News Archive
BLSA Celebrates Black History Month with Speaker Series
02/22/2017
The Black Law Students Association at IU McKinney commemorated Black History Month with weekly events that BLSA member and series organizer Khristian Wills dubbed the “Hashtag Series.” A nod to millennials’ love of social media and the influence it has on contemporary culture, all events had a hashtag. All of the panel discussions took place at Inlow Hall.
“The purpose of the Hashtag Series is to not only highlight the issues that occur in the black community, but to promote and celebrate the advancement of African-Americans,” Wills said. He’s a 2L at IU McKinney. “My greatest hope for this series is to ensure that it is very much inclusive in its efforts to foster an honest and open dialogue about the history of African-Americans in this country.”
IU McKinney students and students from the IUPUI campus met on February 2 in Room 245 to discuss #BlackOnCampus. In the photo from left are 1L Bianca Davis, president of the IUPUI Black Student Union Kasha Hayden, 3L and BLSA president Natasha Nsambo, 2L Kaweme Ng’andwe, 1L Jima Fahnbulleh, IUPUI student Aqilah McCane, and 1L Stephen Rollins II.
The topic was #BlackGirlMagic on February 9 in Room 300, where alumnae of IU McKinney talked about everything from day-to-day life as a lawyer to hair and attire. In the photo from left are Lena Pratt Sanders, ’16; Yetunde Okunade, ‘13; Brenda Kpotufe, ‘16; LaKesha Triggs, ’07; and Senior Associate Director of Student Affairs at IU McKinney Wende’ Ferguson.
The hashtag #MyBrothersKeeper was next in the series on February 16 in room 245, and alumni speakers were joined on a panel by IU McKinney Professor Carlton Waterhouse. In the photo from left are Rollins; Adey Adenrele, ’14; 3L Darwinson Valdez; Professor Waterhouse; Wills; Aaron Johnson; 1L Eric Hewlett; and 1L Eden Strange.
The series concluded February 21 with the topic, #BlackHistoryMatters in Room 385. In the photo from left are Wills, Nsambo, Ferguson, IUPUI Professor Dr. Chalmer Thompson, and IU McKinney Professor Florence Wagman Roisman. Not pictured is speaker IUPUI Associate Director of Adaptive Educational Services in the Office of Diversity Equity & Inclusion Dominic Dorsey.
