On Feb. 4, Clarion University held a special Eagle Talk dedicated to Black History Month featuring a very prestigious philosopher and civil rights activist: Dr. Cornel West. This talk featured four other panelists, two of which were students: Ms. Traesha Pritchard, Dr. Robert Girvan, Dr. Jane Walsh and Mr. Torron Mollett. This Eagle Talk was led by senior communications major Ms. Arian Fulcher.

Black History Month originally started in February 1926 and was known as “Negro Week.” It was held in the middle of the month to encompass Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays, both of which were activists in the early equal rights movement. The celebrations were originally only held between black citizens in their communities and schools but, by the ‘40s, had began expanding out into the outer reaches of the country. “Negro Week” didn’t expand into what is now known as Black History Month until the mid-’60s.

The talk was held in the Gemmel Center Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) and was practically filled to the edges. They had over 100 seats set out, but needed to gather more as the room began to fill. Fulcher started the discussion out with a small, prepared speech.

“I’m not gonna lie to y’all [sic], I’m a little nervous,” Fulcher said. Despite having prepared herself for the night, she was still overwhelmed by the positive outcome for her session. Fulcher began by stating that, in addition to being a concern toward race, three independent women began the movement.

The “Black Lives Matter” movement was started in 2012 after the murder of Trayvon Martin. According to their website, www.blacklivesmatter.com, the movement is a call to action to end the anti-Black racism that “permeates our society.” Now, “Black Lives Matter” is a worldwide chapter organization that works to end the negativity and hate towards the colored community.

Fulcher took her time in introducing each panelist, saving West for last. He sat there, smiling brightly, leaned back in his chair with his hair spiked up high. He received the loudest applause from the audience than any other panelist. The amount of passion in the room from both races was tremendous. West continued to mention how happy he was to see the turnout of “chocolate brothers” as well as the group of “vanilla brothers.”

The discussion began with a brief discussion on how each panelist felt about the movement.

“We have to continue to educate and practice justice and peace… Black lives have been deprived of our basic human rights and dignity. I’m unapologetically black,” Pritchard said. Shortly after, the discussion switched to allow for two different female students, each who had raised her own hand, to discuss what it meant to them. The second student, who didn’t give her name, talked about how it affected her because she was “dark skinned” and her four-year-old nephew was so “light skinned”. She mentioned him being convinced that he was white and being black scared him to the point of tears which was incredibly powerful to the majority of the crowd.

Shortly after, Fulcher opened up for the panelists to ask questions to the audience. Pritchard jumped at the opportunity, and asked how, students wanted to address issues around Clarion or in our hometowns to the police brutality. I was granted with an opportunity to speak.

“I’m very proud to say I’m from Pittsburgh and I like knowing that I don’t come from a city where there is a lot of police brutality,” I said, being the only non-panelist white person to speak all night. “I go to a school that’s primarily white… and the kids will be like, ‘well maybe he’s doing something wrong’ but I’m like ‘why isn’t the cop in the wrong?’”

After a question from Walsh about “what can we do,” the discussion turned around so that students could address the panelists, seeing that everyone wanted to hear West’s opinion on the matters at hand. One student asked how the panelists deal with racism in the workplace.

“I call these microaggressions,” Girvan responded. “The white girl was patting the black girl on the head [at a basketball game]…call it out, take that risk of saying something.” His response brought laughter to the crowd, but pushed for everyone to understand that just because blacks had curlier, thicker hair doesn’t mean people can pet them like animals.

“Indifference to evil is more evil than evil itself,” West said, his voice laying a thick silence over the crowd. Whenever he spoke, everyone was on the edges of their seats. It was one of the most important lectures to come to Clarion.

“You think that, somehow, your destiny is not intertwined, but it is! We’ve been living… where it’s all about money, money, money, power, power, power, me, me, me,” There were agreeing murmurs and nods throughout the crowd, but they immediately erupted into cheers after he finished.

“Thank you guys for coming out,” Fulcher addressed the whole crowd as the panel came to a mandatory end. West had one other lecture to lead only an hour later and they wanted to allow time for pictures. A line formed that led to the back door of the MPR as people continued to shake hands with West, take selfies and get his signature. When I met him, he thanked me personally for taking such a long drive out to see him and signed my notebook.

The controversial Eagle Talk was held in honor of the start of Black History Month, to make the issue “Black Lives Matter” even more well known throughout Clarion and to allow both black and white students alike to share their thoughts and pieces. It seemed as if everyone in the room had become an excited family, cheering and humming every time there was mutual agreement.

I left feeling absolutely empowered with the knowledge West and the other speakers had laid out for me. The whole room was alive and buzzed with excitement. I felt as if the talk could have continued on for a few more hours and I wouldn’t have caught enough of it. I encourage other students to get involved with “Black Lives Matter” and read the memoir of Cornel West and his other writings to become more informed of political and social issues around us every day in the “great U.S.A.” His words will change your whole attitude, much like they did for the Clarion Eagle Talk participants.