From the Middle Passage to the Oval Office: Defining the Black Experience

Written by Terena C. McLorn

Two weeks ago four students left campus in the wee hours of the morning on their way to Princeton University for a Black History Symposium titled "From the Middle Passage to the Oval Office: Defining the Black Experience." The four students, Terena McLorn '10, Donnie Jones '10, Danielle Coleman '11, and Terrence Marcus '10 did not expect the phenomenal experience that awaited them.  They joined about 30 people at the conference from different colleges and universities from around the country.

The conference included lectures from Tony award-winning actress and philanthropist Phylicia A. Rashad and Jeff Johnson, political leader and host of BET's "The Truth with Jeff Johnson." Both speakers spoke about the progression and history of African American people in the United States. Jeff Johnson also spoke on many of the issues facing African Americans and the steps we could take to solve the problems we still have today. The poised and distinguished Phylicia Rashad gave an eloquent account on her experience with the Gullah or Geechee people on the island of Saint Helena located off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. The Gullah, or Geechee, are a group of African Americans with what seems to be a distinct and strong connection to the people of Sierra Leone. They have a culture that is much like those of the people living in Sierra Leone; they seem almost unblemished by the effects of slavery particularly with the loss of culture to the African nations that most slaves experienced during slavery. After she spoke, Phylicia Rashad was honored by the Black Graduate Student Caucus at Princeton Unversity, receiving an award for her philanthropic efforts.

The conference also featured a panel discussion with Linda Coles-Kauffman, executive producer and host of New Jersey Network's  "Another View"; David Dinkins, former mayor of New York City; Doug Palmer, mayor of Trenton; and Mildred Trotman, mayor of the Princeton Borough. Afterwards, the audience was able to interact with the speakers and the students definitely took advantage of this opportunity to engage with the speakers. Later, students went to see several student presentations from different graduate schools about different racial issues facing Americans today. These presentations were very interesting and facilitated a lot of thoughts and questions, which led to smaller discussions.

After the conference, the students were unable to stop talking about it. The students were able to network and meet students from all over the county. The conference overall was a wonderful experience and for those of us who were able to go, we will never forget it.

More information about the symposium.