anna Simokova

Listen, Read, Watch

Student artwork honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Civil Rights leaders

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Performing Early Black American Music

In This Story

Read more about the symposium.

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Remembering Roger Wilkins

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Mason students documenting the history of Black life at Mason and in the local community

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