By Philo Yunrui Wang
As SUNY Plattsburgh prepares for its third annual Black Solidarity Day on Nov. 4, the campus community is set to engage with a powerful theme: “Be the Change You Wish to See,” chosen by Black Onyx: The Black Student Union.
“We live in a world where many people can make comments, but people also don’t realize that it’s a lot we can do as individuals to also be the change that we wish to see,” Allison Heard, vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said.
The theme of this years SUNY Plattsburgh’s Black Solidarity Day calls on students, faculty, staff and community members to reflect on the importance of social justice, civic engagement and solidarity in shaping a multi-racial democracy. It also appeals that everyone can all do something to usher in a new day of progress.
WHAT IS BLACK SOLIDARITY DAY?
SUNY Plattsburgh will host a social justice teach-in, a full-day event packed with over 50 breakout sessions exploring various aspects of racial justice, anti-racism and social equity. These sessions will be led by a diverse array of students, faculty, staff and community members, and will include workshops, performances, discussions, readings and presentations.
Black Solidarity Day was the brainchild of activist and former SUNY Old Westbury professor Carlos Russell in 1969. He was inspired by the play “Day of Absence” a fictional town where the Black residents suddenly disappear, resulting in the White residents realizing how much of their lives rely on Black labor.
Black individuals are encouraged to refrain from working and shopping for one day as a form of economic protest and instead focus on educating and empowering their communities.
“The enthusiasm of the students in partnership with the faculty senate and administration designated it as a day where students would not be penalized for attending,” Heard said.
Black Solidarity Day of SUNY Plattsburgh was created as a student initiative and added to the university academic calendar in 2022. It was added that all programming for course instruction should be designed to support Black Solidarity Day in 2023.
NEW VIRTUAL STREAM
SUNY Plattsburgh has a virtual stream for Black Solidarity Day for the first time, which will be shared with all SUNY schools and throughout New York State.
“We are being here on campus as a barrier,” Heard said.
This is a way for other people who are not on this campus to attend. So far the University of Buffalo will be hosting a watch party, SUNY Delhi and SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury will be hosting watch parties and streaming the virtual tracks.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Debra Thompson, the Canada research chair in racial inequality in democratic societies and associate professor of political science at McGill University, will feature “Race, Democracy, and Politics without Guarantees” at 4:15 p.m. in the Warren Ballrooms.
“We are excited to be able to welcome Dr. Debra Thompson on the theme of race and politics, which is an issue that has been amplified in our global society,” Heard said.
This presentation will explore the complexities of Black identity across North America, particularly focusing on the Canada and U.S. border. There will be a raffle during this presentation for the book “The Long Road Home” by Thompson. She will sign the copies for the raffle winners.
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
Black Onyx is hosting a Candlelight Vigil at 8 p.m. in the Warren Ballrooms.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to talk about what it means as a diverse representation of students to promote social justice issues year-round, not just on Nov. 4,” Heard said.
At the candlelight vigil, students can gather to talk about things and speak the names of people or issues to address social justice problems.
NEW COOLDOWN ZONE
There will be a cooldown zone at Angell College Center Meeting Room 1 for the entire day. The president’s office is hosting a cooldown with a therapy dog named Beckett by Cherice Granger and Heather Haskins at 11 a.m.
“It’s a way for people to go into a room, they can do something or nothing. Then they can re-engage at a time that feels safe for them,” Heard said.
‘A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF’
Black Solidarity Day and social justice teach-in at SUNY Plattsburgh is not a day off as opposed to a day in. It is an opportunity to expand academic horizons and also to look at academia as a whole.
“When people talk about what is or is not appropriate to teach for the classroom, they often talk about it in terms of scholarship. Sometimes for people’s scholarship is not the diversity of scholarship. The important thing is that you cannot talk about scholarship without talking about inclusion and the diverse voices,” Heard said.
Black Solidarity Day is where people can hear the voices that are suppressed, talk about how we can promote and spread education and awareness that can also lend itself to building stronger collaborations and connections for other people on campus.
So mark your calendars for Nov. 4, and get ready to join in SUNY Plattsburgh’s Black Solidarity Day. Whether you’re a student, faculty member or community participant, this is a day to stand in solidarity and be the change you wish to see.
For the full schedule of Black Solidarity Day, please follow the updates on
https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/diversity/teach-in.html
