This month has been an eventful month for Parkland. I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with fellow Parkland students, faculty, and staff about how they’ve been celebrating this month – Black History Month.
James Tisan Trask is a sophomore student majoring in Microbiology. He will be graduating this semester and will continue his studies and research at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Willie Earl Fowler is a full-time professor here since 2000. Dr. Fowler teaches primarily Political Science and occasionally Criminal Justice.
Ms. Evelyn Reynolds is an associate professor of Sociology. Ms. Reynolds has been teaching for 13 years here and 16 years of teaching in total.
Mr. Mark-Saint McDowell is the academic coordinator and interim director for TRiO/Student Support Services, a federally funded academic support and engagement program. He has been here for 21 years and continuing. Mr. McDowell is also an ordained minister and elder in the community.
Q: [If you know it], what is your background? Ethnicity, ancestors, etc.
Trask: I’m African American. I have family lines related to Black cultural figures such as Jack Johnson, the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion.
Fowler: I’m African American and Native American.
McDowell: I’m African American. However, My maternal great great grandmother was a full-blooded Chippewa Indian.
Q:What does Black History Month mean to you? Considering your involvement in this year’s events, what is your reaction to Parkland’s efforts celebrating Black History Month and overall Black history throughout the year?
Trask: What Black History Month means to me is it being a designated time period of the United States as a whole, being able to represent all states of the country’s history. I think that Black history ultimately is American history. This country’s roots are ultimately Black. Black History Month is a good way of reminding people that is the case. I think Parkland has done a really good job in terms of showcasing that because over the past few weeks, we’ve had events for Black History Month almost every day. The events have been welcoming for anyone.
Fowler: Black History Month means a lot to me. It’s a chance for us to reflect on the achievements of past leaders, scholars, inventors, and trailblazers among others. I think it’s awesome that Parkland is offering a full array of events for Black History Month. I think it provides yet another way to impact the learning that students will experience here. This world is increasingly diverse and it’s important to learn about the achievements and issues of people from all different backgrounds, including African Americans.
McDowell: Black history is very important to me because it’s a part of who I am. With my father being an educator and both of my parents being born in the early 1930s, racial pride was instilled in us, in preadolescent years. Some of my fondest memories from elementary school through college are from participating in plays, assemblies, and variety shows — during what was then called Black History Week — sometimes portraying important Black men in history, including Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and even Detroit Red — Malcolm X! Black History Month was and continues to be an important time of celebration. It is a time when youth often learn about Black History, but it’s a time that people of all ages, races, and cultures also learn. I appreciate what Parkland does to commemorate Black History, and I continue to participate in celebratory events and activities. I especially love the fact that my birthday is Feb. 1, the start of Black History Month, so I often jokingly say that Black History Month was named because of me! But being Black… I am proud to celebrate and learn more about Black history throughout the year.
Q: What has your experience been like as a Black student at Parkland?
Trask: It’s interesting because in some cases, you do meet people who are like-minded. I think from my personal experience, with the multiple clubs that I’m in, I do find people who are on the same wavelength as me and I’m able to connect with people in that regard. However, at the same time, you do find a particular minority of individuals who are not exactly against you but are not really in the know. There’s a little bit of education that goes on. I don’t think I’ve met anyone that was explicitly against Black people as a whole. It’s been a tame and positive experience at Parkland as a Black student so far and I’m relieved that I’m ending my time at Parkland that way.
Q: What has your experience been like as a Black faculty member at Parkland?
Reynolds: I have had various experiences, some good, and some bad over my years at Parkland. Something that may or may not be obvious is the need for more Black faculty. Black students make up over 20% of our student body, but there are literally less than eight Black full-time teaching faculty. Being a Black faculty member at this college can be a lonely and isolating experience. Black students often tell me how happy they are to finally have a Black professor. Many students, in general, have never had a Black teacher or professor in all their years of schooling.
Q: What has your experience been in the overall local community as a Black community member?
