The Pan-African Alliance (PAA) celebrated the 44th annual Black Solidarity Day with a series of student lectures and presentations, as well as spoken-word and musical performances, on the Mayer Campus Center lower patio yesterday afternoon.
Black Solidarity Day is designed to encourage students to reflect on their culture and the "historical mosaic of blackness." This year's theme was "Combating Anti-Blackness: What Does It Mean to be in Solidarity?" During their presentations, many students addressed the means for racial minorities to overcome adversity within a white supremacist society.
Simon Howard, the first student speaker of the event, emphasized that the term "white supremacy" should not be associated strictly with racist hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, as it often is. He said that this term refers more broadly to the commonplace systems of structural racism, which favor white members of society at the expense of blacks and other racial minorities.
"We are all victims of global white supremacy - a world [which] is fundamentally saturated with anti-blackness," Howard, a fourth-year student in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, said.
Howard said he had decided to devote his life to challenging white supremacy using a strategy centered on love and understanding.
"The most revolutionary act is love," he said. "When we make love a collective action, we combat anti-blackness."
He ended his speech with a Bob Marley quote.
"'One love, one heart, one destiny,'" he said.
Cameron Flowers, a sophomore, recited several original poems, with titles such as "Brain Drain" and "(Chain)ge," which he had written for his "Race in America" class.
Jessica Wilson called the audience's attention to a number of race-profiled black murder victims from recent years. She evidenced such violence as a strong indicator of the racism that endures in present-day society.
"Each of these people had a life before them but were robbed of that chance," Wilson, a senior, said. "Many would say [these racial killings] are echoes of a time that used to be, but I would argue that they are evidence of racial injustice today."
Wilson urged the community to work together to tackle these issues, asserting that this would increase the likelihood of success. She promised to fight on behalf of these murder victims so that other racial minorities would not suffer the same fate.
"I open my eyes to their lives," Wilson said. "In honoring them, I promise to devote my life to the battle against inequity and injustice."
Senior Zoe Munoz then spoke as a representative of the Latino community. She addressed the long history of oppression and racism toward people of Hispanic heritage in the United States.
"Our American experience has been riddled with xenophobia, racism, nativism and language suppression," Munoz said.
Munoz said this problem was especially severe for dark-skinned Latinos and Afro-Hispanics, as opposed to Latinos of European descent. She said this was quite evident within her home city of Los Angeles, and she urged the Tufts community to act against these problems as they would toward anti-blackness.
Jasmine Lee, a member of the Asian American Alliance, addressed the difficulties that Asian Americans have faced in becoming integrated in American society. She said that combating all forms of racial marginalization, including anti-blackness, would be necessary to have any one of them be resolved.
"We are not alone and it is impossible to do this alone," Lee, a senior, said. "The existence of anti-blackness impacts the lithe existence of anyone. We've come a long way, but there's still work to be done."
Renee Vallejo spoke of her struggles with discrimination as a biracial and gay student. She said that individuals should not have to compromise their own identities in order to become accepted by their peers.
"Never apologize for who you are," Vallejo, a sophomore, said. "Being biracial and gay are not antithetical to one another."
In addition to these speeches, the event included two a cappella performances by S-Factor and Essence.
The event concluded with a keynote address by Associate Professor of English Greg Thomas. He addressed a variety of race-related issues, including various interpretations of the terms "Pan-Africanism" and "African-American." He also discussed how to ensure black self-determination and the importance of staying true to one's black identity.
"Let us not talk today as if we have to hide our blackness in the closet in the age of white supremacy," he said. "Be unabashedly black in private and public."
Thomas urged students to challenge his messages if they so chose.
"Question everyone, including me," he said. "If you don't question me, we can't be friends."
Several other members of the Tufts community acknowledged the importance and potential impact of Black Solidarity Day.
"It's an annual event which reminds our campus about the importance of the African-American community and the Tufts community at large," University President Anthony Monaco said. "Where this group has been and where it's going is important. I'm here to help support it."
Wilson said she was happy to attend the event and see the crowds.
"To me, it feels pretty amazing to see so many leaders on campus together in one place in solidarity," Wilson said.
This article has been changed from its original version. It previously stated that sophomore Renee Vallejo identifies as a lesbian. In fact, Vallejo identifies as gay.
