Tonight at 7:30 p.m. the Duke Black Student Alliance will host the first event of their Real Talk series in McClendon 5. The event’s topic is “Black*** at Duke: Community Relations and Pan-Ethnicity." BSA is hosting and moderating the discussion, and Chick-Fil-A will be served. The Chronicle’s Carleigh Stiehm sat down with BSA President Henry Washington, a junior, to discuss the event’s goals and how they align with BSA’s yearly initiatives.
The Chronicle: The title of this event is “Black*** at Duke: Community Relations and Pan-Ethnicity," why are the asterisks significant to the event?
Henry Washington: The asterisks are somewhat of a play on the written word intended to problematize this idea of black identity as monolithic. Black identity—particularly at Duke where we have such a rich and diverse community even within blackness—can be expressed in so many different ways: you have the Caribbean community, Afro-Latino students, African students, African-Americans, the list goes on. The asterisks are meant to signify the complexities of blackness as it is expressed as an identity at Duke.
TC: What can students who plan on attending tonight’s panel expect from the discussion?
HW: I really want to emphasize the importance to the discussion and the importance to BSA as an organization the concept of community building—for black students and for Duke students in general. I'm interested in exploring how we as a student body can build community more intentionally and effectively. I'm also hoping that this engagement will help to debunk the myth that BSA's programming is only meant for black students.
BSA is, as it always has been, committed to cultivating diverse, inclusive, and safe spaces. Practically, our main goal is the safety as well as the social, political and intellectual stimulation of black students, but that is not to say that the conversations that we have, especially around the issues of race and identity that affect everyone, are meant to be exclusive.
TC: Does the topic of this first Real Talk fit into any of the long-term initiatives or goals that BSA is seeking this year?
HW: Absolutely. All of the events we are doing this year have some aspect of community building. We are doing a service project with the diaper bank that is going to be in October. We are also collaborating with Duke Diya on their World Peace Day project. We're having a Homecoming Cookout for the community in a couple of weeks. We are having another Real Talk in November.
Essentially, all of the programming that BSA does is in an effort to build community and to support and empower black students and their allies. But also to bring awareness and a sense of community to our broader understanding of Duke. With that goal in mind, it would be impossible to exclude other groups of people while staying true to our mission. As a board this year, just as we always have, we are emphasizing the inclusiveness of BSA as an organization.
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