Trask: I’m Urbana born and raised. So, growing up here, there’s a sense of unspoken brotherhood that I had growing up. At some point in your life, regardless of where you exist in the spectrum of “Blackness,” being Black is pretty much a larger spectrum of African Americans. You start to form a sense of companionship with other people because we’re going through the same thing. In multiple communities, I’ve grown up with people, despite me having a slightly different deviation of skin color, who go through the same thing – we don’t see each other as anything but fellow Black people and we’re all in this together. Everyone in Champaign-Urbana is pretty mellow and is understanding of this.
Reynolds: I have had a pretty good experience living in Champaign-Urbana for the last 13 years. I have been heavily involved in several activist, scholarly, and community initiatives. For a town of this size, we have excellent libraries and a range of ongoing social and cultural activities. Like every other town in this country, CU also contends with racial and racist discrimination and socioeconomic inequities. These things are talked about quite frequently in the local media. I can appreciate the fact that many people in CU organize themselves and engage with the local power structure. This is a historical pattern in our community in which we should be proud.
McDowell: Since being in Champaign-Urbana, I have worked at UIUC starting as a student employee and 14 years as an academic professional, at Parkland for 21 years, and Family Video for 9 years in Rantoul, Champaign, and Urbana. I have been active with several community churches and was an active member of their ministerial and teaching ministries, outreach and evangelism teams, hospital/nursing home ministries, and food and clothing ministries. So, I have met a lot of great people over my decades here and have been engaged within the greater community and the Black community. Especially early on in my marriage, my wife would ask me, “Is there anybody that you don’t know?” She’s still surprised today at the number of people who remember me and approach me in the community to say hello. Overall, my experience as a Black community member locally has been positive. But yes, there have been and continue to be — in Champaign-Urbana, but also pretty much everywhere I go there will be times where I encounter people who seem to have an issue with me, upon sight… no conversation yet… no interaction yet… no history. I wonder what their problem is. The better thing is that I know who I am, and I almost never let knuckleheads — whether bigoted knuckleheads, or angry knuckleheads, or simply knucklehead knuckleheads — get to me! I keep it moving forward and positively and let the knuckleheads… remain knuckleheads! People who take a second to say hello or a few minutes to talk to me or interact with me know that although I’m fairly quiet, I’m positive, personable, presentable, helpful, and respectful, at a minimum.
Q: What do you look forward to this for yourself, for local Black students, and for the local Black community?
Trask: For one, what I look forward for myself is advancing my education. One of my biggest goals growing up was seeing how part of being Black is coming to an understanding knowing the people we grew up with are not going to be able to make it the same way you are. I’d say that all the people that I grew up with, education-wise, I’m probably the last person that out of all of them that is still in school. They either dropped out or I’ve never heard from them again – and these are people who were very close to me. What’s big for me and my current future is applying for research opportunities to advance my experience in research; transferring to the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) is a major goal; and graduating from Parkland. I want to try to take things as far as I can because there are countless people that I know personally that cannot say the same. I carry this with me because I am here, and I somewhat have a responsibility to represent because there is little representation of African Americans in higher-level fields. We must take it as far as we can to make it potentially easier for the next generation of Black people to make it as well. I have high hopes for my fellow Black students and the local Black community as well.
Fowler: I look forward to having a great year for all of my students and I look forward to creating learning opportunities for them inside and outside of the classroom. The cool list of activities for Parkland’s Black History Month is one way that we can accomplish that.
McDowell: I am one who believes in being a lifelong learner, so there’s always something new and interesting that I look forward to exploring. I usually encourage others that I interact with to be lifelong learners as well and take time to enjoy the ride. TRiO is planning a cultural and college tour of Washington D.C. this summer, which is an amazing experience that Black Americans and all Americans should have. I’m very excited about that, even if it will be my third visit. For the local Black community, of course, I’d like to see less violence, injustice, and death; less poverty and lack; additional resources but also successful others invested in helping to build the Black community and other underprivileged communities, which are all a part of the overall Champaign-Urbana community; and more pride, unity, and striving for better!
