The Collegian
Friday, March 29, 2024

Oliver Hill Scholars sponsor multicultural leadership event

The inauguration of Barack Obama was a turning point in U.S. history, one that has increased political activism among the young African-American community.

In honor of Black History Month this February, the Oliver Hill Scholars will present a program titled "Making the Difference: Emerging as a Leader" on Feb. 15, from 2-4 p.m. in the Keller Hall Reception Room.

The program will include a performance by Richmond's gospel choir Umoja, an original poetry reading by freshman Ra-Twoine Fields, a speech by Richmond law professor Henry L. Chambers Jr. and a question-and-answer session. Participants will discuss the evolving definition of leadership.

Senior Umoja gospel choir member Sherie Mungo said: "What do we do now that Barack has been elected? Do we stop, or do we keep the emergence going?"

Even though Obama has been elected, the black community must continue to get involved, Mungo said.

"We make sure that we stay informed on his politics," she said, "and we stay informed on our local politics as well."

Mungo said she knew Chambers had been involved with the Obama campaign and hoped that he could tie that information into his speech, she said.

Chambers recently worked on the Promote the Vote Program, which was sponsored by the Virginia Democratic Party.

"I went to the polls and made sure that people got to vote," Chambers said.

Chambers took note of how long the lines were at the polls and whether they were moving slowly or quickly, he said.

"If some people were challenged about their ability to vote, I made sure that if they were eligible, they got to vote," he said. He reported all of this information to the Virginia Democratic Party, he said.

Chambers said he wanted to inspire students to get out of the "Richmond bubble" and be leaders in the broader Richmond community. Students could easily get involved in the community by taking subjects that interested them in high school and finding a way to use them to make a difference in Richmond, he said.

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Fields said he felt honored when asked to write a poem for the event.

"The theme is 'Making the Difference: Emerging as a Leader' so my poem will incorporate this idea and maybe other things that I feel can and should be said," Fields said. "My poem will be free verse."

The Black History Month calendar is advertising the event, Mungo said, but the event also has a poster of its own that will have a picture of Barack Obama's face on it.

Fields said: "Honestly, I do believe that this discussion will encompass mostly African-American leaders. Leadership, obviously, is not limited to one race no matter who's in the White House, but Black History Month is a significant month to honor and remember African-American leaders who have made an impact on history."

Mungo said she hoped the discussion would focus on emerging multicultural leaders as well.

"We are a nation that can hopefully look past race now," she said. "We can emerge and become leaders in our own rights, but also work with other leaders from different races or cultures.

"I think leadership is all about focusing on the person regardless of race, sexuality, gender, and I think that's what leaders should do. They should find that we're all human beings regardless of what we look like."

Contact reporter Ryan Clark at ryan.clark@richmond.edu

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