“Black Girl Magic” panel to continue Lee’s IWW events
The student panelists (left to right): Vanelissa Cadet, Myka Smith and Nandi Newton.
Source: Black Girl Magic: Stories of Struggle and Empowerment Facebook page
Lee’s International Women’s Week (IWW) events will continue with the first ever panel called “Black Girl Magic: Stories of Struggle and Empowerment” on Thursday, March 16.
The panel will feature three student speakers, Mykah Smith, Nandi Newton and Vanalissa Cadet, who will speak about “the American construct of race” and “the particular experiences of women of color in this country,” according to Mary McCampbell, associate professor of humanities.
The event will be hosted by McCampbell and Ana Shippey, assistant professor of political science and will take place at 7 p.m. in the Jones Lecture Hall located in Lee’s School of Religion, according to its Facebook page.
“I just hope people come with an open mind, like not coming to correct us or defend anything but just coming to see what we want to say,” said Smith, a senior sociology student. “It’s really a way to have an open dialogue about issues that women of color face.”
The panelists will share their own personal stories, including their struggles, perspectives, empowerment and general life experience as African American women. They will also answer questions from both McCampbell and the audience during the event, according to Smith.
“We can’t dispel racism and hatred and stereotypes by silencing ourselves,” Smith said. “It has to be an open dialogue and a discourse that changes our reality.”
McCampbell said she has engaged in “lively discussions” with the three students in her African American Literature and Culture class and wanted more people to hear their stories.
“I want Nandi, Myka and Vanalissa to have a larger platform on which to share their stories, including both the ongoing fight against oppression and the active desire to see racial justice,” McCampbell said. “These women's stories are testaments of strength in the face of adversity.”
Smith said she hopes the panelists can bring “some kind of unification and general understanding” to those who attend the event.
“It’s our responsibility if we as minority people want change,” Smith said. “It’s our responsibility to be that exposure, to explain these things and answer these hard questions, as uncomfortable as we may feel personally. Discomfort is needed for change.”
The event is free and open to the public.
