Why a Fayetteville State University student wants an advocacy curriculum at HBCUs
It’s been more than 60 years since four Black NCA&T college students in Greensboro organized a movement for equality to have a seat at lunch counters they were historically barred from.
In December, only a few miles away from the historic Woolworth lunch counter sit-in, a Black Winston-Salem State University student was arrested for what she and campus officials said was a disagreement over an assignment.
Video shows officers arresting Leila Hamoud for disorderly conduct, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
According to students in the video, Hamound’s instructor started yelling at her, while Hamoud did not pose a threat.
A campus spokesman told the Winston-Salem Journal that police were called by other faculty who heard the commotion.
Inspired by what she calls an “injustice” toward Hamoud, Fayetteville State University student Iyana Beachem is spearheading an initiative to “equip students with the knowledge necessary to create effective change before injustice strikes or systematic issues evolve.”
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“Student-led activism has been the backbone of so many movements, but we’re still having these conversations about Black expression, Black identity — concerns about if a routine traffic stop will be your last,” Beachem said.
The It Belong to Us initiative, Beachem said, promotes a curriculum at historically Black colleges and universities in the state that would be taught through training, town halls, educational materials and community engagement.
A timeline proposed initial training to introduce the curriculum in January.
• For this month, the topic “Who are we?” would review the history of HBCUs and their cultural significance and how active engagement influenced Black history.
There would also be advocacy for the HBCU Ignite Act, which recommends grants to improve HBCU facilities, and the HBCU Rise Act, which proposes that the Department of Defense establish a pilot program for HBCUs to increase research.
• The topic for March would be "The Power of Voice and Media Image,” focusing on what it means to be a young activist, "controlling your image" and coordinating social media work with “on the ground” work. It would also advocate for the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, protecting the right to expression and acceptance of the "Black image."
• The topic for April would be “This is Your Birthright” to explain student rights on and off campus, while focusing on the Constitution, Bill of Rights, state legislation and "how to challenge if those rights are violated." The course would also teach students how to decipher legal jargon.
• The topic for May would be “What’s Next?” to review how the It Belongs to Us curriculum aids student advocacy and consider what activism looks like off campus.
Beachem has met with the North Carolina NAACP’s Youth and College sector to promote the initiative and plans to meet with campus administrators next.
Community members and groups interested in supporting the initiative are asked to fill out an online form.
Students interested in campus outreach can also fill out an online form.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayettville State university student proposes advocacy
