Best of the Week 2021-2022: Teaching to the Future

BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPEAKER SERIES WELCOMES PILOT AND GOLDEN STATE COACH TO ST. ED'S CAMPUS

In celebration of Black History Month, St. Ed's is hosting a speaker series welcoming African-American professionals from around the country to speak to students about career opportunities. "A big focus for this year's Black History Month programming is to shed a light on 'hidden figures.' Too often we see only black men and women reflected as athletes or entertainers in society, but we want to be intentional to show our school that black culture is not a monolith," says VP of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion James Knight. "Black history is American history. African-Americans are fulfilling roles that never get told in books or shown on television. Our goal is to break stereotypical images of African-Americans and expose their hidden history and we hope Edsmen gain a much richer and broader understanding of the diversity that exists within the African-American culture."

So far this month, St. Ed's has welcomed Dennis Eddie, a pilot for American Airlines who is currently a captain and has been flying for over 40 years, and Mike Newton '12, the Golden State Warriors Gaming Squad Head Coach. Mr. Eddie shared the rarity of flying on a plane with an African-American pilot with only 1% of pilots in the world being African-American. "My uncle, Mr. Eddie, not only shared with our students his love for aviation, but also his upbringing and the adversity he had to endure on his career journey," says Royal Eddie '13, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Student Transitions & Success. "Mike Newton gave a brief background on his unique journey as well to becoming his role with the Golden State Warriors Gaming Squad and inspired students in sharing some of the keys of life he's learned while striving for success. We want to highlight, showcase and share with our students of color the endless possibilities of career opportunities out there for them and we want them to see individuals who look like them bringing positivity and making a difference in society. We hope students are able to broaden their horizons in terms of career paths and continue to find exactly what is their 'why' in life." Other surprises this month in celebrating Black History Month at St. Ed's will include a session about African-American presence in the Catholic church, meeting African-American businessmen and entrepreneurs, and collaborating with the Garden Club to talk with students about urban farming and African-American agrarian traditions.