To commemorate Black History Month, the Connecticut Black and Brown Student Union facilitated a workshop entitled “The Cry Is Always the Same: We Want To Be Free” on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in the Daniel Family Commons. The event, part of an annual series, was intended to open up a discussion regarding over-policing and the school-to-prison pipeline in lower-income Black and Brown communities, in addition to serving to honor the civil rights legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The event was sponsored by the Resource Center, the Office for Equity and Inclusion, the Department of African American Studies, the Center for African American Studies, and Olin Memorial Library.

Director of the Resource Center Demetrius Colvin welcomed audience members to the workshop with an opening address in which he honored the legacy of King and other civil rights activists. He also addressed the issues of incarceration and education in Black communities.

“[These] historical [issues] are ones rooted in how this country was formed, right?” Colvin said. “Things like what is security, what is freedom, the prisons give us freedom and security—these are some things, hopefully, we will be thinking about as we’re engaging in conversation and activities on our tables.”

In acknowledging the urgency of the moment, interim Vice President of Equity and Inclusion April Ruiz emphasized how the University community can carry on King’s legacy.

“I am really glad to see friends and colleagues gathered here for our Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Event, which is…a flagship part of how we acknowledge, honor, and celebrate Black History Month every year,” Ruiz said. “This is a time to use our voices as the pieces of progress that we’ve made, [and make] our educational systems more equitable.”

After a rendition of the Black National Anthem by Oluchi Chukwuemeka ’26 and a reading of a brief excerpt from King’s 1964 Baccalaureate Address, the Connecticut Black and Brown Student Union took to the stage as workshop facilitators, represented by Executive Director Shineika Fareus and Membership and Outreach Manager Andriana Milner. 

The Connecticut Black and Brown Student Union describes itself as a grassroots incubation hub working at the intersection of youth leadership, community safety, and education justice. They also serve as a resource for the training and development of young people, educators, and community leaders. Their current campaign, entitled #CareNotCops, is working to build community and care within the educational system by reducing dependence upon police officers in Connecticut schools. 

Both Fareus and Milner recognized the importance of the workshop in higher educational institutions.

“I just want to say thank you and a shout-out to Wesleyan,” Fareus said. “Right now [there are other institutions] where I couldn’t stand here today [and] have these conversations. And I just want to acknowledge that…in the midst of all [this] chaos…we appreciate this moment.”

The first activity given to audience members was to take a Post-It from the tables and write down definitions of three phrases that Fareus said aloud: abolition, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy. Three volunteers read out their responses.

“Anti-Blackness is the systems, structures, and behaviors that prevent or negatively impact the thriving of Black folks as compared to others,” one audience member said. 

Event participants gave an overview of the current educational climate and held a larger discussion regarding the prevalence of police presence both in and out of schools, as well as the nationwide distribution of incarcerated individuals. A discussion of prison reform was opened up to the floor. 

As a final activity, audience members were tasked with thinking about one thing they would like to take away from the discussion and with either sketching drawings or creating body movements to represent their answers. 

Overall, attendees felt that the hour-and-a-half event was a thought-provoking way to carry on King’s legacy. 

“We think that what MLK was talking about is history,” Fareus said, “And it just looks different now…our students are being impacted by this every day, and you all are here to continue that conversation.” 

Oluchi Chukwuemeka is a sports editor for The Wesleyan Argus.

Carolyn Neugarten can be reached at cneugarten@wesleyan.edu.