By Alex Carbone and Derya Nur Arslan
Bergen Community College recently wrapped up festivities for Black History Month with the closing banquet on Friday, February 27 in the Technology Education Center. This year in particular was a special one for the community, as it commemorated the 100-year anniversary of the precursor to Black History Month, which was founded in 1926 and expanded to a full month in 1976.
Many events were held throughout February where faculty discussed and celebrated the experiences and achievements of African Americans, including a collaborative event with Bergen Bistro on February 12, and a discussion about Langston Hughes’ poetry led by Prof. Earl Taylor on February 16.
At the Bistro event, the Torch sat down with Prof. Ronda Drakeford, Chair of the Hotel Restaurant Management program and Co-Chair of the Black History Month Committee, along with Dr. Deborah Manning, Dean of Multicultural Services and Activities.
“I really believe that Black History Month is twelve months a year. I don’t think that it’s relegated to 28 days and 29 on leap year,” Prof. Drakeford said. In our conversation, Drakeford highlighted the element of inclusivity inherent to these festivities. “I believe that, for me, it just is a time for us all to reflect with each other on our past, help forge new paths for the future for future people of color, not necessarily just Black people.” Drakeford explained that fellowship is also a major theme: “There’s a lot of fellowship involved with Black history, so I think that that’s the most important thing, is the fellowship, the friendships, the conversations, the sharing stories; that’s what Black History Month means to me. And a hundred years of it, that’s what it means to me.”
Prof. Drakeford said she “fell into” organizing festivities for BCC. “I had always participated in the Black History Month Committee. No particular reason. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I need to do this for a reason.’ I wanted to be part of this.” She also contributes to events at BCC for Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Jewish Heritage Month. “I do that for everyone,” she said. “It’s not just Black history.”
When asked about the organization process for the Bergen Bistro, Prof. Drakeford explained that it was a collaborative effort between many classes, some of which she teaches. “And I just want to give a special shout-out to my technical assistant, Tia Garrison, who baked the red velvet cake,” she said. “I would like to let people know that she participated, and everyone participated to make this event special.”
The conversation continued on to the topic of how Black history is often misrepresented in the average American’s education. Drakeford sais, “I just don’t feel like, in some of the history books and some of the publications, that all of the contributions that African Americans made to this country, I just don’t feel like they’re covered, you know? I just feel like that’s what’s lacking.”
The Black History Month events at Bergen were celebratory experiences that allowed attendees to leave more informed than when they arrived. As Dr. Manning put it, “As much as we identify and celebrate this culture, Black History Month, we aim to be inclusive and to make sure that everyone participates, everyone feels a sense of belonging, that although we may be different in some aspects, we have so much more in common, and that we want people to just come out and enjoy and learn. It’s about a learning experience, for me. It’s not just about food and eating. That’s the plus side of it, but it’s about, as Professor Drakeford said earlier, learning about the culture, having a mutual respect for all cultures. And just the takeaway would be that everyone takes away, having learned something new, you know, and apply it to your day to day, you know? And how we all get along with one another, how we treat one another, and care for one another. Just learn from each other.”
As the discussion on the sixteenth came to a close, Prof. Taylor concluded with a line inspired by Hughes’ work. “They’ll see how beautiful we are. They’ll continue to see how beautiful we are, well into the future. Black is beautiful. And they will be ashamed.”