Those planning to celebrate Black History Month have a lot to commemorate since the historic election of President Barack Obama, ‘New York Times’ best-selling author Omar Tyree said at Suffolk University Tuesday.
Tyree addressed an audience of about 30 students at Suffolk’s Walsh Theatre as the first in a series of Black History Month events the university will host.
Tyree said when he heard Barack Obama was running for president, he was initially skeptical.
‘There ain’t no way in the world Obama has a chance,’ Tyree said he remembers thinking.
He had been prepared to vote for Hilary Clinton, Obama’s rival for the democratic nomination, until Obama won the Iowa primary. Tyree said his decision to support Obama was not purely based on race.
‘Obama said people should have the right to make noise and to make change,’ he said, ‘It wasn’t a thing of black or white, he had the right philosophy.’
Obama was the right person at the right time for the United States, Tyree said.
‘I have nothing against McCain, but I looked at his gray hairs and the economy, and I thought of the energy we needed,’ he said. ‘To elect a 71-year-old white man at a time we needed new energy, we would have been out of our minds.’
Tyree told the crowd of students to take advantage of this relatively responsibility-free time in their lives to volunteer in their communities.
‘You’re going to graduate from college. You’re broke, and you’re going to be broke,’ he said. ‘While you’re broke, volunteer to do what you love to do.’
Suffolk University’s Office of Diversity Services and the Black Student Union collaborated to put together a program of Black History Month events to celebrate diversity and promote awareness, Jacinda Felix Haro, the Office of Diversity Services director, said.
Haro said the university hosts events in honor of Black History Month to give students the tools ‘to become agents of change.’ Working with the university’s Black Student Union is helpful because they represent the voices of the student population, she said.
Black Student Union president Sharaf Betler, a senior at Suffolk, said that the size and strength of the Black Student Union has increased dramatically since he joined as a freshman. This past year alone 50 more members have joined, and more well-known speakers, like Tyree, have come to Suffolk, he said.
Betler said Boston University student groups should branch out and network with Suffolk students.
‘We don’t have rivalries like BU and BC[Boston College],’ he said, ‘We’re accepting of everybody.’
Suffolk freshman Lornah Wahome said her experience as an international student from Kenya has shown her the university is a very welcoming place for all people.
‘It has been easy to blend in,’ she said.
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