WESTFIELD – “From History to New Success”, held yesterday in the Ely TV Studio, was the latest in a month-long series of events celebrating Black History Month at Westfield State University.
Billed as an interactive, multi-media presentation, and a cross-cultural, inter-generational workshop experience about the intersections of history, career success and life in a diverse, digital world, it seemed to hit the mark with the diverse group of around 30 students in attendance.
The workshop was led by Janine Fondon, adjunct professor of communication and the president and CEO of Unityfirst.com, an online network servicing two million diverse readers across the country that engages users in ‘real-world’ topics and events regarding diversity and inclusion. Fondon also teaches a public relations writing course, as well as Principals of Public Relations, at WSU.
She said she organized the event to help teach students the importance of keeping up with the dynamics of society.
“In today’s complex society with many intersecting points, we must stay informed about the changing dynamics of our community and world,” she said. “As communicators, we must learn how to engage people in a world that is changing faster than we ever imagined.”
Fondon thinks that diversity is crucial to understand those changing dynamics.
“Diversity is a value that the college embraces,” she said. “Every member of the college community represents some aspect of diversity on the campus. Our collective diversity is driving the innovation that makes us successful and competitive on the local, national and world stage.”
The presentation sought to explore how to plan for the future of the communication industry, navigate the new and emerging diverse communities and multicultural marketplace, and how to boost global literacy.
“History teaches us about others, and it shows us how relationships are built… and broken,” she said to those in attendance, after showing a youtube video of young black men being sprayed with firehoses in the Jim Crow south, of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat, but also of Americans of all races and genders uniting to participate in the freedom rides of the 1960s to protest the treatment of African- Americans in the land of the free “where all men are created equal.”
“Millenials are the most ethnically and racially diverse cohort in history… almost 40 percent of millenials come from a multicultural family,” she said.
She discussed what certain cultural events mean, such as rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ recent performance of their marriage equlity anthem Same Love at the Grammy Awards, where 33 couples, gay and straight, were married during the performance.
LaJuana Hood, founder of the Pan African Historical Museum USA in Springfield, spoke of the great education and sophistication of African society, with new schools and universities that sit among the oldest in the world. She also tought students how to say hello in Ghanaian and Senegalese and spoke of the significant role western Mass. institutions have played in the education of African-Americans.
“Wilbraham and Monson Academy has been educating black people since 1838,” she said. “It is your job — your obligation — to communicate to the world, to tell the story right.”
Following a song performed by Westfield resident TC Eckstine, granddaughter of jazz great Billy Eckstine, Fondon and Hood spoke of what the event meant to them and what they felt the impact was.
“I think we had a wonderful turnout and I think it was a great idea for Janine Fondon to do this with these young people,” Hood said. “When they become reporters themselves, they’ll have a better idea of how to report the news.”
“The students here, they’re from my classes, they’re from your classes,” Fondon said acknowledging Dr. Susan Leggett, chair of the Communication Department. “And what we try to impart on the students is that we need to learn, and we need to connect.”
“The (Communication) Department is really seeking to help students think about global issues, big concepts, big notions of change, and how those concepts move into their real world applications in media,” said Leggett. “Suzanne (Boniface, adjunct professor of advance public relations) and Janine are part of helping our students move that forward.”
“I’m really trying to have the students believe in their big visions and be able to create them, write them, and really feel them,” Fondon said.
Since 1974, Westfield State has held special events during the month of February dedicated to informing students, faculty, and staff as well as the community about the importance of black history, culture, and traditions.
For a full list of Black History Month events, visit www.westfield.ma.edu/bhm.
