By Leaps and Bounds: The Evolution of Black Student Activism at TU

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Premiering online on Homecoming Weekend, this multi-generational discussion addresses the Black experience at Tulane, using Bmike Odum’s painting The Adventures of Black People (When Push Comes to Shove) as a conversation catalyst. Facilitated by the Carolyn Barber-Pierre Center for Intercultural Life and moderated by Sienna Abdulahad, Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, this discussion features the voices of alumni and current students alike and critically examines the challenges and opportunities of our current moment – while bringing into focus past student-led efforts such as the African American Congress of Tulane in 1968, Call for Unity in 2015, the Equity Fee by Les Griots Violets in 2019, and Tulane Takes Ten in 2020.

We invite you to watch the pre-recorded conversation below and join us for a live Q&A moderated by Carolyn Barber-Pierre on October 15 at 7 pm CST – register for the Q&A here: https://tulane.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H52wfP8TTPeYVN1WOFj8Ow

Join in a live Q&A moderated by Carolyn Barber Pierre at 7 pm, October 15

Register here: https://tulane.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_H52wfP8TTPeYVN1WOFj8Ow

About the Moderator

Sienna Abdulahad

Sienna Abdulahad is the Director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Tulane University. She earned her B.S. in Marketing and Management from Siena College and an M.A.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Virginia Tech. When she is not at work, Sienna prefers to spend time with her family and friends hiking, traveling, and reading. She is also a member of an NPHC sorority. Sienna plans to pursue a doctoral degree in the coming years and become an active contributor to the body of research on the success of underrepresented students in higher education. In addition to her work at Tulane, Sienna Abdulahad is a co-author of a book that chronicles the experiences of Black women working in higher education.

Panelists

Raven Ancar, Class of 2022, B.A. candidate majoring in Sociology & Digital Media Practices with minors in Africana Studies & French. President of Tulane Black Student Union; OMA Production Ambassador; Founding member of Les Griots Violets; African American Women’s Society; Undergraduate Student Government, Mural Committee and Racial Awareness Council; 2018 National Scholar for Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans Inc; College Track Scholar

Alexa Authorlee, Class of 2022, B.S.M. candidate majoring in Finance. Founding President of the Alliance of Black Business Students; Co-Founding President of the Black Queer Collective; Treasurer of the Black Student Union; Treasurer of Undergraduate Student Government; Ambassador for the Tulane Center for Intercultural Life; Resident Advisor for Housing & Residence Life.

Christiann Cannon, Class of 2022, B.S. candidate majoring in Psychology. President of Students United for Reproductive Justice; Vice President of African American Women’s Society; Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity; A Community Engagement Advocate and Fellow for New Orleans Youth Alliance; College Track Scholar.

Tabita Gnagniko, Class of 2022, B.S. candidate majoring in Neuroscience. President of the Multicultural Council; Member of Les Griots Violets; Cowen Scholar; Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity; Community Engagement Advocate.

Mia Harris, Class of 2022, B.A. Honors candidate majoring in English and Political Science. Artistic Director of New Horizons; Undergraduate Student Government Senator for The School of Liberal Arts ; Treasurer of the Multicultural Council; Honor Board Panelist at Newcomb-Tulane College.

Jalexis Evans, Class of 2021, B.S. candidate majoring in Chemistry, Pre-Medicine. National Pan-Hellenic Council Sororities and Fraternities; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc; Tulane Founder’s Scholar.

Abimisola Anibaba, 2020 graduate of Tulane University with a BSPH in Public Health; Class of 2021, MPH candidate in Epidemiology, School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. Treasurer of Tulane African Student Association; Creative Design & Content Team Lead of The Skin You’re In: Coronavirus & Black America.

Alexandria Williams, 2017 graduate of Tulane University with double majors in Sociology and Africana Studies, a Tulane 34 recipient, and the 2017 recipient of the Carolyn Barber-Pierre Trailblazer award. During her time on campus, Alexandria served as the Co-Convener of Color for Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR), an executive board member of the Tulane Black Student Union, a CPS Community Engagement Advocate, and an executive board member of Tulane NPHC. She was initiated into the Nu Mu Citywide chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 2016. Alexandria was one of the lead organizers of the 2015 Call for Unity, part of a broader organizing effort that included die-ins, social media campaigns, demonstrations, and meetings with administration to continue the conversations for change initiated by student leaders before her. Alexandria currently lives in Houston, Texas and is pursuing a Master’s in Social Work with a specialization in Health & Behavioral Health at the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work.

Ralph Edwards,1969 graduate of Tulane University with a B.A. in Sociology; 1975 graduate of the University of Texas at Houston with a Masters of Public Health concentrating in Community Health Education; 1992 Certificate in Africentric Counseling from University of New York, Stonybrook; 1997 graduate of Harvard University Kennedy School of Government with a Masters in Public Administration concentrating in Healthcare Policy. Among his many professional accomplishments which include multiple papers, presentations and community organizing, Ralph is a former Board President and a member of the non-profit organization TASH, an international leader in disability advocacy that advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs – those most vulnerable to segregation, abuse, neglect and institutionalization. In Boston, Ralph also served as Director in the Office of Citizen Leadership at the Massachusetts Department for Developmental Services, where he worked from 1998 to 2016; Prior to DDS, from 1987 to 1998, he was the Director of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; in addition to a Regional Manager in the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services. Previously a board member for the Roxbury Multicultural Independent Living Center in Boston, Ralph now resides in Swampscott, Massachusetts, where he is a Founding Board member of Swampscott Unites, Respects, and Embraces (SURE) Diversity and has been involved with a variety of local public policy initiatives. During his time in New Orleans, Ralph was part of the 1968 African American Congress of Tulane, and he was a lead author on the organization’s request letter to the university.