Thandiwe-Wanjiru Delgado-Kinyatti ’27
Staff Writer
The keynote speaker for Black History Month this year was LaTosha Brown, one of the co-founders of the Black Voters Matter Fund, which strives to bring out more Black voters in the United States and support local organizations that encourage voter turnout.
On Feb. 19, Brown was brought to campus by the Weissman Center for Leadership in collaboration with the Association of Pan-African Unity and the Xi Nu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha to speak in Gamble Auditorium. The room was filled with not only many college students but also community members who came to support her.
“Oh Freedom, Oh Freedom
Oh Freedom over me, over me
And before I’d be a slave,
I’ll be buried in my grave
And go home to my Lord and be free.”
These were the words that Brown sang to open her talk. Her voice filled the auditorium, and soon after she began singing, the audience began to clap along, after which Brown received applause. Brown spoke for an hour, during which she walked the stage, commanding it in a way that inspired and provoked the emotions of the audience.
“As we are in a space, in an era in this country's history [when the very notion of] Black history … is being attacked,” Brown told the audience. “Can you believe that? We are in 2024, and the very notion of teaching Black history is under attack.”
That sunk into the audience, and though many were already aware of the reality of the United States, there was still a frozen silence as people let that idea sink in. Brown said that it feels to her as though this country has become highly politicized. When she asked if she was on team blue or red, Brown answered, “I’m on the humanity team.”
She then spoke about the idea of a “North Star.”
“How do we find the North Star?” Brown said as she spoke about her love for Harriet Tubman, who followed the North Star to find her way to freedom before going on several journeys back to the South to lead others to freedom and serving as a scout and nurse during the Civil War.
“Thousands of others would find the North Star, and [it] would lead them to their freedom,” Brown said. For Brown, while the North Star might not be the brightest but, it was and still is consistent. She told the audience to remember that the North Star is what the community needs. According to Brown, not only did the North Star help enslaved people escape, but it will help the Black community get through this metaphorical night that is being experienced now caused by the attack on Blackness and Black history in education and in the country. This, Brown said, is our time to make a change.
She requested that the audience close their eyes and asked them two questions: “What would America look like without racism? … What would this nation look like if all human beginnings felt valued and respected?”
There was silence as people glanced at their peers. “How many of you have already been asked that question before?” she asked. About two people raised their hands. One line from the song Brown sang was, “Well the first thing I did right, was the day I started to fight.” That is what Brown told the audience to do. To fight and find their North Star.