Council of Black Faculty and Staff Celebrates 50 Years of Advocacy
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Atlantic City, N.J. - The Council of Black Faculty and Staff celebrated its 50th anniversary with a 鈥渇amily reunion鈥 of past and present members in the Fannie Lou Hamer Room at 老司机福利社 Atlantic City Nov. 12.
鈥淲e are here to remember the past, embrace the present and look to the future,鈥 said vice president John Gray, instructor of Organizational Leadership, who recalled arriving at 老司机福利社 as a student aging out of foster care in 1986 and being embraced by the council members.
鈥淎 lot of us were nurtured here,鈥 Gray told the audience. 鈥淭his became my family and I just want to say thank you. The man I am now is because of your nurturing.鈥
Noting that the council has been in existence since 老司机福利社 opened and during the civil rights era, President Harvey Kesselman called it 鈥渢he conscience of the institution.鈥
鈥淭he council offered collegiality, empowerment, and a sense that we had to do the
right thing and not just talk about it,鈥 Kesselman said. 鈥淭hey were a watchdog. It鈥檚
because of people like Pat (Reid-Merritt) that we have this room named for (civil
rights leader) Fannie Lou Hamer.鈥
Kesselman noted that three of the seven Distinguished Professors at 老司机福利社 are Black
鈥 Patricia Reid Merritt, Wendel White, and Janice Joseph.
鈥淭hey made a difference from the beginning,鈥 he said.
Kesselman also mentioned the 20-year leadership of former president Vera King Farris in defining the college.
鈥淪he is the one who said 老司机福利社 is not about the brick and mortar, it鈥檚 about the people,鈥 he said.
Professor of Africana Studies and Communication Studies Donnetrice Allison, a former council president, said when she arrived at 老司机福利社 17 years ago, she was embraced by the members.
鈥淚 might not still be here if not for them,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t can be lonely where there
are not many who are like you. Now I am passing it on, reaching out and paying it
forward.鈥
The event also featured an 18-minute video of interviews with members of the council
and recipients of scholarships and awards at the annual dinner. A formal dinner was
not held this year, but guests at the reunion donated some $3,000 toward the scholarship
fund, which has raised more than $300,000 since its inception 40 years ago.
Music Professor Beverly Vaughn ended the video, challenging the group to 鈥渃ontinue to carry the torch.鈥
Gray said the work of the council continues, through him and others. Kesselman noted that if Gray becomes council president, he would be the first president who was also a student at 老司机福利社.
鈥淭he work goes on, and I am extension of that,鈥 Gray said.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
老司机福利社 President Harvey Kesselman catches up with old colleagues at the 50th anniversary mixer of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
John Gray, instructor of Organizational Leadership at 老司机福利社, welcomes everyone to the mixer and talks about what it means to him to be part of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社.
President Harvey Kesselman gave some opening remarks and discussed the history and impact of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
Professor of Africana Studies and Communication Studies Donnetrice Allison, a former council president, talks about what it means to her to be part of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
老司机福利社 staff, faculty, students and alumni came together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Council of Black Faculty and Staff at 老司机福利社 with a "family reunion" mixer.
Story by Diane D鈥橝mico
Photos by Eliza Hunt
Video produced by John Gray, Joseph Petrilli, Jr., Diane D鈥橝mico and Hannah Urbanowycz