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Georgetown McDonough MBA celebrates Black History Month
As February unfolds, the Georgetown MBA Community comes together to commemorate Black History Month, a time of reflection, celebration, and acknowledgment of the invaluable contributions of the African American community. Black History Month provides us with an opportunity to honor the rich history, resilience, and achievements that have shaped our nation and global society. It is a moment to recognize the transformative leaders who have paved the way for progress, equity, and inclusivity.
MBA Community Events
To mark this occasion, the MBA Program Office, Black MBA Association (BMBAA), Student Government Associations (SGA), Georgetown African Business Alliance (GABA), and others curate and plan a series of engaging programs and events for our MBA students:
Saturday, Feb 8 - Visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture starting at 1:30pm.
Come learn more about the history of the Black experience in the United States, and the role Black culture has played in shaping US culture.
Register on HoyaConnect:: Smithsonian Visit
Thursday, Feb 13 - KEGS: Dancing Through the Diaspora
Join the Black MBA Association to enjoy programming and food that represents the Black diaspora. More details coming soon to HoyaConnect!
Register on HoyaConnect: KEGS: Dance Through the Diaspora
Wednesday, Feb 19 - Safe Bubble Conversations: Bridging Black Identities Across Continents
Join us as we discuss Diaspora Dialogues: Bridging Black Identities Across Continents and explore the similarities and differences amongst Black people around the world.
Register on HoyaConnect: Safe Bubble Conversations
TENTATIVE: Saturday, Feb 22 - Drag Brunch!
Come celebrate Black Queer joy in a collaboration between BMBAA & Out@MSB. More details coming soon to HoyaConnect!
Register on HoyaConnect: Registration coming soon!
MBA Student Orgs involved on Black History Month Planning
Did you know?
It started as a week- In 1915, Harvard-educated historian, Carter G. Woodson, and minister, Jesse Moorland, founded what is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. That organization established Black History Week in 1926, which strived to inspire schools and communities to organize local celebrations and host performances and lectures.
Why February?- Black History Week was the second week of February. Why? To coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. President Lincoln was the 16th U.S. president and paved the way for the abolition of slavery with his Emancipation Proclamation. Douglass was an escaped slave turned activist and author, and a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement to end slavery.
The week became a month- The civil rights movement of the 1960s helped elevate Black History Week to national prominence and turn it into a month-long celebration. As a result, in 1976, President Gerald Ford made things official, proclaiming February to be Black History Month.
First Black History Month theme- Civilization: A World Achievement
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)- Were established to provide higher education opportunities to Black Americans. Established in 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania was the very first HBCU. Today, over 100 HBCUs exist.
Population: As of 2022, African Americans account for 13.6% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Black Support Resources
The Black Support Resources Guide was provided by the Office of Student Equity and Inclusion to foster community & support for Black staff, students and faculty at Georgetown. In addressing the murders of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd and the racial hatred and oppression in the U.S., OSEI offered recommendations to provide support to Georgetown’s students and employees. This list of resources is an effort to share social, educational, and health resources. This is not an exhaustive list and if you feel there are resources that are missing from this list and should be added, we encourage you to contact The Office of Student Equity and Inclusion at osei@georgetown.edu. This file includes many resources, including:
- Mental health (e.g. National directory of Black psychiatrists, Black Emotional and Mental Health, etc.)
- Health care (Black Women for Wellness, etc.)
- Self-care ( 50 Self Care Routines for black women, etc.)
- DEI education material (How to Respond to Microaggressions, Anti-Racism Toolkit - Georgetown Library, etc.)
The Black House is one of the dedicated places on campus where all students of color can gather to talk about issues, and meet one another. Black House residents are encouraged to design programs to promote, foster and acknowledge diversity and community on campus. Examples of programs include weekly Hour Glass discussions on topics relevant to the community, a voter registration program, a panel on the impact on the Latino Vote, a workshop on developing a self-brand, and a dance workshop partnering with Groove Theory to name a few. Black House residential opportunities, events, and activities are open to all Georgetown University students regardless of race, national origin, or any other characteristic protected under University policy. Multicultural student organizations are encouraged to utilize the house for club meetings and for social events. Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
Georgetown Anti-Racism Tool Kit offers resources to get started and learn more about antiracism, including Books, resources, and links to help fight racism. This is a living document that serves as a launching point for more extensive study and action.
