Solutions, not problems, in the black community were the focus of the Second Annual State of the Black Student Summit held Friday in Gaither Gymnasium.
“Too many people are focused on the problems,” said Kevin Powell, author of “Who’s Gonna Take the Weight? Manhood, Race and Power in America.” “We need to focus on the solutions.”
The panel, hosted by the Student Government Association and the Minority Student Leadership Academy, also included Sister Souljah, author and community activist; Berniece King, daughter of Martin Luther King; Jessica Larche, broadcast journalism student and a FAMU student leader; Andrew Gillum, Tallahassee County Commissioner; Marshawn Evans, a Miss America finalist; and B.K. Haynes, a political science professor at FAMU.
The moderators were SGA Vice President Monique Gillum, and Thomas Dortch, chairman emeritus of 100 Black Men of America.
Jeff Johnson, a BET personality and social activist, called the students in the audience to meet afterward to form their own solutions for problems on campus.
Groups of students stayed and discussed what they could do to tackle problems such as HIV on campus and declining student graduation rates.
Powell expressed his sentiments about the discussion that should take place among students.
“We won’t really go anywhere until we talk about where we are (as a people) and who we are,” Powell said. “There was no counseling right after slavery ended, and you can see that black self-hatred has manifested inside of us.”
But he emphasized that the problems cannot be solved with talk alone.
“For the last few months after Sean Bell was murdered in New York City, people had meetings after meetings, but few have the courage to do anything but talk,” he said.
Bell, 23, was killed in November 2006, when undercover police officers fired 50 shots at a car carrying him and two friends on his wedding day. His death has caused many in the black community to speak out against the use of excessive force by police.
During the panel, Sister Souljah said the black community needs to bring back a sense of feeling in the community and love for one another.
“As long as we’re all acting crazy, they think it’s OK to shoot us 50 times,” she said. “They know they don’t have to pay a price.”
Highly discussed topics during the panel also included how to define leadership and how to make change in the local community and on campus.
Johnson said he believes members of the black community are often disappointed in black officials because many do not know how to define true leadership.
“Leaders are the people who lead because they understand their purpose to lead and can do so without a title,” he said. “Those who provide leadership instead of just talking about it and giving speeches.”
Johnson, Gillum and Powell emphasized the ability of people to become leaders themselves and make change locally, instead of waiting for national leaders to help their causes.
When working together to make change, Sister Souljah emphasized the need for the black community to bring more love into the equation. “You learn to respect each other by working together.”
Sister Souljah also emphasized self-love.
She said, “See if you can go one month as just yourself – stop pretending to be someone else, and get a new definition of who you are and what you want to be.”#
During the panel, Sister Souljah said the black community needs to bring back a sense of feeling in the community and love for one another.
“As long as we’re all acting crazy, they think it’s OK to shoot us 50 times,” she said. “They know they don’t have to pay a price.”Highly discussed topics during the panel also included how to define leadership and how to make change in the local community and on campus.
Johnson said he believes members of the black community are often disappointed in black officials because many do not know how to define true leadership.
“Leaders are the people who lead because they understand their purpose to lead and can do so without a title,” he said. “Those who provide leadership instead of just talking about it and giving speeches.”
Johnson, Gillum and Powell emphasized the ability of people to become leaders themselves and make change locally, instead of waiting for national leaders to help their causes.
When working together to make change, Sister Souljah emphasized the need for the black community to bring more love into the equation. “You learn to respect each other by working together.”
Sister Souljah also emphasized self-love.
She said, “See if you can go one month as just yourself – stop pretending to be someone else, and get a new definition of who you are and what you want to be.”