“Yeah, open our mind as we cast away oppression
Yeah, open the streets and watch our beliefs
And when they carve my name inside the concrete
I pray it forever reads
Freedom”
When we talk about the Black experience in this country, we often talk about racism, violence, slavery, oppression, and discrimination. Unfortunately, what is not as often discussed is Black joy, Black achievements, and Black liberation. Today is actually an anniversary of a monumental step in the struggle for Black liberation– it’s Juneteenth! June 19th is an annual celebration of this same day in 1865 when the Emancipation Proclamation passed two years prior was finally enforced in Texas, marking the final legal acts of freedom for all enslaved Black people in the U.S.
In celebration of this year’s Juneteenth, I’m dedicating my blog post this week to 10 of my incredible Black friends and peers at Wellesley, and highlighting their art, businesses, summer internships, and noteworthy work. Get into it!
1. Jill Foye ‘22
This summer, Jill is working as a summer clerk for North Carolina Senator Erica Smith. This week, she helped author a senatorial statement that recognized the importance of Juneteenth as a holiday, and the resolution was approved and read on the floor of the N.C. Senate today. How cool is that?
2. Laurie Brutus ‘20
Laurie graduated from Wellesley this year with two degrees in French and Biochemistry. This fall, she is continuing her studies as a graduate student at Boston College, pursuing a PhD in Biology. Quelle intelligence! I’ll miss you so much on campus, Laurie.
3. Adrien Johnson ‘22
At the end of this academic year, Adrien was elected as President of Siblings, the first ever constituted student organization at Wellesley for trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming and questioning students! Big ups to you, Adrien.
4. Shania Baldwin ’21
This summer, Shania is working remotely with Wellesley Professor Barbara Beltz, who typically studies adult Neurogenesis. As Shania approaches her senior year, she is doing research in Cognitive Neuroscience surrounding the topics of sleep, memory, and music. I have such smart friends.
5. Giselle Mota ‘22
Giselle is working this summer with the Cambridge Historical Society to “help make Cambridge’s history more accessible to the community, and more importantly help highlight the past of a city that has become a part of [her] college experience and those of [her] peers.” In her work, she also highlights and archives the current climate of Cambridge, from local high schools to documenting the effects of COVID-19, all to ensure that the future generations will have just as much access to the history that we are privileged to have now. Thank you for your work, Giselle!
6. Lia James ‘21
Lia is a prolific writer both academically and creatively. She has been working on a passion project for the last 9 months: a weekly blog where she has set out to publish “one year of writing about what matters” to her. In her words, her blog is “proof to [her] that [she] can commit to things that [she] care[s] about and follow through with longer term goals.” You can read her past work and the remaining three months of the blog at https://52thingsthatmatter.wordpress.com. So proud of you, Lia.
7. Sarah Kelel ‘23
Sarah has recently begun developing a podcast called “be.her,” with the mission of “telling the stories of black women who are at the forefront of enriching their fields, in hopes of inspiring the next generation.” Drawing inspiration from her own journey of envisioning her career path after Wellesley, she aims for the podcast to essentially be “mentorship in soundbites” for Black women trying to navigate their own careers. You can find the podcast as it develops at https://be-her.simplecast.com. I can’t wait to hear it!
8. Tyler Vargas ‘21
Tyler has been “doing_haiir” (as their Instagram name says) for years, and they are certainly mastering the art of caring for Black hair. If you’re a Black student at Wellesley with natural hair, chances are you’ve gotten your hair braided, twisted, washed, or consulted by Tyler. Providing services that we might otherwise have to travel deep into Boston to find, Tyler is certainly an asset to the Harambee community. Check out their work, and book them for an appointment if you live in New York on their Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/doing_haiir/. Tyler’s been such a huge part of my own natural hair journey– big thanks!
9. Tulani Reeves Miller ‘21
Tulani is a visual artist that I’m so happy to know. This is one of their newer pieces. You can find them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/twinkletoes1428/!
10. Rylee Watkins ‘23
Rylee just finished their first year at Wellesley, and has recently completed the currently untitled work below. I absolutely love it. Feel free to reach out to them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/plntmelk/! (If you ever want to sell this piece Ry, I’ll bid!)
That’s all for this week, everyone. Thank you to all of my friends who let me uplift their work this week. Thank you all so much for reading, and don’t forget– support your Black friends, local Black businesses, and the Black Lives Matter movement today and always!
Happy Juneteenth,
Tatiana ‘21