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Writer's pictureAlexis McKnight
Nov 18, 20211 min read

Town hall with Dr. William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen

Dear Campus Community,


Dr. William A. Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen, two of the foremost authorities today in the movement to pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved persons in the United States will present their work and research to the Sewanee community on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 18 and 19.


In their award-winning book, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-first Century (University of North Carolina Press, 2020), Darity and Mullen argue that today’s Black-white wealth gap originated with the unfulfilled promise of 40 acres in 1865. The payment of this debt in the 21st century, they contend, is feasible—and at least 156 years overdue.


An open forum town hall will be on Friday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. in Convocation Hall, which will feature moderation from President of the Order of the Gown, Alexis McKnight and SGA Senator, Christian Shushok


While in-person attendance at this event is strongly encouraged, you can access the event by clicking HERE to access the official Zoom link for the town hall.



Programs featuring authors Darity and Mullen are sponsored by the Roberson Project in conjunction with the Department of Economics, the campus chapter of the NAACP, the Ayres Multicultural Center, and the Program in Southern Studies. Support is provided by the offices of the Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and of the University Chaplain. Additional funding comes from the University Lectures Committee, the School of Theology Lectures Committee, and a Legacies of American Slavery grant to the Roberson Project from the Council of Independent Colleges.


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Winter Convocation

On Friday, January 20th, 2023, the University held its annual Winter Convocation ceremonies, where three distinguished professionals received their honorary degrees, and just under 100 students were inducted into the Order of the Gown! 

There were a few neat things about this convocation. For one, the OG rolled out the official Order of the Gown Gown! This gown has the names of (most) every OG president since the 1890s! The previous president, Alexis McKnight, began research on this project last year, and I continued her work this year before having the gown embroidered with the initials of every OGP we could track down! There are still a few missing, but we are still working on tracking them down. It is my hope that every future OGP will add their own name and their own touches to this gown just as they will with the Order itself.

The three degree recipients were Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, Vice Chancellor Emeritus Dr. John McCardell, and Mrs. Bonnie McCardell. Dr. Hildreth is the president of Meharry Medical College, the oldest historically black medical school in the South. Dr. Hildreth’s remarks highlighted the necessity of academic open mindedness and curiosity among other things. Mrs. Bonnie McCardell is a noted community leader in the Sewanee and South Cumberland areas, and Dr. McCardell served as Vice Chancellor from 2010-2020. Funny enough, when it came to the part of the ceremony when Vice Chancellor Berner spoke in Latin while conferring the honorary degree, Dr. McCardell started to walk away before being redirected to Dr. Berner. He quietly exclaimed that he should have known better (considering he did the ceremony every year for ten years!). When Dr. Berner began reciting Latin, Dr. McCardell began saying the words back to her at the same time! It reminded me of the spider man meme where they are all pointing back at each-other. 

Beyond that, it was a great Convocation! I was excited to welcome all these new folks to the Order of the Gown! My brief remarks highlighted all our duty moving forward in this era of newness for the University. We have a duty to work towards a better University of tomorrow that highlights the values, traditions, and spirit we wish to embody. 

Congratulations to everyone! I am excited about a terrific upcoming Easter Semester! 

YSR & EQB
Alex
 

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