African-American 101: Students want to be recognized as individuals


collage of students
|

These black students at Arizona State University want you to know one thing: There isn’t any one thing to know.

“Get to know me,” said Ashley Carter, a sophomore journalism major. “Don’t just judge me by how I look.”

Outgoing. Shy. Bubbly. Laid-back. Academic. Athletic. The members of ASU’s Black African Coalition are part of a diverse group that can’t be narrowly defined.

“If you were actually to go out and meet 100 and 200 different black people,” said ASU history professor Matt Delmont, contextualizing the students’ experiences, “you’d realize there are 100 and 200 different ways to be black.”

The students gathered in this video to share their perspectives, frustrations and hopes in honor of Black History Month. They’ve had their authenticity challenged, felt pressure to represent their entire race and wished African-American history was more of a focus throughout their education.

The video is part of a series from ASU Now that began with Native 101 and plans to expand to give women, Hispanics, veterans and other groups on campus an opportunity to share their own stories and help dispel stereotypes.

More Sun Devil community

 

A crowd of people seated underneath a jet plane on display

National WWII Museum honors ASU graduates over 25th anniversary weekend

This June, more than 30 graduates and alumni of ASU’s World War II studies online Master of Arts program traveled to New Orleans for a graduation celebration at The National World War II…

A person in graduate regalia stands on the ASU bridge doing the forks-up hand symbol with both arms

ASU is home-sweet-home (away from home) for students from India

More than 8,000 miles separate Arizona State University’s Tempe campus from New Delhi, the capital of India.But that geographical chasm hasn’t kept ASU from becoming a destination university for…

Palo Verde Blooms

8 Flinn Scholars set to begin college careers at ASU this fall

Eight of this year’s 20 Flinn Scholars have chosen to attend Arizona State University this fall.Valued at over $135,000 per student, the Arizona-based Flinn Foundation scholarship supports…