A Commemoration of Black August (Attending Honors Program Events, Class of 2028)

 

            After attending today's event commemorating Black August, I feel both overjoyed and overwhelmed. I entered the room assuming that the lecture our guest speakers prepared would reiterate the same sentiments taught in ADW: honor your ancestors, cherish your education, and use your voice for change. And while these adages were still expressed, I felt a layer of truth and authenticity to them that I've only felt in rooms filled with honors women. Professor Shola Lynch, Dr. McCarty, and Dr. Richardson encouraged us to find new strategies for mass mobilization amongst all oppressed peoples, strategies that are effective and designed to influence the decisions of every generation living now.

            I was overjoyed to see Giles room 102 packed with curious women, excited to learn from their elders and brainstorm ways to apply their advice to their unique mode of activism. Each honors woman comes with her own set of skills, interests, and beliefs about the world around her. The grandiose displays of activism that our guest speakers tasked us with organizing are only part of the solution. As black women, and especially as students at Spelman College, we know that our superpower is our individuality. By applying the information passed down to us from our ADW professors, elders, and black intellectuals alike, as a community we will be just as effective in promoting change. And not only change in our government and legal systems, but also within our communities. What's missing from today's academic and intellectual realm, among both black folk and non-black folk alike, is a consideration of love and empathy as driving forces for positive change. This has led to apathy towards a web of interconnected social issues in our world today, and decreased participation in various forms of civil engagement and community protest. I believe the same can be said about our academic community here at Spelman. This apathy was described in the Spelman Spotlight articles that the leaders of the Honors archive passed around the room. 

            Our goal as honors students is to not only record our stories, but to find the empathy within our hearts to connect our stories to others' and build bonds that surpass the internalized classism, colorism, and bias that prevent us from caring for others. I will take the next step toward achieving this goal by putting more time and effort into my written reflections at every lecture I attend. In becoming more intentional with my writing, I'll be able to ensure that those who read my reflections can clearly understand my opinions and feel encouraged by my words.

*I was in the restroom when this photo was taken.*

- Alyssa Amaker