Annual convocation celebrates Xavier’s legacy
March 14, 2023
By Kennedy Shanks, Staff Writer
In honor of Black History Month, Xavier celebrated its annual Black History Month Convocation on Feb. 14, 2023, honoring the history Xavier has as an HBCU and how the past still impacts the world today.
“In the face of human beings being exploited, Xavier offers the resilience of the oppressed that shouts, ‘We are rising,’” said Xavier President Dr. Reynold Verret.
The event included a keynote speaker, a musical performance from the University chorus, and a special recognition honoring employees who have spent many years at Xavier. The event began with a processional of faculty, staff, and the spring semester graduates of 2023. Following was a performance by the Xavier University Spiritual Dancers which featured African drumming and dancing honoring their ancestry and roots as Black and African American people.
After a prayer by Xavier’s Interfaith Chaplain, Rev. Mitchell Stevens, and a video from Good Morning America shining light on HBCUs, keynote speaker Dr. Kim LeDuff was introduced by Xavier’s student body president Munachimso Ugoh.
Dr. Kim LeDuff who graduated in 1996 is a Xavier alumna who earned her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication. She went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Maryland- College Park and her Ph.D. from Indiana University. She dedicated her life to higher education for 23 years where she served as the vice president of Academic Engagement and Student Affairs at the University of West Florida. She is currently the vice president of People and Culture at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.
LeDuff shared that her grandfather who was a Xavier alumnus who helped build the university’s Administration Building which still stands today. LeDuff then addressed Xavier by encouraging students to value the connections they will have while being a students and to appreciate the relationships they can build with the faculty and staff. She highlighted the importance of friendships and how the XU experience is one of a kind. LeDuff paid homage to Xavier’s foundress St. Katharine Drexel who paved the way for African and Native American people to pursue higher education.
“St. Katharine Drexel, our foundress, had to have love in her heart to challenge the norms of the time to create opportunities for African American and Native American young people to be educated in a society that had consistently oppressed them. She was a visionary who saw their value and how we could change the world,” LeDuff said.
Lastly, LeDuff left the audience with encouraging words. She urged students to give it their all, to take care of themselves, and to continue to have a positive perspective on life despite the many adversities life brings.
“Coming from last year’s convocation to now, it has really helped me formulate and reevaluate what Black history means to me and the impact I want to personally have on my community as I am an undergrad student here at Xavier,” said Omaria Ackerson, a sophomore Mass Communication major.
