Celebrations of Black History Month

Black History Month is underway and the Black Student Alliance (BSA) has been sharing with the GA community throughout the month through special presentations at Convocation. 

 

Carly Crawford '27 and Lon-Cherie Billingsley '27 kicked things off with a presentation on Megan Brown, an esteemed chef in New York City’s Roosevelt Island. Brown, who has appeared on the Food Network, has made her mark in the culinary world, a field traditionally dominated by white males. 

 

BSA moderator Ms. Hullum presented on Stacey Abrams and her rise through the political ranks. After graduating as valedictorian of her high school, Abrams, graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College before earning her master’s degree from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and then her law degree from Yale University. In 2006, she was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives and became House Minority leader in 2010. In 2018, she ran for governor of Georgia and in February 2021, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. 

 

Later in the month, Jayla Pleasant '22 introduced the community to the music of Anderson Paak, a Grammy Award winning singer and rapper, who signed with Dr. Dre’s label and started his own foundation, the Brandan Anderson Foundation, which “aims to support and create initiatives that uplift, engage and support the community through access to the arts, supplemental education and unique experiences to expand the imagination.”

 

Another day, Mikrya Elston '25 explored HBCUs with a presentation and a video highlighting their history and notable alumni. 

 

This week, Kendall Long '23 shared the history of the song, Lift Every Voice and Sing, written originally as a poem in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson and eventually set to music composed by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson. The song, which captured the solemn yet hopeful appeal for the liberty of Black Americans, was adopted by the NAACP and used as a rallying cry during the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. After her presentation, the community had the chance to sing the song together.