Continuing to foster community and provide resources to Black students, the Black Student Success Center hosted its “Black Rosie the Riveter” speaker to close out Black student success week on April 23 at LAC.
The title “Black Rosie the Riveter” for the event was designed to evoke the image of the original hard working female character “Rosie the Riveter” created during World War II.
Zella Johnson, a senior construction manager for CTI Environmental, the company currently working on LAC’s G building, spoke about her experience as a Black woman in the construction industry.
During her speech, Johnson told a story about taking a job far away from where she lived at the time, and not having a car suitable enough to drive the distance.
“I was getting up at 4:30 in the morning to take the blue line to my job. This bus pass has seen a lot: fights, drug deals, people doing drugs, I didn’t complain,” Johnson said.
Being part of Black student success week, Johnson spoke on the unique challenges she faced as a Black woman.
“Being a Black person in this position, being a female in this position, I deal with a lot,” Johnson said.
Johnson described how her race and gender have shaped her experiences, citing instances of microaggressions against her that occur regularly.
“I get men who try to cut me off and people who respond to my emails who get nasty,” Johnson said.
One of the main points Johnson wanted to impress upon the audience was the importance of punctuality, as several times throughout her speech she stressed that being on time always sets a good example.
The presentation was made to be very personable, and Johnson made sure to answer any questions from students in the audience, remaining warm and inclusive throughout the discussion.
Johnson ended her speech with a kind message, which continued to add to the inclusivity and positivity that she sought to foster.
“Everybody here is loved, everybody here is valued, everybody here is seen,” Johnson said.
Angela Fowlkes, the Black student success coordinator, then handed Johnson a certificate of recognition in honor of her contribution to Black student success week.
The Black Student Success Center has been running for close to a year, under the guidance of Fowlkes, who has made it her mission to provide a center for resources and services to Black students.
“I feel like this is all part of my creativity, to provide equitable experiences for Black scholars. The resources are all here,” Fowlkes said.
Fowlkes aims to meet students where they’re at, providing resources and services to meet all kinds of needs.
“A lot of people have mental health challenges, financial challenges, you name it, so I maintain all the resources in the center,” Fowlkes said.
Chris Moye, the counsellor for the Umoja Scholars Program, a program that works heavily with the Black Student Success Center, also attended the presentation.
“The center has been fantastic, always a breath of life for the students. You can always tell students enjoy being in the space, and enjoy the leadership of Ms. Angela (Fowlkes),” Moye said.