Regis Celebrates Black History Month

Students, faculty, staff, and alumni engaged in a thoughtful conversation on the Netflix limited series When They See Us.

In honor of Black History Month, the Regis community has organized a series of events and resources aimed to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and highlight their experiences and pivotal role in American history.

Throughout the month of February, Regis is hosting student-moderated conversations meant to examine our current national climate surrounding race and offer solutions to better advocate for justice at Regis and beyond.  In addition, Olga Segura, a freelance writer and Opinion Editor at the National Catholic Reporter, spoke at an assembly for the student body on February 11, discussing her book, Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church, as well as her advocacy in the wake of events of this past year. Closing out the month, the third Coffeehouse of the year will showcase students’ musical talents and feature the rich historical and political roots of Jazz, Blues, and Ragtime.

Regis’ Black Student Union (Heritage) also is leading several discussions on the Netflix limited series When They See Us, which documents the trial of the Central Park Five. “The docuseries When They See Us shares painful, traumatic, and impactful themes that are important for everyone to see, especially during Black History Month,” said Brian Mhando '22, president of BSU. “I believe that by offering conversations about When They See Us during Febuary, Regians are not only able to think more about racism after slavery, but also about racism in our lives today.” Each meeting will also welcome back and highlight a Heritage alumnus, who will share experiences from his life during and after Regis and provide professional networking opportunities for students. “I’d say some of the most powerful conversations about When They See Us have been around the testimonials of Black and Latino Regians who were students here in the late 80's and early 90's,” said REACH Dean of Student Recruiting & Admissions and BSU moderator Mr. Alan Garcia '08. “Their firsthand accounts of how they saw themselves in the lives of the Central Park Five during their teenage years here at Regis have been particularly eye-opening.”

Supplementing these activities, Regis Librarian Ms. Diane Del Priore has archived a collection of books from our library that tell the history of African-American people, their struggles with segregation, discrimination and racism, as well as their accomplishments in the arts, literature and politics. A series of eBooks have also been made available for students, with a focus being made to highlight Black authors.

These programs and conversations are occurring against the backdrop of the Race at Regis Initiative, which seeks to understand and take action against racial injustice inside the Regis community and beyond.

Author Olga Segura spoke to students about her new book and the importance of advocacy in light of our current climate.

John Weaver '88 shared career advice with students from his experience in the technology and music industries.