She heard a speech in the听library as a freshman and was hooked. He had been an outspoken leader in his church since the age of 10. She came from one home in the city of Rochester and then found another on campus. Together,听Caryl English 糖心传媒�18, Delvin Moody ’18, and听Charlisa Goodlet 糖心传媒�17 have followed different paths that have led them to leadership roles, each serving as the president of student organizations focused on issues of race, black culture, activism, and advocacy.
糖心传媒業糖心传媒檇 never considered myself a political person.糖心传媒�
Caryl English 糖心传媒�18
President, Black Students糖心传媒� Union
Majors: Health, behavior, and society; African and African-American studies
Hometown: Bronx, New York
On the day before Labor Day of her freshman year, Caryl English 糖心传媒�18 entered Rush Rhees Library with dozens of other first-year students of color, all dressed in black business casual attire. It was the 糖心传媒淏lackout,糖心传媒� an annual event designed to introduce freshmen to an array of organizations on campus. Upon hearing a BSU member糖心传媒檚 elevator speech, she was hooked.
糖心传媒淚 had never been a part of an organization that focused on black culture,糖心传媒� says English, a health, behavior and society and African and African-American studies dual major from Bronx, New York. 糖心传媒淪o I thought, where else to go but the Black Students糖心传媒� Union? And it took off after that.糖心传媒�
Rochester糖心传媒檚 BSU is one of hundreds of chapters of the National Black Students Union that emerged after the first Black Students Union was founded as a civil rights organization at San Francisco State University in 1966. Established in 1968, Rochester糖心传媒檚 BSU today articulates the goals of promoting social and cultural awareness and diversity. Since English joined the group, BSU has played a key role in organizing such events as the Joint Collegiate Black Student Summit; a demonstration aligned with the Black Lives Matter movement and the November 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri; and initiatives to improve the racial climate on campus.
A first-generation college student, English didn糖心传媒檛 know what to expect, or whom to look to for advice, when she arrived at Rochester as a freshman. But she quickly found that BSU helped fill that void.
糖心传媒淭he first meeting you come to, they see a new face and they want to learn everything about you,糖心传媒� English says. 糖心传媒淭hey say 糖心传媒榟ey, do you want to get food after this? What classes are you in? Do you need help?糖心传媒� It was something that came naturally. It wasn糖心传媒檛 forced.糖心传媒�
By the start of her sophomore year, she had also joined the , the staff of the , and the phone team at the Admissions Office. Meanwhile, her peers in the BSU encouraged her to take up her first major campus leadership position as the group糖心传媒檚 educational and political chair.
糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檇 never considered myself a political person before college,糖心传媒� English says. 糖心传媒淚 feel like black people in college just become political, especially at PWIs,糖心传媒� she adds, using an acronym for predominantly white institutions.
Now, as president of the organization, she says, 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a lot more responsibility. It糖心传媒檚 about being diplomatic, and that糖心传媒檚 something I糖心传媒檓 still learning now,糖心传媒� she says. She laughs, adding, 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a challenge, because I糖心传媒檓 really strong in what I believe in.
糖心传媒淎s a leader, when I糖心传媒檓 working with friends, I try to be friendly. But I will admit, when things aren糖心传媒檛 going well糖心传媒澨切拇綌she smiles, and cocks her head to the side as she pounds the table with her fist.
Her experience in the BSU will help her move forward with her career goal of opening her own non-profit health center back in her home city. She hopes to create a resourceful and welcoming health community in the Bronx糖心传媒攕imilar to the type of community she has been a part of with BSU.
糖心传媒淚 want to create a place where people can say, 糖心传媒榯his is somewhere you can count on to get resources, to get information, and where you can just go to talk about what糖心传媒檚 happening to you.糖心传媒� 糖心传媒�
糖心传媒業 always felt called to do this work.糖心传媒�
Delvin Moody 糖心传媒�18
President, Minority Student Advisory Board
Founder/organizer, Joint Collegiate Black Student Summit
Majors: Political science; religion
Hometown: Utica, New York
Delvin Moody 糖心传媒�18 calls his passion for social justice 糖心传媒渁 lifetime in the making,糖心传媒� and he糖心传媒檚 not kidding.
