13 minute read
SKS Celebrates Black History Past & Present
BY ELIZABETH WILSON TAVILOGLU P’19 & SARAH FULTON ’09
For more than one year, the aftermath following the death of George Floyd has run parallel to our grappling with the pandemic, and has weighed heavily on the minds and hearts of our community. At The Storm King School, where we value diversity and inclusion, and take pride in our international, multicultural community, we have strived to create learning opportunities for our students from these unfortunate events. Likewise, we are continuing to look inward to ensure that every aspect of our school lives up to the values we hold so dear.
In this issue of On the Mountain, many of our community members of color, including current students, faculty members, and alumni, have graciously shared their stories, experiences, and points of view. Their voices serve as windows on how the Black experience has evolved at Storm King, and their inspiring words will help to further conversations on the role our school will play in making the world a better place for all.
SKS Black Voices
Washington and Broughton Reunion 2014
Gerald Washington ’73
“I arrived at SKS as a fourteen-year-old from a small rural town in Mississippi called Rolling Fork (pop. 800). I was the fifth child of ten children. My father was a butcher at a grocery store and my mother worked as a maid and later at a textile factory. I came from segregated schools and knew only a segregated society. I was like the country mouse coming to the city without knowing what I was getting into. Even at an early age, I knew I wanted something better than where I came. SKS was the most profound change agent in my life.
I didn’t think my experience would have been different if I had attended another school. There may have been more Black students— maybe not. The small number of overall students (less than 120, as I recall) meant that I had to interact with everyone and find my strength. There were roughly 12 Black students my first year. We had to become each other’s best friends, even though our backgrounds proved to have little in common except race and being relatively poor.”
“Coming to an all-boys school was a shocker, and this became more obvious the longer I was at SKS. I was extremely lonely my freshman year. There were so few students from the South, and my “southern drawl” took a while to adjust. It was my spiritual faith and conservative upbringing that helped overcome the loneliness and opened me up to similar spirits. I remember attending ‘social mixers’ with an all-girls school at St. Mary’s, a Catholic high school in Newburgh.
Racial issues became more central during my junior and senior years—affected more by the headlines than tension on campus. My first roommate was white (Tim Herring ’73 (dec.), from Eolia, MO). With Tim’s help, I became more aware of who I was and could be. The headmaster(s), to their strong credit, allowed room for growth, without surrendering an insistence on caring for each individual, regardless of color or background.
Gerry Washington
Early diversity efforts at Storm King were integration experiments: an organization called ‘A Better Chance (ABC)’ selected capable African-American students from around the country and matched them with prep schools in the Northeast. The goal was to improve preparation and selection of these students into top colleges in the country—and therefore assure success in professional and career development, and a better integrated society. I was selected by The Storm King School from the pool of ABC applicants.
SKS’ biggest and best strength then, and perhaps now, is its faculty. They are the single, most important reason my professional and career experience was a success. SKS faculty helped a native southerner feel “okay” about being from the South. More importantly, no one accepted excuses for poor work or offered sympathy for a poor learning or financial background. They were naturally sensitive to issues of race and prejudices, and perceptions of wealth and poverty; but didn’t allow me to use these as an excuse for not excelling at what I had to do.”
Shayla Lawrence ’21
Shayla Lawrence ’21
“I am from Wappingers Falls, New York. Both sides of my family are Jamaican and they taught me to love the skin that I am in. They reminded me as a child to know my worth as a young Black girl.
My experience at SKS has been a positive one. Teachers and students are open to understanding and educating themselves on the Black experience. As a Co-President of the Black Student Union (BSU), I am able to advocate for Black struggles along with joining the fight for equality. I find it comforting to go to a school that radiates this accepting and open atmosphere.
I think the School can be even more vocal about the importance of the Black experience. The best way is to continue to be open to different perspectives.”
Dominique Gooden ’21
Dominique Gooden ’21
“I come from a large, culturally diverse family with an immigrant background. My father’s Panamanian and Jamaican heritage, and my mother’s Cape Verdean and Cherokee Indian roots contribute to the identity I proudly represent.
Attending a school that values diversity makes me feel motivated to share my cultural background and identity. I enjoy hosting civil discourse with peers, participating in social justice initiatives, and educating others about Black culture.
I think SKS has done a good job in fostering a diverse campus. Having peers from different nations and upbringings allows me to experience their cultures in an up-close manner. I think the School can further support students who are passionate about social justice causes.”
Justice Pessoa ’21
Justice Pessoa ’21
“I am from Brooklyn, New York. My family is from Montego Bay, Jamaica and my mom moved to the States when I was born. My experiences with the BSU have been positive. It’s a way for Black students to have a real voice and share their ideas. If I had attended another school, I might not have had the same ability of creative control or being able to voice my opinions. I think SKS could listen and talk even more when it comes to Black problems.”
Sele Birchwood ‘09
Sele Birchwood ‘09
“I was born in Brooklyn, New York. Before I came to SKS, I spent a lot of time in other parts of the US and Germany due to my mother being in the military. She was born in a small town in Jamaica and my father was born in Scarborough, Tobago.
My experience as a Black teen that moved around a lot was a peculiar one. I definitely experienced both overt racism and micro-aggressions towards me due to my skin color. I think a lot of people see Blacks as ‘other people’ and treat them accordingly. I believe it’s important for SKS to increase the diversity of its faculty and staff, and to educate them on Black history and culture.”
