February 1st marked the beginning of a very important month of the year: Black History Month. As is tradition at Stockton, the Unified Black Students Society, with help from other organizations, including the Caribbean Student Association and African Student Organization organized the annual Flag Raising in the Arts and Sciences Circle in honor of the historic month. Club members, faculty, staff members, students, and Stockton University’s President, Joe Bertolino, attended the event.

The UBSS presented many guest speakers and sang the Black National Anthem (Lift Every Voice and Sing) with musical accompaniment from Professor Beverly Vaughn. One of the newest guest speakers was Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff, Dr. Terricita Sass. Sass referenced Dr. Carter G. Woodson, one of the founders of Black History Month, remarking, “[Woodson] embodied resilience, self-determination, courage, and all of this in the face of blatant, unsanctioned racism […] He demonstrated what many might call ‘black resilience’.” She later said, “Black history is like a great play. It is a musical, it can be a movie, it takes you on a journey of self-determination, community, support, struggle, perseverance, triumph, victories, family, and pride— just to name a few.”

Admissions Recruiter Haashim Smith-Johnson, an alumnus of Stockton, former President of UBSS, now Staff Advisor, also spoke at the event. He spoke of his time at Stockton in 2017, when the UBSS E-Board first started the Pan-African Flag Raising. Haashim quoted his good friend, Ahmad Shepherd Sloan, former president of the Xi Gamma chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; “The idea seemed like an overly ambitious one. He asked: ‘Why is our flag good enough to only wave in the sky for one month out of the year, when we’re Black every day on this campus?”

After the guest speakers delivered their messages, the students gathered to raise the Pan-African flag to the sky, also accompanied by Beverly Vaughn’s piano.

Dr. Sass arrived on campus with President Bertolino on July 1, 2023, marking this as her first Black History Month flag raising. “The music was impactful. Individuals coming out from different cultures, that was impactful,” Sass commented. “The other piece for me is listening to the student speakers; they shared their hearts and allowed us to share our hearts in different perspectives […] It’s very encouraging that I get to be a part of this ceremony. I’m just ecstatic and I’m very proud of the students who are here to do this for the campus.”

President Bertolino, who was very excited to have attended, stated; “I love these events, and I’m really proud of our students, when they come together and they organize this on behalf of the community.” He also commented on the beautiful weather, considering the past week had been cloudy and rainy, saying, “The weather held up; that doesn’t hurt. I’m grateful for that. A little chilly, but the community made it warm.” He expressed pride in the students and staff that participated and spoke for the event: “I really appreciate students sharing their journey and hearing them, because I hope it helps to make us better leaders at the institution.”

Professor Vaughn, who has attended many flag raisings throughout her years at Stockton, stated “Each of them moves me deeply, especially this one,” Vaughn added; “Because when I looked around and I see the calibre of students— minority students and the people that come out to support this— it gives me hope. This gives me hope for the students that are here, the passion that they have, because you have to carry it forward!”

Loukaia Taylor, a Multicultural Communications Specialist at Stockton, commented, “I’ve been attending every Black History Month Flag Raising since 2019, and the growth that I’ve seen since has been indescribable. The raising of the Pan-African flag is just one of the many visual affirmations of Black cultural identity on Stockton’s campus. Like what Haashim said so eloquently during his remarks, students on campus don’t have to look far for examples of Black resilience and excellence. Being surrounded by these giants only inspires me to keep trying to honor their legacies through striving for a more inclusive campus.”

Dr. Trina Gipson-Jones from the School of Health Sciences also attended. “It’s valuable for students to get the experience of being able to speak in public and to talk about Black History Month,” Gipson-Jones commented. “It’s not just African-American history; it’s American history. I think that is an important thing to stress and they did that today, and I’m very proud of them for doing so.” Some of her very own students were there to support the UBSS, and she couldn’t be more proud of them as their professor. “I think that’s what Stockton is about; building community and supporting one another.”