Giving Credit where Credit is Due: Thank You, African American Studies at the University of Puget Sound

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Written by Serena Sevasin

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 7, 2020, Mimi Duncan, Jaylen Antoine and myself (Serena Sevasin) lead a peaceful protest and march for Black lives. As students of the University of Puget Sound (UPS), we began this march and protest right on our own campus. There were a lot of steps we knew we needed to take when we began planning this event, but none of us had any experience organizing something like this, and we felt unsure where to start. Until we emailed the professors of the African American (AFAM) studies program. The night of Tuesday June, 2nd we received our first reply email from Dr. Dexter Gordon with a list of steps to take and people to make contact with. We got right to work, and we were fully supported by the members of AFAM and the Race & Pedagogy Institute (RPI) along the way. 

Mimi Duncan (pictured left) and Serena Sevasin (picture right) walking in front of the Puget Sound Memorial Field House. Photographed by Sy Bean.

I acknowledge AFAM specifically because of the support of their entire program in our process, but also because of how they have influenced us as students to this point. Personally, becoming a major in African American studies is the best thing I have done for myself, and in return, my community. I immediately refer to my previous experience in my AFAM 399 Public Scholarship course with Dr. LaToya Brackett. In the past spring, going virtual was a bitter and reflective time. I used lots of this spare time both reading and writing, looking more specifically at texts for our class such as On Intellectual Activism by Patricia Hill Collins and Is Everyone Really Equalby Özlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo. Both of these texts not only provided me with terminology and theory for my lived experiences, but also encouraged action outside the walls of academia to engage people with these issues. With using these texts as frameworks to approach a public column surrounding identity called Dear Serena, I was able to not only put my experiences into words, but in ways I could create accessible content to masses of people, not just those in the classroom. 

Serena Sevasin giving a speech at Wright Park. Photographed by @350tacoma.

My Public Scholarship course experience this spring connects directly to my experience and leadership this past weekend, and more especially how I executed and processed the events of the protest. The AFAM program has created spaces for me to feel safe sharing my identity, my view, and my humanity with others. And I want to be clear, I have felt solidarity in these spaces long before our planning of the Black Lives Matter protest. Knowing that students are seen, heard, and guided by the leadership of these faculty have made me more confident in my blackness as a student in these spaces at UPS, and as a Black, queer woman in general. Thinking back on this past weekend, there are many “thank yous” to go around: to volunteers, other faculty, community members, and friends.

However, no thank you will ever encompass the gratitude and admiration myself, Mimi, and Jaylen have for the members of AFAM and RPI. 

A moment of celebrating the work of organizers (photographed left to right) Serena Sevasin, Mimi Duncan, and Jaylen Antoine at Wright Park. Photographed by Makenna Hess-Fletcher.

We as organizers can only hope that Black students in the future can find and cultivate this same support for their work as they make their marks on history, fighting their fights, and refusing to stand by. If they have these same leaders and educators with the passion and intentions to guide them, I can happily say they are in good hands. 

To the members and faculty of African American Studies and the Race & Pedagogy Institute Leadership Team, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

GP1: Before AFAM 101 We didn’t know… “how education, or lack of education builds people’s perceptions of African Americans throughout time
”

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As a part of our AFAM (African American Studies) 101 course, we were asked to share our thoughts on what we did not know prior to this course. Our group, featuring Kayden L., Aidan P., Carson C., Charlie H., and John M. have come up with 5 podcast episodes discussing our individual thoughts. Nonetheless, we realized a theme in all of our episodes of this mini series. That theme is Perception in relation to Education.

Below you can see how our series, “We didn’t know how education, as well as lack of education builds different perception of African Americans throughout time.” Each episode is also paired with a few resources. We hope you gain some insight into our experiences in AFAM 101.

  • Introduction to Podcast Series
  • Episode #1: The History of African American Studies and Why it Matters by Kayden L.
  • Episode #2: Lynchings in the Psyche of White Society by Aidan P.
  • Episode #3: Systematic Racism and its Exclusion from Teachings by Carson C.
  • Episode #4: I didn’t know what I didn’t know by Charlie H.
  • Episode #5: Africans’ history in Africa and how they were kidnapped and enslaved in Europe and America by John M.
  • Conclusion

An Introduction with Charlie, Aidan,
Kayden, and Carson.

Episode #1: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know The History of African American Studies and Why it Matters

A podcast by: Kayden L.

