CHEYNEY MADE BY DR. JANELLE L. WILLIAMS ‘07 AND DR. ROBERT W. LAY II ’10
What does it mean to be “Cheyney Made”? #CheyneyMade is a celebration, an acknowledgement, appreciation shown, and an understanding that our heritage deserves respect. It all started way back in 1837, with the establishment of the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY). Since then, the ICY – known today as Cheyney University of Pennsylvania has been an advocate of and pioneer for the education of Black Americans. As the nation’s first historically Black university, Cheyney University is responsible for educating and graduating over 30,000 prominent and influential professionals including the second Black woman to become a physician in the United States, Dr. Rebecca Cole, the architect of the Philadelphia Art Museum Julian Abele, and former CBS News journalist, Ed Bradley. As proud graduates of this trailblazing institution, we share our story of how Cheyney University laid the foundation for us to pursue our individual dreams and make those dreams our reality. There are many aspects of our time spent at Cheyney that contributed to our current positioning as scholars, thought leaders, and change agents, however we will reflect on three areas: Culture, the Keystone Honors Academy, and Greek Life and the impact these three areas have had on our journeys. Culture - Shifting from PWI to HBCU Attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) for our primary and secondary education we both decided there was an essential need to be in a space where Blackness was embedded and embraced in our post-secondary educational pursuits. In a practical way, attending a historically Black college or university (HBCU) seemed to be the obvious solution. Collectively HBCUs are a representation of Black history and the Black family overflowing with traditions, legacies, and excellence. Robert, reflecting on the culture of C heyney shared: “It was not until I attended the first HBCU, Cheyney, that my understanding of Black culture, my culture, flourished. The music, ethnicities, the accents, the fashion, the SWAG that I experienced, showed me who I was, and when people ask me why I attended Cheyney now days, I always reply I did it for the culture.” The ability to be fully immersed in a culture that posited Blackness in the highest esteem during developmental years, allowed us to embrace our heritage, and grow in an unapologetic way both in and out of the classroom. 42 | HBCU Times 2020 Winter Issue
