By Caroline Averitt | Life Editor and Laila Casiano | Social Media Editor

All over the country, people are celebrating Black History Month and Arkansas State University is no exception. 

Throughout the month, organizations such as the Multicultural Center and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc. (NPHC) celebrated with events surrounding this year’s theme, “African Americans and the Arts: It’s Ours to Tell.”

Tyler Johnson, a junior criminology major from Newport, Arkansas, serves as president of Brother 2 Brother, acts as chief officer of Evolve, is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and previously served as the president of the Black Student Association. 

Johnson said he wants the A-State community to support Black students all the time, not just during Black History Month.

“To me, genuinely, the celebration and acknowledgment of the culture that we’ve been denied that we’ve had for a long time,” Johnson said. “It’s just a big celebration and just a big old important knowledge at the same time.” 

Identity

Toni Jones, a junior exercise science major from Sherwood, Arkansas, is a Multicultural Center ambassador, a member of the National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and serves as the vice president for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Jones said she has never felt uncomfortable expressing her racial identity at A-State. She said being sociable despite her initial timidness helped set things in motion to express herself unapologetically.  

“I love my locs, I love my skin, I love everything about me,” Jones said. “It was hard at first to get to love myself, but as I grow older, I’m like, ‘OK, there are little girls that look up to me now.'”

Nev Winfield, a sophomore psychology major from Jonesboro, is biracial. They said they do not feel ‘white enough’ or ‘Black enough,’ which has led them to feel like they need to prove their racial identity. 

“It was really hard to feel like I belonged there sometimes and I was struggling to find my groove, which is why I joined the Feminist Union and Gender Sexuality Alliance,” Winfield said. 

Winfield said they feel powerful as a person of color. 

“I’m really proud to be a Black woman. I think a lot of people will try to discredit that for me because I am mixed,” Winfield said. 

Community

Black students make up about 14% of the population at A-State. 

Johnson said because of the small community on campus, the Black students tend to gravitate toward each other.

Jones said more engagement and better advertising on A-State’s diversity will increase retention for many Black students enrolling.

“We use the same flyers every single year with predominantly white students on the flyers,” Jones said. “When I came here, I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t see not one person who looks like me on this flier.’ So, I think updated fliers and updated advertisements will help.”

As an ambassador for the Multicultural Center, Jones said she wants people to know there are safe places for them to go.

“A lot of Black students I know personally that go here experience racism every single day, but they don’t have the confidence to speak up about it,” Jones said.

She said the Multicultural Center can help give students a safe place and there is always someone there willing to help. 

Black History Month

Black History Month began in 1975 when President Gerald Ford issued a message to all Americans, urging them to recognize the important contributions made by African Americans in the United States.
Jones said many people do not learn about Black history in schools, so Black History Month is the best way to learn about it. 

“Even though we don’t really know all of our history, it’s a celebration of what we do now,” Jones said. 

Johnson said the students at A-State should support each other all the time, not just during Black History Month. 

“Even though this month is about us, don’t let only this month be about us,” Johnson said. “Let us thrive as a community better and be intertwined with each other.” 

Categories: Life