Following recent concerns over censorship, Weber State University intends to make sure voices can be heard moving into Black History Month. “We realized that maybe we had interpreted things a little bit incorrectly as the university,” Dean of Students Ali Threet said. “One of the things that we’re trying to make sure that all students know is that we’re not about censoring, that’s not what we want to do. We want to celebrate different, diverse viewpoints.”
One way the university is doing this is by reviewing the vetting process for guest speakers to be sure it is inline with the law. The section of the contract that directly mentions HB261, the bill cited for much of the school’s censorship, has been removed. Now the contract informs speakers that they must comply with all Utah laws.
Censorship regarding guest speakers has been a concern for some student leaders going into Black History Month. It has made it more difficult for messages to be shared by speakers brought on by the Black Scholars United.
Likewise, it has made recognition and expanding to new members more difficult according to Leon Crutcher, Weber’s National Associate for the Advancement of Colored People President. “I’d say definitely since HB261, it has been kind of harder to plan events for us just to make sure that we can follow all the rules and guidelines,” Crutcher said.
To combat declining membership, NAACP has focused more on using their social media to advocate. “We’ve been seeing kind of hesitation of students wanting to be a part of NAACP,” said Ryan Mills, mentorship development and implementation coordinator. “Because we are bigger on social justice, kind of advocating for and fighting for equality and belonging which makes it a little tricky for me as a staff member on campus, because I have to be a little more mindful of what I say, what I support, things like that.” Despite this, BSU and NAACP will try to keep events this year similar to the celebrations they held last Black History Month.
Plans for Black History Month have largely been spearheaded by Maryan Shale, student engagement program manager and BSU and African Caribbean Student Union adviser. The overall theme for the month will be “A Century of Black Commemorations,” with additional themes for each week.
The first week’s theme will be “Cultural Contributions” with the second as “Preserving Black ‘Hairitage,’” the third as “Health, Healing and Strength” with the final week as “Black Generational Wealth.” This final theme will be used to highlight black entrepreneurs, leaders and professionals. It will also involve a black tie event where scholarships will be awarded.
NAACP plans to hold an opening event, letting students know that it is Black History Month and they will be partnering with other student clubs going into the second week. During the second week, under the theme of “Preserving Black ‘Hairitage,’” a braiding and haircut event will be held.
This event will bring in barbers and braiders for students to receive their services and learn about the history of black hair. The event will be free and all students are welcome. There has also been discussion of a sports day and other community engagement events for the last two weeks of the month along with keynote speakers. One of these speakers will be Sheerá Watkins, Ph.D., associate vice president for Student Health and Wellness from University of Utah.
She will be giving an address in regards to “Health, Healing and Strength.” BSU and ACSU will also be participating in the braiding event. BSU plans on partnering with the Student Success Center for a mental health workshop. Mills said that one goal for the month is to focus more on mental health and to “provide kind of a safe space, more specifically for black men to kind of open up a bit and understand it’s okay to open up.”
Malcolm Rolling, senator for the College of Arts and Humanities, discussed the Expect the Great event that happened on Jan. 30. “What that is, is a chance for African-American students from across different universities to kind of come together and celebrate all their accomplishments,” Rolling said. Rolling has hope for Black History Month, as other cultural celebrations have gone well recently.
“I would just like to see us be able to grow our own community, get more students involved and just let more people know that we are here and that we’re an organization on campus and that they’re welcome,” Crutcher said. “It’s an organization that’s for every student. It’s not just for one kind of student. It’s welcoming to everybody and it’s just like having extra family at school.” This sentiment was echoed by Mills as she said that NAACP is an organization that can be beneficial for all kinds of people, even if it started aimed towards black individuals.
Going forward, Threet has said the university strives to be inclusive of all view points. “We want the university to be a place where students can explore and grow and hear different viewpoints. And we’re excited to go back to that,” Threet said. While the university must remain neutral, clubs are welcome to host a variety of events and bring on a variety of speakers, so long as funding comes from the club.
“You can’t silence a voice that really, you know, desperately needs to be heard,” Rolling said. “It will be heard in one way, shape or form, whether it’s in support by university or not. Weber State has done the best job that they possibly can with allowing for that kind of stuff.” More information on upcoming events can be found on the Student Success Center website under Black History Month.