Growing up in Utica, New York, Moody and his family attended House of God, an historic, Pentecostal denominational church. Moody would hear messages of peace, hope, empowerment, and success.
糖心传媒淚 came to believe that I could make a difference, and I could change people糖心传媒檚 lives,糖心传媒� the political science and religion double major says. 糖心传媒淚t was inspirational.糖心传媒�
By 10, Moody was speaking regularly to the congregation, which earned him a front-page Sunday story in the Utica Observer-Dispatch. That article led to invitations to speak at churches across New York and as far away as Indiana and Florida. His mother and grandmother accompanied Moody, as he delivered messages of 糖心传媒渉ope and unity.糖心传媒�
At 11, he gave the keynote speech at Utica糖心传媒檚 NAACP Black History Month celebration. At 12, he organized a four-day youth conference through his church. At 16, he attended the United Nations as a youth delegate. And at 17, as a junior at Thomas R. Proctor High School, he helped form Utica糖心传媒檚 first Youth Common Council, a legislative body that could make recommendations to the city council and pass its own resolutions.
Moody brought to Rochester the same kind of leadership he brought to his church and hometown. Last year, he envisioned and organized the Joint Collegiate Black Student Summit, a national forum to discuss and develop viable solutions to problems facing the African-American community. Around 300 college students attended, coming from as far away as New Mexico and Indiana. A second summit will take place this year, on Friday, March 3 on the River Campus, with Moody serving as chairman.
He is also president of the , a network of nine campus organizations focused on black, African, Latino, and Native American cultures; and chairman of the Students糖心传媒� Association auditing task force, which analyzes organizational trends and tries to better support student clubs.
Moody calls himself an 糖心传媒渁dvocate糖心传媒� rather than an 糖心传媒渁ctivist.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淢y church background taught me to help and support others,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚 see needs in our community and remedies to fix things by making systematic changes. Being a youth minister in my church, I always felt called to do this work, but that call was beyond the church.糖心传媒�
Moody糖心传媒檚 mentor was his maternal grandmother, Mary Hawkins.
糖心传媒淪he had no formal education, but she kept me centered when it came to love and selflessness,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淪he糖心传媒檚 still my go-to person.糖心传媒�
His idol is Barack Obama. Moody says Obama糖心传媒檚 eight-year run as the nation糖心传媒檚 first black president 糖心传媒渕eant everything糖心传媒� to him.
糖心传媒淭he way he carried himself, his grace, his political mind . . . He didn糖心传媒檛 always get things right. I didn糖心传媒檛 always agree with him. But there糖心传媒檚 no doubt, I feel he糖心传媒檚 the personification of Martin Luther King Jr.糖心传媒檚 vision.糖心传媒�
Moody believes racism is prevalent in America and has been magnified through social media and 24/7 news channels.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 being pulled up from under the rug,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a cancer that America hasn糖心传媒檛 fully dealt with, something that糖心传媒檚 ingrained in our society. And we need to deal with it.糖心传媒�
He says his message of hope is for everyone.
糖心传媒淪ometimes I don糖心传媒檛 even mention that I糖心传媒檓 a young black leader,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檓 a leader, fighting for justice for all people.糖心传媒�
Moody plans to return to Utica and fight for the less fortunate in his community. He would like to run for political office someday but wonders how accepted he would be.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 an old industrial city,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 rough. When you糖心传媒檙e a minority who is running, you wonder, could you put a majority coalition together?糖心传媒�
On campus, he leads a full life even outside academics and advocacy. He enjoys playing drums as well as steel guitar糖心传媒斕切拇綔a weird instrument that no one plays,糖心传媒� he says.