Students participating in Sit-in during the 1960s
Students on strike at San Francisco State College
Episode #1: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know The History of African American Studies and why it Matters

**points of clarification: When stating that medical books do not show the difference between diseases in African Americans and white people, it is specific to diseases that show up on the skin. Due to African Americans having darker skin, something like the Chicken Pox would be harder to see and also harder to diagnose if the only reference is images of it on white skin.

Additional information on the topic:

  • Bennett, L. (1970). Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America 1619-1964. Rev. ed. Harmondsworth, MD: Penguin Books.
  • Stewart, J. B., & Anderson, T. (2015). Introduction to African American studies: Transdisciplinary approaches and implications. Baltimore, MD: Inprint Editions.
  • Image citations:
  • Davis, B. (2018, February 12). Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968. Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://1960sdaysofrage.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/third-world-liberation-front-strikes-of-1968/
  • Wikipedia. Sit-in movement. (2020, August 23). Retrieved October 25, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sit-in_movement

Episode #2: Before AFAM 101 I Didn’t Know That Lynchings Were Accepted By White People

A podcast by Aidan P

Episode #2: Before AFAM 101 I Didn’t Know That Lynchings Were Accepted By White People

**points of clarification: The title of the book is Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America, by Lerone Bennett, not Becket.

Additional information on the topic:

  • Bennett, L. (1970). Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America 1619-1964. Rev. ed. Harmondsworth, MD: Penguin Books.
  • Allen, J. Littlefield, J. (2000) Without Sanctuary: Photographs of Lynching in Americahttps://www.withoutsanctuary.org/
  • Music: www.bensound.com

Episode #3 Before AFAM 101 I didn’t know the extent of Systematic Racism and how my Education never Taught me about it

A podcast by Carson C.

Episode #3 Before AFAM 101 I didn’t know the extent of Systematic Racism and how my Education never Taught me about it

Additional information on the topic:

  • Gilmer, M. (2015, December 17). Chicago’s deep history of racism gets a brief spotlight. Retrieved October 26, 2020 (image source)
  • “The House We Live In: Race—The Power of an Illusion.” Films On Demand, Films Media Group, 2003

Episode #4 Before AFAM 101 I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

A Podcast by Charlie H.

Episode #4 Before AFAM 101 I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

Additional information on the topic:

  • Image Citation: Maeyama, Jocelyn. A Brief Representative History of African American Studies at Wesleyan, 2019, magazine.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2019/05/20/a-brief-representative-history-of-african-american-studies-at-wesleyan/.
  • Citations: Bennett, L. (1970). Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America 1619-1964. Rev. ed. Harmondsworth, MD: Penguin Books.
  • Stewart, J. B., & Anderson, T. (2015). Introduction to African American studies: Transdisciplinary approaches and implications. Baltimore, MD: Inprint Editions.

Episode #5 Before AFAM 101 I Didn’t Know Africans’ history in Africa and how they were kidnapped and enslaved in Europe and America

A podcast by John M.

Episode #5 Before AFAM 101 I Didn’t Know Africans history in Africa and how they were kidnapped and enslaved in Europe and America

**points of clarification: Due to reading directly from the text Before the Mayflower, the outdated term, “Negro” is used because it is a part of the direct quotes. Please understand that this term is not to be used contemporarily to refer to African Americans, but historically the term was used. Thus the author of the book, Lerone Bennett, an African American historian utilized it as the correct terminology of his time.

Additional information on the topic:

  • Bennett, Lerone. Before the Mayflower: a History of the Negro in America, 1619-1962. BN Publishing, 2018.
  • Public Library, Chicago. The Americas Before the Mayflower. Hispaniola , 28 Oct. 2014.

Conclusion:

G3: Before AFAM 101 We didn’t Know… “how our different identities and upbringings have impacted our outlook of the U.S. within the scope of our individual experiences.”

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As a part of our AFAM (African American Studies) 101 course, we were asked to share our thoughts on what we did not know prior to this course. Our group featuring Jaylen A., Skyler D., Elijah T., Aldrin II V., & Gabriel J., have developed 5 podcast episodes in this series where we discuss our individual thoughts about topics we have learned in AFAM 101. Nonetheless, we realized a theme in all of our episodes of this mini series. That theme is centered around implications of events from the past and the present and how they have shaped the understanding of our individual identities. We understand that identity has many meanings so we speak from our personal experiences as we present historical evidence, share current events, dissect ideologies we’ve been taught, share our lived experiences and express personal aspirations.