Calm App: New Programs Supporting Black Mental Health. Calm has partnered with Dr. Rheeda Walker, a licensed clinical psychologist, tenured professor, researcher, and author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health and The Unapologetic Workbook for Black Mental Health to release two transformative mental health programs: “Minding Your Black Mind,” and “Black Self-Worth at Work,”. GU MBA students have free access to Calm App - Sign up here
Playlists:
Black History Month (Spotify)
McDonough Resources
Professor George Comer is the Director of Underrepresented Minority Student Support. Comer is an associate professor of finance, who has served as a mentor to a significant number of URM students during his 20 years at Georgetown. As part of the school’s DEI initiatives, this new position provides him the opportunity and resources to more formally engage the URM population. Comer serves the Undergraduate Program, MBA, and other graduate students. He works closely with the students and the respective program offices to provide support and develop programming that will enhance the students’ experience.
Professor Ella Washington (Senior Advisor on DEI initiatives)
Dr. Ella Washington is an organizational psychologist who finds inspiration through the intersection of business, diversity and leadership. Her research examines conditions of workplace cultures that best support inclusion, diversity and equity while also contributing to employee’s individual development. As a member of the management faculty at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Dr. Washington prides herself on helping to develop and equip tomorrow’s business leaders with skills to be high-performing inclusive managers
Georgetown Black History Month
Georgetown University has an official page that shares more information about Black History and Culture. Georgetown celebrates the many contributions of our Black students, alumni, faculty and staff to our community and society and recognize the broad range of teaching, scholarship and advocacy at Georgetown aimed at advancing Black heritage and history.
Support Black-Owned Businesses Retrieved from GM's ODECE Page
Black Hoya-Owned Business
In honor of Black History Month, Georgetown Entrepreneurship is proud to publish our first-ever Georgetown Entrepreneurship Black Hoya-Owned Business Guide. Enjoy browsing the incredible companies listed below, click on their photos to visit their websites, and help support Georgetown’s amazing and diverse Black alumni community.
Black-Owned Businesses in the DMV Area Retrieved from GM's ODECE Page
More resources
More resources
Instagram: Black-Owned Businesses to Replace Big Name Brands
Official Black Wall Street
Where U Came From
The Oprah Magazine: 25 Black-Owned Businesses You Can Support Right Now
Beyoncé’s Directory of Black-Owned Businesses
Smart Phone Applications:
Black Nation
EatOkra
Prominent Figures
Martin Luther King Jr.- One of the most notable figures in Black history is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for equality and justice through non-violent means. His “I have a Dream” speech remains a powerful testament to his vision of a world where people are judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.
Harriet Tubman- Another important figure is Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of enslaved people to freedom. Her selflessness and bravery had made her an icon of the abolitionist movement and a symbol of resistance against oppression.
Rosa Parks- Labeled as the “Mother of the Freedom Movement”, Rosa Parks was best known for her refusal to give up her seat on the back of a bus after the driver demanded her to give up her seat to a white passenger. She sparked the boycott of the city’s buses and became a symbol of the larger struggle for equality, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court case that declared segregation on public transportation unconstitutional.
Sojourner Truth- Like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth was born into slavery but later escaped and became a prominent abolitionist and activist for women’s rights.
Shirley Chisholm- She became the first Black woman elected to Congress. She represented New York's 12th District from 1969 to 1983, and in 1972, she became the first woman to run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Her campaign slogan ‘Unbought and unbossed’.
Claudette Colvin- Before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, there was a brave 15-year-old who chose not to sit at the back of the bus. That young girl was Claudette Colvin. She was the first woman to be detained for her resistance. However, her story isn't nearly as well-known.
Resources on Allyship Retrieved from GM's ODECE Page
Allyship
Allyship
Anti-Oppression LibGuide: Allyship-Take Action by New York Institute of Technology Library
Dear White People: Use Your Words. Use Your Actions. Use Your Power
Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice by Paul Kivel
Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debbie Irving
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race by Robin DiAngelo
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Books on How To Be An Ally
Books on How To Be An Ally
Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools, 2nd Edition (2015) Glenn Singleton
Race Amity: A Primer on America’s Other Tradition, Natl Center for Race Amity
White Privilege: Essential Readings on the Other Side of Racism, Paula Rothenberg
Woke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in America to Confront Racism and Injustice, Eric Mason
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Robin DiAngelo
On the Other Side of Freedom by DeRay Mckesson
Privilege: Power and Difference, Allan Johnson
Privilege: A Reader, Michael Kimmel & Abby Ferber
Raising Race Questions, Ali Michael
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander
Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson
America’s Original Sin: America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, Jim Wallis
Slavery By Another Name, Douglas Blackmon
When Affirmative Action Was White, Ira Katznelson
So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo
The Color of Law: The Forgotten Story of How Government Segregated America, Richard Rothstein
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi
How to be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi
White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to be White, Daniel Hill
Empire of Cotton: A Global History, Sven Beckert
Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development, Sven Beckert and Seth Rockman
The Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism, Calvin Schermerhorn
The History of White People, Nell Irvin Painter
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