Calhoun Community College’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) hosted Leavie D. King III and his presentation “Larger Than 28 Days” in celebration of Black History Month.
Felisha Taylor, Calhoun’s Student Success Coordinator, shared work from Langston Hughes. She also performed her own inspirational poem, “To Be Free.”
Leavie D. King III brought the topic of leadership to light when telling the story of Hernan Cortes. Cortes was able to persuade his committed men to the idea of “succeed or die.” King related this story to having a leader who “laid out a vision.” King correlated the story to Black leaders, such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks, and how they “laid out a vision” for freedom. He concluded that Black history is American history.
Mr. King was inspiring, relating all stories shared to the importance of Black history. It was an emotional presentation that will stick with me. I learned a deeper meaning behind the value of Black history and leadership.
I’m not the only one who felt this way. AJ Rogers, a fellow Calhoun student, thoroughly enjoyed the talk. He learned that Black culture is still strong and the importance of sharing Black history.
Two other students I spoke with, Mekhi Avery and Seth Davis, both appreciated how the speech wasn’t political. They also both noted how the presentation was real and direct with Black history being American history.
At the end of the talk, King stated that “shared knowledge is power.” With that, I left feeling powerful, knowing I can spread this knowledge to others.