Senior Profile | Sade Green
Speaking Her Truth to Power Sade Green’s life-long dedication to advocating for change is a testament to the drive and passion that she brings to the table — Lauren Kisare ’22 One of the things that stood out to me most about Sade Green ’20 during our twohour long conversation was her laugh. Distinctive and full of levity, her hearty laughter immediately laid the groundwork for the ease with which we communicated with each other. Bualong Ramiz Hall, former director of the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) who previously worked with Green, summed up her laugh perfectly: “It is just a sound that I can call on and it’s present.” Ramiz Hall continued, “I think that’s one of my favorite things about her,” she said. “Especially as Black women, the more conscious we get, the more violent experiences we have ... it can be hard to access some of that joy and laughter … I think it’s really beautiful that she could experience a place like Amherst and the world and be as conscious as she is and still have a beautiful, memorable laugh.” It is through this laugh that I was able to see the confident and accomplished Sade Green — not only for her numerous achievements, but for the kind and warm soul behind her many accolades.
A Passion Awakened Hailing from Long Island, New York, Green has been immersed in a wide variety of activities ever since high school. In addition to being a member of the Future Leaders of America and a track and field runner, Green was the managing editor of her high school’s newspaper
as well as the president of the Key Club, where she mainly used her platforms as avenues for holding greater discussions on social justice issues. With a strong desire to further shed light on problems affecting people of color, Green stated that it was understanding her own power that really encouraged her to get involved with politics. She credits her experience working at the District Attorney’s office in Nassau County as setting the stage for the path that she would go on to pursue in college. As a 17-year-old intern, Green was able to advocate for less severe punishments for young people of color who had recently been convicted. She remembers a specific conversation with a young Black boy who commited a crime, opening his eyes to the long-term barriers that his sentence would bring in his future. In the end, the boy faced a lighter punishment instead of being sentenced to juvenile detention. That was the first time, Green notes, “where I realized I could advocate for people in my community and create a change,” she said. “I didn’t single-handedly do it … but I played a role in preventing the school prison pipeline. And I realized that this is something that could be a career for me.” From her internship at the DA’s office to her time as the president of Key Club in high school, it was difficult for Green to ascertain a specific moment that completely cemented the steps she would take in the fu-
4 | The Amherst Student | May 31, 2020
ture. Rather, it seems that the turning point was a combination of different moments. “Sometimes, it just hits you,” she said. “But I think after you’ve been brave enough for a while, you start to know yourself, and you know what you want to do.” As such a well-rounded student, it was no surprise, then, that Green chose to attend Amherst, where she always knew she would major in English. As someone who aspired to go to law school, she had considered being a political science major or an LJST major — because that’s what was expected. But she adamantly stated that she chose English because “I wanted to do something I love.” During her first years at Amherst, mentors and friends alike both commented on Green’s drive as well as her goal-oriented approach to life. Sommer Hayes ’20E, who has been Green’s friend since her first year, mentioned that “she has such a strong grasp on her purpose … [She’s] making decisions not based on probabilities or what might happen, but [rather] ‘This is where I am. This is what I can do. What steps do I need to take to go further down this path?’” In addition to describing her as curious and empathetic, Ramiz Hall also noted that she is particularly fond of Green’s self-focused attitude. “Sade is a person who I have experienced as [being] committed to her own growth,” she expressed. “Committed to learning about herself,
Photo courtesy of Sade Green ‘20
Memorable and enduring, Sade Green’s legacy at Amherst is characterized by her ongoing efforts to empower and embolden students of color. committed to thinking about how to be better.” “I think that kind of self focused learning and development is vital to becoming a productive, compassionate human in the world,” Ramiz Hall continued. “Over time, I’ve watched Sade grow from an unsure first year at Amherst trying to find her place to an outspoken, unapologetic Black woman who is not afraid to speak truth to power and to pretty much say it like it is.” “Speaking truth to power,” a phrase Green continuously used throughout our own conversation, encapsulates the fearless nature with which Green engages activism. “For me,” she asserted, “speaking truth to power is saying what needs to be said, even if it’s not the most popular thing, and even if it might cost you something, even if you’re afraid.” Both in and out of Amherst,
Green’s strong grasp on how she views the world and her involvement in shaping it grounds her passion for social justice. Her commitment to advocating for change stems heavily from her experiences as a Black woman in America as well as seeing the futures of other Black people taken away by a system that is routinely stacked against them. “My activism came out of a necessity to see my community alive and it wasn’t something I did for fun,” she said. “For me, it was always about how do I fight for my community’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because we’re owed this. ” “I think seeing those injustices,” she went on to say “was not even negotiable. I looked at these injustices … and realized we don’t have to live in a world like this — we can change it. Because there was a point where it didn’t look this.”
