TED-Style Talk on Black Women’s Experiences Launches Black History Month at Fort Lewis College

Fort Lewis College launched Black History Month with a TED-talk-style presentation examining the social, cultural and systemic challenges Black women face, led by Black Student Union President Elijah Smith.

The presentation, held as part of the college’s monthlong Black History Month programming, focused on issues including identity formation, self-love, colorism, gendered racism and inequities in health care, education and the workforce.

“Our focus this month is Black women,” Smith said, describing the theme as an opportunity to center experiences that are often overlooked or misunderstood.

Smith discussed how Black girls are frequently “adultified” at young ages and held to expectations not placed on their peers, while also navigating negative stereotypes and expectations that Black women remain endlessly strong and self-sacrificing.

Drawing on author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s concept of “the danger of a single story,” Smith emphasized the importance of resisting narrow narratives about Black womanhood.

“Single stories create stereotypes,” Smith said. “They are incomplete, and they flatten people’s lived experiences.”

In a message to campus, Kendra Gallegos Reichle, interim Vice President of Diversity Affairs, said that “at Fort Lewis College we strive to foster a campus where Black history, culture, and futures are meaningfully honored and learned from, and celebrated.

“Black History Month offers our campus community a shared moment to honor and uplift the leadership, creativity, and contributions of Black community members—past, present, and future. This month calls us to strengthen our commitment to truth, dignity, and belonging, and to envision together the kind of inclusive community we aspire to build.”

This year, Black History Month at Fort Lewis College will include a Fry Bread and Fried Chicken collaboration with the Native American Center; a presentation by Danielle Hodge, Ph.D., professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, on the continuing fight for equality; Black History Month basketball games; and will culminate in the annual Night of Black Excellence. A detailed schedule of events is available at the Black History Month webpage.