Red.
Black.
Green.
These are the colors of the tricolor banner hoisted over the atrium of the Baugher Student Ceter (BSC) on Monday, Feb. 15. Elizabethtown College’s associate director of intercultural affairs with the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Title IX, Ellis Bonds explained the symbolism of the flag as it was raised.
“Red represents the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry and that was shed for liberation…Black represents the people whose existence as a nation, though not as a nation state, is affirmed by this flag…Green represents the vibrant and abundant natural wealth of Africa; the motherland,” Bonds said.
The raising of this Pan-African flag hails African solidarity as a piece of Etown’s Black History Month celebrations. However, Jalen Belgrave, student speaker at the flag raising, concluded his address with an important reminder— “Black history is more than 28 days.”
This is a critical theme of Belgrave’s presidency of the College’s chapter of the NAACP. Before Belgrave, that chapter did not exist. Still only a sophomore, he has helped the organization get moving to make sure promises made to Etown’s minorities are kept—not just during Black History Month when it is convenient, but always.
Belgrave said, “Etown has, in the past, tried to recruit minorities to come here. That’s their goal. They want to have a diverse campus. They want to have people of all different backgrounds come to your campus. However, the issue with Etown is retention.”
The NAACP chapter president fears Etown’s students of color are at risk of transferring to other schools. That is because, put bluntly, “When minorities get here, the stuff that [the administration] have said to get them here is not provided.”
Once Etown’s NAACP has been chartered, Belgrave says one of his main priorities is to foster it as a platform for minority students to make their voices heard and ensure these promises are kept. With proper attention, this accountability could reduce transfers and create a more inclusive and supportive atmosphere.
Ellis Bonds has only been associate director since August but given his past experience, he agrees that retaining minority students is an important issue here.
“I can imagine, given work I’ve done in previous institutions, that retention for students of color at any predominantly white school is going to be hard unless the support is there to retain them,” he said.
Bonds considers clubs and organizations associated with the Intercultural Board to be a key source of this support. He points to GSA, Hillel, AMIGOS Spanish Club and the new NAACP as places for minorities “to be themselves and find people who identify with them and build that camaraderie and community on their own.”
Belgrave proposes another, more direct way to provide support for minority students. He is working to create a formal mentor program in which minority upperclassmen check in with new students to set goals and air problems.
He explains the idea like this: “I might have two or three first-years and my goal every week is to have a sit-down talk. You could talk about anything. ‘How are classes going? What can I do to help you out? How have things been on the campus? What can we do to amplify your voice?’”
Belgrave hopes this will help create a better culture.
“Just listening goes a long way,” he said.
For Belgrave, that advice does not just apply for students of color assisting each other. When asked how students outside that community can help, Belgrave said, “We need to have our white counterparts listen. If we want to change things, systematically, we need everyone on board.”
“I’m really big on incorporating everyone. But before I can do that, I need to unify minorities first. We’re not unified right now. We’re all over the place. Once we get one unified voice, then we can educate our white counterparts,” [delete period] he said.
That progression—from separate minority voices, to a unified chorus, to teaching white people the song so they sing along—explains the presence of the flag flying under the skylight of the BSC.
