By James Cirrone

Forty-three years ago, a student columnist named Otis Williams wrote a letter to the editor in the Black Explosion, the University of Maryland’s only black newspaper. It read: “Hello sisters and brothers! My name is Otis. I’m concerned about Black survival on campus. How about you?”

As Black History Month 2020 comes to a close, students of color are still questioning how committed the University of Maryland is to the month of reflection and education on black history.

Kala Mitchell, a senior English major, said she doesn’t think this university is doing enough to spread the word about various Black History Month events happening on campus.

“I feel like this year, Black History Month was promoted the least,” Mitchell said. “It’s fine to have a bunch of events, but if you’re not promoting them and people don’t know they’re happening, it’s pointless because people are not learning anything about the history, and people are not engaging in black culture more during this month.”

But some students disagree. Paul Celius, a junior in Letters and Sciences, said he thought UMD was “doing a really great job” in reaching out and helping students of color.

In fact, students have disagreed about Black History Month since long before Mitchell or Celius were born. 

In 1985, two Black Explosion writers blasted a Diamondback columnist who wrote that black students celebrating Black History Month were engaging in “public chest-beating,” and that these celebrations may “create an adverse overall reaction.”

Thirty-five years later, racial tensions on campus persist. Current student ambassadors for the Nyumburu Cultural Center said black students are still fighting for legitimacy. In their conference room, they shared harsh critiques of the Student Government Association.

Rachelle Wakefield, one of the student ambassadors, specifically criticized the lack of funding black groups receive from the SGA.

“We have cultural events that we’re having for the black groups and none of them are receiving like a simple $500, but you see them doing full funding for ski trips,” the sophomore public health science major said.

Another Nyumburu Cultural Center student ambassador, Monique Small, echoed Wakefield’s frustration.

“I’m here trying to celebrate my culture and you’re giving me pennies! Pennies!” Small said.

According to a list of SGA-recognized groups put out by the organization, both the Maryland Ski Team and the Terrapin Ski and Snowboarding Club received full recognition and funding from the SGA this academic year. Several black organizations, including the Black Honors Caucus, the Black Student Union and the African Student Association are also fully recognized and receive funding. A number of organizations listed on the Stamp Student Union black student groups page are not listed on the SGA’s recognition status spreadsheet for 2019-2020. 

However, the university has also historically held events that attempt to put black students on a path to success. In 1985, the same year of the feud between the Black Explosion and Diamondback writers, a business-owner from Georgetown came to a Maryland sorority during Black History Month to speak to students about how to start a business as a black woman. 

Today, the university still holds events that aim to support black students in entrepreneurship. The business school hosted a panel discussion Wednesday about what it means to be a black entrepreneur. 

All of the panelists were black UMD graduates with either fledgling companies or well-established brands. They spoke about the challenges black students face in starting businesses.

Chad Hall is the CEO of remodelmate, Inc., a company that remodels bathrooms. Hall shared an anecdote about how his white-sounding name might have gotten his foot in the door with venture capitalists, whom he described as “not really that intelligent.”

“I got meetings all the time,” Hall said. “Then I show up and they’re like ‘s–t, we’ve never seen a young black guy do this before, like we’ve never put $2 million into a young black guy’s company.’”

Jasmine Snead, the founder of Aurora Tights, talked about the specific challenges women of color face in starting companies.

“It’s very fair to bring up that women of color raise far less venture funding than others,” Snead said.

Snead also received startup funding from the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, a luxury most people don’t have, she said. 

Other Black History Month events this year included a cultural performances, social justice discussions and several film screenings. The month’s last event is a Charity Fashion Show on Saturday, Feb. 29 to celebrate diverse types of black beauty.

Featured photo courtesy of University of Maryland Archives.