The story of the United States cannot be told fairly or accurately without African-Americans being a vital part of it, a topic that has been debated alongside diatribes about the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, the elimination of affirmative action legislation, and a time where even the mention of the words “critical race theory” can spark heated arguments in classrooms, parent-teacher meetings, and on social media platforms across the country.
As Americans grapple with the questions of what should and shouldn’t be taught in public schools, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the reality of this social climate and Loyola’s place in it.
Black stories are key to understanding where we’ve been as a nation, where we are, and where we could be headed, but it requires us to not just keep retelling the stories of some of the more prominent Black figures throughout history like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson, and Barack Obama, but to broaden our lens to stories of people like Crispus Attucks (the first person killed during the Boston Massacre, the event that kickstarted the American Revolution), Madam C.J. Walker (America’s first female self-made millionaire), and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams (the first doctor to successfully perform open heart surgery) are some of the stories that deserve just as much space and care given to them in the story of America and its notable Black forerunners.
We as a community are lucky to find ourselves as part of a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff who elevate and enhance the educational opportunities that we can explore, but as federal legislation threatens to curtail some of those opportunities, it’s on us to ensure that we keep our community a safe space for everyone, but especially for the Black students here.
Organizations like the Black Student Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Caribbean and African Student Association, and historically Black fraternities and sororities on campus allow for Black students on campus to find their voices and shape their communities.
By providing opportunities to debate and find like-minded peers to engage with in collective action to make a difference in the world through programs and events like Black Excellence Week, voter registration drives, and community round tables, these organizations do vital work in giving agency to its members.
Currently, The Wolf Pack are led by a Black president of the university in Xavier Cole, a Black Student Government Association president, a Black president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council on campus, and a Black Editor in Chief here at The Maroon. When given the space to succeed, Black students have shown that they can not only hold their own, but thrive here at Loyola, a goal that was evident from the time the first Black students stepped on Loyola’s main campus in the 1960s and founded the group Expression, which today is known as the Black Student Union.
By creating organizations like BSU, NAACP, and the CASA, and Lemon Pepper on campus, along with programs like the Black Studies minor, Loyola has made significant progress in giving black students the space to learn, create, and thrive while reaping the rewards of doing so.
While the Trump administration has called for the elimination of all DEI related programs, it’s important for Loyola to assess the potential intellectual capital and cultural diversity that makes this university so special that we risk losing. We must carefully consider all the potential repercussions of this policy decision and how it will affect our outlook and profile socially, financially, and politically.
The battle Black students are fighting is to reclaim and sustain the bonds, history, and knowledge of those who came before them. So much was sacrificed to earn these rights and pave the way for generations like us, so we must do our part to aid in that struggle by continuing to maintain and support the importance of the structures we have put in place to help our university feel like a place where Black students can continue to thrive and be excellent.
