Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
March 3, 2017
Everything about the 27th Annual Black and White Ball was inspiring, noted Kaitlin Toussaint ’18TCB, an economics major at the University. One message, however, especially touched her. “Everyone has a light within,” she said, “and everyone can make a difference in their community.”
Kaitlin joined 300 students, professors, and staff for this year’s closing ceremony, which was held at the D’Angelo Center Ballroom on the Queens, NY, campus. The gala featured live performances, video presentations, and an awards ceremony for students, administrators, and faculty members. Yvette Morgan, Ph.D., Director of the GEAR UP program at St. John’s, also delivered a poignant tribute to the late Lez Edmond, Ph.D., a distinguished author and activist who taught at the University.
The gala capped St. John’s slate of activities highlighting Black history and culture in February. This year’s theme, “Blackout: Awakening the Greatness Within,” urged participants to realize their potential to have a positive impact in others’ lives. The month-long celebration was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the 2017 BHM Committee, academic departments, and a variety of student organizations.
The University’s Staten Island campus offered its own slate of activities celebrating Black History Month. These included a Cultural Dance combining West African music with traditional foods, a President’s Multicultural Affairs Committee student roundtable, and a Commuter Breakfast focusing on African-American history and culture.
“St. John’s is committed to creating an environment honoring the backgrounds and identities of members of our community through heritage-month celebrations,” said Kathryn Hutchinson, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Affairs. “These observances allow our entire campus to honor the many ways diversity enriches our learning, cultural, and faith communities.” She congratulated the 2017 BHM Committee on its “outstanding job of organizing a strong series of programs.”
“This year’s activities really promoted opportunities for open dialogues and personal interactions,” stressed Ching Wen Rosa Yen, Director of Multicultural Affairs. “They help the entire University community to better understand and appreciate the rich traditions of black history—and the positive contributions from people of African ancestry to society.”
“Understanding the importance of culture is a key factor in developing as a human being,” observed Ebony Calvin, Associate Director of Campus Activities in the Division of Student Affairs. “Black History Month at St. John's is more than a slate of events and programs to educate our campus community. It’s an opportunity for students to learn about each other, and begin to build a community where race does not matter and people are evaluated based on their service to others.”
For Kaitlin, a trip to the Museum of African-American History in Washington, D.C., was a high point of the month’s activities. Cosponsored by St. John’s Black Alumni Association, the NAACP, Theta Epsilon, and Haraya, of which Kaitlin is Executive Vice President, the event drew about 110 students. “What we brought back,” she observed, “was something central to Black History Month—a sense of history and its impact on the present day.”