Students encouraged at Black Excellence Expo

Student officers of the International Club, Sigma Tau Delta, and Diversity, Equality, Inclusion (DEI) committee members worked together to make arrangements for the event, according to Ruhama Molla, vice president of the International Club and a member of the DEI committee.

“I am thankful to all the students, staff, and faculty who worked to make the event a success. The room had a great atmosphere, and it would not have been possible without everyone who was involved. I also want to thank everyone who showed support,” Molla said.

CSC President Ron K. Patterson encouraged young people to take advantage of opportunities. He encouraged them to travel, adding that he has been to China twice.

He shared some of the obstacles he has overcome, such as a broken clavicle at birth.

“Dig deep. Overcome obstacles and barriers. Find your true self,” he said.

He said several white men were mentors during his teen years after his parents divorced.

“They guided me and kept me in school,” he said.

Patterson said Black Excellence has different meanings to different people.

“To me, Black Excellence means people who are inspiring, resilient, and have the strength to push through. They impact the lives of others. They prevail. They have resilience and grit,” he said.

Patterson shared obstacles he faced and overcame while pursuing his doctorate and answered questions from the audience.

Kyle Hunt, a coaching assistant with the men's basketball team, shared his experiences growing up in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Although teachers discouraged him, he realized the tests they were giving him weren’t measuring his true intelligence.

He moved to Stockton, California, and said he bettered himself there with like-minded friends.

Hunt got involved with coaching when a group of seventh and eighth graders asked him to coach them, and his teams went on to win multiple championships. Later, he established two different nonprofit organizations to assist young people.

“If you have a servant leadership mindset, that will give hope to those around you,” he said.

Dr. Julian Berrian, Associate Professor in Communication Arts, shared the history of a black settlement called DeWitty south of Valentine, Nebraska, near the North Loup River. He shared photos of black homesteaders who established the community in 1906 and cultivated the land to improve their homesteads. He said black farmers from Canada joined the community and many built sod houses since timber was scare.

“They enjoyed self-reliance. They built a store, a post office and a church and had a successful baseball team called the North Loup Sluggers,” he said.

After the 1929 Depression and the Dust Bowl in the 1930s, the residents all moved to other areas and established themselves. He said, at first, the story of DeWitty might not seem like a story of excellence, but the rise to excellence is incremental and former residents of the community succeeded in trades and other work based on the foundation they had built.

Dr. Janet Anthony, Associate Professor in Education, spoke about the phrase Black Excellence. She said it originated with those involved in the Civil Rights movement, known as overcomers. She said, to her, the phrase reflects rising triumphantly, having courage, wisdom, and using one's voice to be a change agent.