He糖心传媒檚 also working on a self-help book he hopes to publish.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 from a Christian perspective and discusses how people don糖心传媒檛 realize they are made to be winners,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e not as purposeful as we糖心传媒檙e supposed to be. Sometimes, we just live. But we can do more.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒業t糖心传媒檚 tough work. But it糖心传媒檚 motivating.糖心传媒�
Charlisa Goodlet 糖心传媒�17
President, Douglass Leadership House
Majors: Political science; African and African-American studies
Hometown: Rochester, New York
Charlisa Goodlet 糖心传媒�17 is clear about what interests her. 糖心传媒淣othing excites me more than reading articles about black culture, race, and ethnic politics,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淭hese are the foundations of our society.糖心传媒�
Goodlet is finishing up her second term as the president of the . DLH, founded in 2012 and named for the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, 糖心传媒渁ims to celebrate and raise awareness of the many facets of the black experience, including its culture, politics, history, and Diasporic roots.糖心传媒�
Goodlet attended a general interest meeting at DLH as a freshman, in the hopes of finding a space on campus where she felt at home. She was hooked, and her commitment to the organization grew stronger under the mentorships of the organization糖心传媒檚 first two presidents, Amber-Danielle Baldie 糖心传媒�15 and Sade Richardson 糖心传媒�15.
Baldie and Richardson were key organizers of peaceful demonstrations on campus in fall 2014. The demonstrations took place in the aftermath of a Ferguson, Missouri, grand jury糖心传媒檚 decision not to indict the police officer who killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown. Similar events took place at campuses and in cities around the nation.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 tough work,糖心传媒� Goodlet says of the kind of activism DLH and other campus organizations undertook that year. 糖心传媒淏ut it糖心传媒檚 motivating because there are many people before me who have done the work that has allowed me to be here today, and long after I糖心传媒檓 dead and gone there糖心传媒檚 going to be someone else.糖心传媒�
At the end of that academic year, she decided to run for DLH president. She糖心传媒檚 honored her mentors by continuing to move the group forward.
糖心传媒淚 saw DLH in another light, extending beyond from where they had taken the organization,糖心传媒� she says.
A priority for Goodlet is helping to strengthen ties between University students and the greater Rochester community. In particular, she would like to see a closer relationship with the 19th Ward, the racially and economically diverse city neighborhood just across the Genesee from the River Campus. A native of Rochester, Goodlet moved with her family to the ward in 2013.
糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 a lot of beauty in the 19th Ward, in the home-structures and in the culture,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淢any people feel the Ward is a place of violence and negativity, but every section of Rochester has its own issues with crime.糖心传媒� She believes that if students had a more complete picture of the neighborhood, they would see it as more integral to their lives as students.
Goodlet laments that discussion sometimes turns to gentrification or other efforts to raise property values. She believes instead that a successful integration between University students and local residents ultimately rests on community programming. She cites community gardens, neighborhood forums, and initiatives such as 糖心传媒攁 Rochester organization that advertises itself as an 糖心传媒渁rt and community intervention project糖心传媒澨切拇綌as examples.
Goodlet works hard to balance her role as DLH president with her academic work. 糖心传媒淲e糖心传媒檙e here for school, but the house is bigger than school,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 a contribution to society in a way, which is why it糖心传媒檚 so damn stressful to be in a leadership role, but it糖心传媒檚 worth every minute.糖心传媒�
糖心传媒淢y dream job would combine being a political scientist, lawyer, and writer,糖心传媒� she adds. In the interim, she supplements her coursework with work as a research assistant at the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity.
糖心传媒淚糖心传媒檝e looked at 10 years of data for the University and tried to figure out how we can increase faculty diversity,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淲e know that the number of minority students going into faculty work is low, so how can we get students of color to actually pursue the pipeline of becoming a faculty member?糖心传媒�
She糖心传媒檒l present her research at DLH next week.