“I [felt] that I’ve had to convert myself, change myself, in order to fit into different societies”

-Joanne Nchimbi TEDx speaker from the American School of Brasília

Below you can see how our series, “We didn’t know how our different identities and upbringings have impacted our outlook of the U.S. within the scope of our individual experiences” is organized. We hope you gain some insight into our lived experiences that we have been able to analyze with the knowledge obtained in AFAM 101.

  • Introduction to the Podcast Series
  • Episode #1: Jaylen A. and what he did not know about the forced anglicization of enslaved Africans to assimilate them into colonial society.
  • Episode #2: Skyler D. and what he did not know about how the Black community utilizes Double Consciousness as a defense tactic and as a response to the feeling of otherness in the United States.
  • Episode #3: Elijah T. and what he did not know about the mass incarceration of Black people and the provisions of the 13th amendment and how it is a reformed version of slavery in the United States.
  • Episode #4: Aldrin II V. and what he did not know about how the American Dream is not attainable by Black people due to intrinsic oppressions that are remnants of slavery.
  • Episode #5: Gabriel J. and what he did not know about redlining and how it ensured the separation of Black and white people across the country, and that the effects are still prevalent to this day.
  • Closing Remarks

An Introduction by Aldrin II V.

Episode #1: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t know about the effort that white colonists put into erasing the identities of Black people throughout the history of America, and how identity is still an issue for African Americans today.

The Black Panthers were a political organization that was formed by Black people in the 1960’s. Their history and legacy created an identity for Black people socially and politically.

A podcast by: Jaylen A.

Episode #1: Before AFAM 101 I did not know the effort that white colonists put into erasing the identities of Black people throughout the history of America, and how identity is still an issue for African Americans today.

Episode #2: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know how W.E.B. DuBois’ concept of double consciousness affects and sheds lights on the existence of a sense of otherness among the identities of Black and non-Black people in American society.

The 1619 Project initiated by the New York Times Magazine that started on August 2019. The project focuses on reframing the United States’ history of slavery by displaying the effects of slavery and amplifying the narratives of Black Americans. Information and photo taken from the New York Times.

A podcast by: Skyler D.

Episode #2: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know how W.E.B. DuBois’ concept of double consciousness affects and sheds lights on the existence of a sense of otherness among the identities of Black and non-Black people in American society.

Episode #3: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know how slavery has transformed itself into incarceration and how it has become closely associated with the identity of Black men in the U.S.

13th is a documentary available on Netflix that highlights how slavery has transformed itself from the bondage of enslaved Africans into the over incarceration of Black Americans. The Prison Industrial complex is a system that uses federal inmates held at privately owned prisons for cheap labor.

A podcast by: Elijah T.

Episode #4: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know how rhetoric like “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” is not an applicable standard to hold against Black people due to intrinsic traits of American society that arose from slavery

  • In a recording 11 months before his assassination Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated these words in an interview about the ‘new phase’ of struggles regarding the Civil Rights Movement. NBC
  • Photo of protestors advocating for the Alabama to reinstate of voting rights to convicted felons. In 2014, 7.2% of Alabama’s population lost the right to vote due to a felony conviction, of that fraction of the population 15% were Black people. Info and photo were obtained from the New York Times.

A podcast by: Aldrin II V.

Episode #4:Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know how rhetoric like “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” is not an applicable standard to hold against Black people due to traits of American society that arose from slavery

Recommended Reading

  • Leary, J. D., & Robinson, R. (2005). Post traumatic slave syndrome: America’s legacy of enduring injury and healing. Milwaukie, OR: Uptone Press.
  • Menakem, R. (2017). My grandmother’s hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies. Las Vegas, NV: Central Recovery Press.
  • Watkins-Hayes, C. (2009). Race-Ing the Bootstrap Climb: Black and Latino Bureaucrats in Post-Reform Welfare Offices. Social Problems, 56(2), 285-310. doi:10.1525/sp.2009.56.2.285

Episode #5: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know that being a Black property owner can affect how you and your properties are valued and that it’s prevalent in my home community where gentrification is occurring

An example of what redlining looks like in a diverse city in the 1900’s. Where you can also see that the “Good” neighborhoods are surrounded by the red (Black) neighborhoods. And the yellow neighborhoods are the integrated neighborhoods that will either be losing or gaining value within the following 5 years.

A podcast by: Gabriel J.

