Wrapping Up Black Womxn’s History Month

As we wrap up Black Womxn’s History Month, the Black Student Association would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of the individuals who shared their stories during the “Share Her Name” campaign. We thoroughly enjoyed reading about Mrs. Etta Greene and Ms. Johnnie King-Scales. As Marcus Garvey once said, “The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness.” This campaign worked to embody this sentiment, and as we bask in the final days of April, the Black Student Association members wanted to share additional snippets about fellow Black womxn who were Allstars this year across the world and right here at Fielding.

Wendi S. Williams, Ph.D.

The first Black womxn we would like to highlight is our own Provost Wendi Williams, Ph.D. Our Provost was awarded the Distinguished APA Presidential Citation in March of this year. This is one of the most distinguished awards an individual member of the American Psychological Association (APA) can be given, and it was bestowed to her by another fellow Black womxn, Dr. Thema Bryant, our current APA President. The Black Student Association asked Provost Williams to share her experiences as a Black Womxn in America, and she gave us this amazing takeaway:

“I absolutely love being a Black womxn, and the context of the U.S. provides a particular vantage point through which I can more fully understand the complexity of oppression and privilege in my life and work. My experience as an educator has provided me with a platform to think about the “all sides-ness” of my identity. As a professor, teaching through an intersectional, anti-racist feminist lens, several weeks into the term, I’d often ask my students to consider me, their beloved professor, at the local grocery store. To imagine the ways someone might cut me in line, roll their cart over my foot without apologizing, how a clerk might decide to help another customer before me though I was waiting first, or any number of other indignities I have consistently experienced as a woman in Black skin in the U.S. Indignities I’d be expected to just deal with. Sure, all these behaviors are simply rude, but they are more than that. These are indignities that occur for people who look like me with more frequency because of the racial and gender politics of our nation that do not make seeing me necessary. 

Every day, I confront the duality of my immense access and privilege and the many moments when I have none. For me, no matter the seat I sit in, all sides of my experience make me particularly sensitive to issues of inequity, power, and access with an unwavering commitment and intention to do something about it. And for this perspective and courage, I am so incredibly grateful to be a Black womxn.”

Korinne Petersen

Another amazing Black womxn we would like to honor is our own Mx. Korinne Petersen. She is currently the Director of Financial Aid here at Fielding Graduate University. In one of our meetings with Mx. Petersen, she shared that her vision for Fielding, via the lens of Financial Aid, is to increase the equity and access to the financial support of each student at Fielding, including grants, scholarships, and research funding. We, too, asked her for a short glimpse into what it is like for her to be a Black womxn in America, and she shared the following:

“There is never a moment in my waking life that I am not reminded that I am a Black womxn. It means seeing and being part of amazing moments of joy, triumph, and sisterhood that is distinctly Black. It means having swagger that is so marvelous that it is constantly stolen and repackaged for the masses. Being a Black womxn in America means never apologizing for it, and knowing how much America NEEDS us, but will never admit it.”

Nicole Retland, Ph.D.

Our third amazing Black Womxn, is Dr. Nicole Retland (formerly Moreland). She is the Director Of Operations at the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL) in our Fielding DC office. Throughout her time at Fielding, she has secured substantial funding for scholarly research around STEM Leadership with continuous support and collaboration with Dr. Orlando L. Taylor. Just this year, Dr. Retland and her team were awarded a substantial grant from the National Science Foundation to research HBCU STEM Higher Education Leadership and their response to COVID-19. With this current grant, she was able to award three students, who are fellow HBCU alums, with an amazing opportunity to be Graduate Student Research Assistants on such an important topic! With a similar prompt, Dr. Retland shared her thoughts which are as follows:

“As a Black Woman in Leadership, I am reminded of the words of my great-grandmother, Ms. Edna Mae Townsend, ‘A candle never loses nothing when it lights another candle.’ Overall, the message behind this expression is to encourage people to be kind, helpful, and generous to others, as it can positively impact the world around us.”

Tahlia Bragg, Ph.D.

Last but surely not least, our own Inaugural President, Dr. Tahlia Bragg, was inducted into the Affiliate Cohort of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research earlier this year. Dr. Bragg has embodied the fight toward equity and antiracist practices when it comes to working with and supporting Black womxn and people alike. Her vision has made the Black Student Association what it is today! With her amazing words, we continue to breathe life into her legacy and the legacy of the Black Student Association here at Fielding:

“Malcom X once proclaimed to the world that the most disrespected, unprotected, and neglected person is a Black womxn. He forgot to mention that the most underrated, inculcated yet never duplicated person is a Black womxn. Black womxn are and have been the conductors of sociopolitical movements, the leaders of research innovations, and codebreakers while codeswitching. If the sources of oppression used to specifically harm Black womxn were destroyed, nearly all identifiable social injustices would be solved for other people who identify as a member of other historically marginalized and subjugated groups that differ from identifying as Black or a womxn. Nevertheless, we persist….as president of one of the largest scientific organizations in the world, leading countries and universities, teaching the future to dream bigger and build higher, or daring to undertake the painful and catastrophic work of breaking generational curses while healing international trauma. No matter the state of politics or the plight of a crumbling society, Black womxn will be found in the places to heal, transform, and rehabilitate what is broken even that means to herself. Black womxn excellence is abundant and it is expensive.

Give her grace. Grant her peace. Trust her truth. Accept her rest. She deserves.”

These womxn exemplify what it means to be powerful, strong, and vibrant Black womxn, and they are right here at Fielding making sure those strengths are exemplified throughout our community.

As we examine how Black womxn are exemplifying their Blackness, we look at amazing celebrities and Share Their Names, such as Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Ruth E. Carter, and Angel Reese. All of these womxn have been called various slurs and have experienced racism and misogynoir but they still Rise Above and Beyond the Haters!

While the world may not be ready for Black womxn to succeed and surpass the barriers that are placed in their way, black womxn are thrivin’, profilin’, and embracing their swagger (as Mx. Petersen shared). So, regardless of if the world is prepared for us, we are stepping out and continuing to embrace, celebrate, and exude the highest levels of class, success, and grace. With that, we leave you with these powerful quotes from amazing Black Womxn we aspire to be like and continue to embody:

“Don’t settle for average. Bring your best to the moment. Then, whether it fails or succeeds, at least you know you gave all you had. We need to live the best that’s in us.” —Angela Bassett, Actress

“I am dripping in melanin and honey. I am Black without apology.” — Upile Chisala

“We are pow­er­ful because we have sur­vived, and that is what it is all about- sur­vival and growth.” — Audre Lorde

“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise.” — Maya Angelou

April is Black Womxn’s History Month because often, American history contributes to the erasure of Black bodies, identities, and intellect. However, similar to our sentiments about Black History Month, Black people should be highlighted, supported, and celebrated daily. Please take the time to support Black music, inventions, art, intellect, literature, research, and ANYTHING BLACK!

Special Note: For the Black men who constantly support us and ensure we remember our value: We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Special shoutouts to our resident Black Student Association Black Men: Nathan Smith, Dr. Anthony Greene, Dr. Orlando L. Taylor, and the late Dr. Stephen Ruffins.

This essay was contributed by Donica J. Harper, MA, LCPC(MD), Doctoral Candidate, Fielding Graduate University, 2022-2024 Marie Fielder Fellow, and President of the Black Student Association.