NEWS | 3 Face to Face Speaker Forum welcomes Yo-Yo Ma
FEATURES | 5
OPINION | 8
SPORTS | 11
LIFE | 15
VOL. 108, NO. 20
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
Agudelo
Old Gold&Black
FEB. 24, 2022
“Covers the campus like the magnolias”
WFU hosts annual Founders' Day Convocation The event celebrated the university's successes while also acknowledging its past failures NATASHA HEISENBERG Contributing Writer
On Thursday, Feb. 17, Wake Forest University held its annual Founders’ Day Convocation. The ceremony, which took place in Wait Chapel, celebrated the university’s legacy, commemorating the strides Wake Forest has made in the academic sphere and beyond, while also acknowledging the aspects of its history that do not serve as points of pride. The event featured a variety of speakers, including members of the Wake Forest faculty and senior Bea Pearson. Susan Wente delivered the opening address and reflected on her first year at Wake Forest. She emphasized the importance of “acknowledging where we have fallen short” in an effort to “empower ourselves to strive forward.” Additionally, she posed the question that guided the remainder of the ceremony: “What does it mean to be a founder?” Wente’s introduction was followed by a reflective speech from Dr. Erica Still, Associate Professor of English and Associate Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Diversity and Inclusion. Still began by discussing Maya Angelou’s impact on the university and her thoughts regarding Angelou becoming the first African American woman on U.S currency. As Still described, she experienced mixed emotions regarding this gesture and called attention to the irony of a
Photo courtesy of Wake Forest University
Wake Forest held its annual Founders' Day Convocation in Wait Chapel on Feb. 17. President Wente delivered the opening address and reflected on her first year at Wake Forest. Black woman existing on a currency that was used to buy and sell African Americans to enslavers. However, Still concluded with the symbolic nature of the quarter itself and noted the presence of a Black woman on a coin that people collect signifies the importance of Angelou’s life and actions.
The next portion of the ceremony included a pause and reflection for the members of the Wake Forest community lost since the last Founders’ Day Convocation. To honor these individuals, the Wake Forest Choir performed while a video montage of campus was shown to the attendees. The names and graduation
years of each person lost were displayed across the screen. The presentation paid special homage to Cheslie Kryst, a Wake Forest School of Law and Wake Forest School of Business graduate who committed suicide this past January.
See Founders' Day, Page 3
Anneliese Bruner delivers keynote address Author of "The Nation Must Awake" speaks on the effects of the Tulsa Race Massacre
BREANNA LAWS Staff Writer
“We have to seize the stories that are all around us, within our families and communities,” Anneliese Bruner, Wake Forest’s 2022 Black History Month keynote speaker said, introducing the topic of her Feb. 16 lecture. Bruner is the great-granddaughter of a Tulsa Massacre survivor, Mary E. Jones Parrish, and wrote an account of this massacre entitled “Events of the Tulsa Disaster”. In 2021, Bruner republished
this account along with a collection of additional testimonies and ref lections, under the title “The Nation Must Awake”. This story was the primary focus of her address. Bruner spoke on her personal connection to the events in Tulsa and how this event remains relevant today. In her address, Bruner read excerpts from Parrish’s account, and she told the story of the Tulsa Massacre through her own eyes, as well as the eyes of her family. “Individual family history inspires me to preserve the truth of Tulsa as my way to pay forward
what my great-grandmother left for my family,” Bruner said. In addition to ref lecting upon this historic tragedy, Bruner also addressed how these events correspond to contemporary issues regarding democracy and racial tension. She spoke on history erasure and the lack of education on how Black identities are connected to American history. “It's part of the fullness of American history, and we should all embrace it,” Bruner said. Event organizer and president of Black Student Alliance Jacob Thomas hoped the event would do
exactly what Bruner set out to do — bring attention to the significance of Tulsa and present a holistic view of American history that includes the Black experience. “I wanted to make sure that there is an acknowledgment of the historical relevance of [Tulsa],” Thomas said. He continued: “It goes beyond just representing Black culture. It’s making sure that my full-bodied presentation of Black experience comes with the exploration of challenges with privilege and power.”
See BHM, Page 4