Jordan Golding ’20
Jordan Golding ’20
“I’m from Kingston, Jamaica. I come from a big and Afrocentric family with great support from parents and grandparents that instilled racial pride early. I came to boarding school in the United States because I wanted a new experience. My goal was to attend a US college. My experience at SKS was a good one. Being a minority both on campus and in the USA was very different. There were many Black-conscious students with Black pride. Many of my classmates had different experiences and backgrounds, and I learned from all of them. I can’t recall many times when Black students were treated differently or experienced insensitivities. If there was, I was supported if I took a stance or addressed an issue. I would hope that the Black students of the past made SKS better and opened up opportunities for discourse for current students. To ensure the most positive experience, the School must be ready to take a stand and continue to support Black students. It is also important that faculty reflect the diversity of its student population.”
ALumni & Students Discuss Black Empowerment
What began as a virtual conversation between past and present members of one of Storm King’s extracurricular clubs blossomed into a series of online events that united decades of SKS students and alumni; giving them a forum to discuss racial equality, empowerment, and the facilitation of change.
Earlier this winter, current members of the BSU met via Zoom with some of the organization’s founders from the 1970s. Joined by alumni from various decades, the group compared notes on social justice topics and discussed the focus of the BSU then and now.
Current BSU members and seniors Shayla Lawrence, Dominique Gooden, Jedianne Graham, and Justice Pessoa were joined by alumni from the ‘70s to the 2000s as well as more recent graduates including Gabriella Quartey ’17, Kakazi Kacyira ’18, and the 2019-2020 BSU Co-president Jordan Golding ’20. The event was facilitated by Alumni Council Member Charles Cordero ’92 and featured lively and productive discussions among the attendees.
As the group’s interest in continuing the discussion grew, a second virtual gathering was organized one month later to talk about Black empowerment. The conversations ranged from the macro: beyond the US to the African diaspora, to the micro: a family that instills in their daughter that she is beautiful, strong, and capable; and touched on history, economics, political structures, institutional racism, community, and self-awareness.
The final event in this series took place in March, where Steven Sims ’69 facilitated a virtual discussion on the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. Caste is a nonfiction book by the American journalist Isabel Wilkerson which examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and still defines the lives of our nation’s citizens today.
The attendees of all three events spanned several decades and nationalities and brought diverse perspectives to the table. “We suggested the topic of empowerment for the second meeting because it is multidimensional and global in reach,” explained last year’s BSU Co-presidents Jordan and Guy-Paul Delisfort ’20. “Being connected to Africa was a big part of our mission, so the African perspective is important as well as the American one.”
Inform. Educate. Inspire. Meet the SKS Black Student Union
Inform. Educate. Inspire. According to the four co-presidents of the Storm King Black Student Union (BSU), these are their organization’s goals as they collaborate with the school community to celebrate Black History Month and promote awareness of Black culture this year.
“It's important to celebrate Black History Month as a school community because Black history is an essential part of American history. Black culture and Black excellence have contributed so much to our country, so it is imperative for all of us to understand. We must come together to celebrate Black accomplishments and achievements, not only as a school, but as a family because they have potentially influenced a lot of what we know life to be today,” explained one of the BSU’s four co-presidents.
To achieve this, Co-presidents and seniors Shayla Lawrence, Justice Pessoa, Jedianne Graham, and Dominique Gooden have been leading efforts to bring meaningful activities using art, culture, writing, music, and film to share diverse aspects of Black culture and heritage with their peers.
For example, the BSU partnered with the Student Life Office regarding weekly movie nights. “Movie Nights are regularly shown as a weekend activity for boarding students. This February, we suggested that all the movies be related to Black history, Black excellence, and Black culture,” they explained. “We thought this was a good way to engage all students in celebrating Black History Month in an informative and entertaining way outside of the classroom. Students voted for new movies each week like Black Panther, Selma, Malcom X, and Lincoln.”
Another exciting project the BSU has worked on is this year’s virtual Black History Performance– a student-led video compilation of presentations, music, poetry, and art done by students who wish to express themselves in commemoration of Black History Month. “The Black History Performance was a Thursday night event last year and we wanted to continue this tradition of celebration for us, and for future Storm King BSU members,” they continued. The BSU and other students worked on their individual contributions to the video which was released virtually to the community in early March.
“Through this video, we hope for people to see and understand what Black excellence means to us, and how it has inspired us as students who wish to implement change in this world. Our main goal is always to inform, educate, and inspire, and that's what we wanted to achieve with this project.”
Other Black History Month activities coordinated by the BSU included a special Black History lunch menu, Dress in Black Days, and participation in several virtual discussions about Black empowerment and social justice with SKS alumni. In addition, the club is working to organize a series of classroom discussions that will take place through the rest of the school year. “These class discussions will give students a chance to learn from different perspectives and from each other as we talk about today’s issues of racism and social justice. The plan is to have each grade meet on Zoom with their class dean, a National Honor Society member, and a BSU member to moderate the discussion. Making sure that everyone remains respectful to each other’s point of view will be very important. This project is something the BSU is very excited to be putting forward and we hope everyone uses it as a learning opportunity.”
Michael Moore ’72
A BSU Founding Father: Michael Moore ’72
"The mission and goals of Storm King’s BSU today are not far from those of the BSU’s original members,” explained alumnus Michael Moore ’72, who wrote the SKS BSU Constitution shortly after the club’s founding in 1971. “When I got to SKS, I was so impressed because it seemed that there was a unified group of Black students there. More than that, they were getting together and taking a day off from classes and going up the mountain for a “black solidarity day,” including an overnight campout. That wasn’t how I was raised– my middle class family values did not want to do anything to draw attention to race. I thought we might get into trouble and that our Assistant Headmaster, Thad Horton, who helped bring me to SKS, was going to be hurt or angry if I participated. To my knowledge that didn’t happen. It was okay at SKS. At the same time, I was growing more race-conscious and saw that the group of Black students could be formalized. I wrote a Constitution for what we would come to call The Black Student Union. This name, the BSU, evolved naturally out of the supportive environment and in those societal times calling for Black unity and identity."
