A new tradition for Black History Month

	Newlyweds Travis Reid ´03 and Tammie Clayton Reid ´03 spoke at CC's Black History Month convocation.

It's important to look back.

That was the message Tammie Clayton Reid '03 brought to the College community earlier this month during a convocation observing Black History Month. "Struggle is the context in which greatness is born," she said. And all too often, when celebrating Black History Month, the context of the original struggle is lost amid the celebration.

Reid and three other speakers — Corey Twitty '10, Avalon Paul '07 and Travis Reid '03 — spoke at the convocation of alumni, faculty, staff and students. The event starts a new tradition kicking off Black History Month at CC.

All four speakers stressed the importance of leadership: the importance of role models and support systems in their lives, and their desire to be role models for the next generations.

Twitty said he has found role models among the upperclassmen to help him cope with the insecurities he felt when coming to CC from an urban high school in New Haven. He said underrepresented groups on campus often feel both "a pressure to conform to the majority and the need to be true to oneself."

One of the upperclassmen Twitty has been able to look up to is Paul, a dance major from New York City. She shared examples of her experiences with racism, and offered support and understanding for her peers in similar situations. Paul said the experiences have taught her that "in order to be successful [we have] to be proactive." She added, "It is my hope that there will always be a voice on campus. We, as people of color, need to make a history for ourselves."

Newlyweds Travis Reid and Tammie Clayton Reid are former campus leaders and role models who met at CC. Tammie Reid encouraged students of color to first strive to be the best that they can be, and then find a way to reach out to the larger community.

Travis added that all should strive to continue the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others who have struggled for equality. "We have a commitment to the true and fundamental values, a commitment to something much larger than ourselves," he said. "We should always look to give back."

Connecticut College is hosting a number of other events in celebration of Black History Month, including several lectures and a film series. For more information, visit: http://aspen.conncoll.edu/news/3125.cfm.

- Erin Burdett '08