Episode #5: Before AFAM 101 I didn’t Know that being a Black property owner can affect how you and your properties are valued and that it’s prevalent in his home community where gentrification is occurring

Closing Remarks by Skyler D.

 

Black Lives Matter Challenges us to Embody the Legacy of Stonewall.

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Written by Odhan Mullen ’20 (originally published on The Public blog page)

Dear Fellow White LGBT People

Do you remember your first Pride? I remember mine. I woke up early, and anxiously watched the sunrise fade from the kitchen window as I packed my lunch for the day ahead. The pressure building in my chest slowed my walk, and I accidentally missed the first train. When I finally arrived at Grand Central Station, I followed a group of twenty-somethings holding cardboard signs and little rainbow flags to the march. I never actually joined the march as I had intended, but seeing the passion and joy of those who marched– unapologetic about being visible with love–was enough. I was enthralled by the parade of glitter and starstruck when several cast members of the Orange Is the New Black passed by. I also saw signs emblazoned with slogans: “Remember the Stonewall!” “The first pride was a riot!” I Googled “Stonewall” after returning home and read about Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. I didn’t realize it at the time how much this new knowledge would change my self-understanding and my relationship with those around me. That initial awareness expanded in my first college course in Gender and Queer Studies, which introduced me to a video of Sylvia Rivera, a speech in which she condemned the hypocrisy of gay people who did not advocate for trans people. She spoke to my own feelings of anger toward cisgender gay friends, who perpetuated transphobia and then excused their behavior with “but I’m gay.” Listening to Rivera made me realize how deeply those excuses hurt. Watching the video felt like inheriting a legacy of radical love, which extended from Rivera to me to those in my trans community. I felt connected to her because of our similarities. I celebrated her bravery. At the same time, seeing Rivera in this video made me aware of how much we were different. I was white and upper middle-class. Acknowledging this privilege helped me see her as she was– a Latinx trans woman who had experienced homelessness, and whose intersecting gender, sexuality and race has shaped her vulnerabilities. I began to understand that Sylvia Rivera and Marsha Johnson were courageous because of ways they differed from me. Their activism was not for me, even though I have benefited greatly from their work. Their activism was for and with those standing at the same crossroads of racial, sexual, and gender oppression. My whiteness has protected me from ever experiencing racism. When the police were targeting Stonewall, they were targeting LGBTQ+ people of color, people with low incomes, and sex workers. The story about Stonewall that I learned at Pride did not teach me about its connections to the Civil Rights movement and the struggle for Black freedom. I realized that the inheritance of radical love is also a debt: Black LGBTQ+ people are why I have been able to change my name, to go on testosterone, to be true to myself. By virtue of my whiteness, queerness is something I can hide. Being Black, on the other hand, does not have an invisibility option. Pride is about envisioning the future and striving for change. It is about being visible. At Pride marches, I am reminded that community action cannot happen without individual action. This year, I take Pride as a reminder to dig deep into my discomfort. To ask myself: Are you showing up for the community or are you celebrating your white individualism? This year, we are participating in Black Lives Matter protests as we also celebrate Pride. We should see them in continuity, as the same movement. As a white trans person, it is up to me to let go of my ego and transform my privilege by listening to black leaders and educators. It is because of my white privilege that I can take up this space with my words. At the same time, merely recognizing my privilege is not enough to make tangible change.

Here is my challenge to myself, and to you, fellow white LGBT people:

We must work tangibly to embody the spirit of Stonewall and its inheritance of radical action. We must extend and transform the political agendas that grant some of us the ability to get married, to change our gender on identifying documents, and to benefit from the new employment non-discrimination laws. We must reframe Pride so its legacy does not merely empower some of us to fit into the existing status quo. The legacy of Stonewall challenges all of to change the very systems that require people to fit in in order to prove their worth. I now understand that to honor those who came before and to continue their activism requires me to become intimately familiar with my whiteness and to challenge the white privilege that drives mainstream LGBTQ agendas. To do so is critical to everyone’s liberation. The invocation of Stonewall, at its roots, is a call for LGBTQ militancy, for mutual aid, for supporting ALL of our community. Yours in the struggle, Odhan

About the Author:

Odhan Mullen recently graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a double major in History and Gender & Queer Studies. They are interested in public history and they completed an oral history collection with members of Tacoma’s LGBT+ community in 2019. They hope to continue to engage in recording oral histories as a way to preserve the histories of underserved communities, particularly focusing on transgender and non-binary lives.