Africana Studies’ Black alumni speakers have powerful impact on current students

After attending an alumni event hosted by the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) as part of Buffalo State University’s 2024 Homecoming celebration, Marcus Watson, associate professor and unit coordinator of the university’s Africana Studies program, was inspired. 

“I was impressed with the alumni’s stories of their time here,” Watson said. “They spoke of having a sense of unity, joy, and purpose, which seemed to be some of the exact things lacking—if not missing—among many members of the current generation of students.”

Watson particularly noted the presence of Black alumni at the EOP event and wanted to offer the experience he’d had to students. Buoyed by Africana Studies’ core principles of connecting campus with community and youth with elders, Watson asked some of the participating alumni if they’d return to campus to speak with current students. All gave an enthusiastic “yes.”

Watson’s vision became a reality earlier this month during the Africana Studies’ event, “Black Alumni Speak to Today’s Students,” which took place in the Campbell Student Union Assembly Hall on February 12. Four accomplished alumni—W. Charles Brandy, ’94, ’95, ’99; Marsha Jackson, ’81; Kamalah Poles, ’12; and Daren Thomas, ’90—offered guidance to 30 students about being successful at Buffalo State and beyond. The conversation included anecdotes from the alumni’s time as students, stories of career growth post-graduation, and advice on navigating the world. Students also had the opportunity to ask questions.

“The alumni were open and vulnerable about their personal lives, which you could tell resonated with the students,” Watson said. “That was the connection the students needed to be open to taking in everything the alumni had to say about campus culture, student organizations, study habits, purposeful activism, and more.”

Watson said that his goals for the event—connecting alumni of African descent with students of all backgrounds; positioning Black alumni to satisfy their felt-duty to give back to youth; helping students learn from and be inspired by the wisdom of elders; and allowing Africana Studies students to make actionable use of knowledge—were fully met. 

“The alumni expressed their appreciation for being asked to come back and ‘be there’ for this generation of BSU students,” Watson said. “All of them left insisting that they be called on at any time to support the students. The students sat at the edge of their seats as they imbibed on the stories and took in the many insights and wisdoms.”

“It’s always good to see people who have gone through college,” said Nehemiah Johnson, a sophomore computer information systems major and Africana Studies minor. “It's inspiring to see what life could be like when we graduate from here.”

As students, in addition to achieving academic excellence, Brandy, Jackson, Poles, and Thomas were also involved in campus activities such as sports and music, which current students found significant.

“I liked hearing about their experiences coming from New York City,” said Aiyana Jacy Martin, a sophomore Africana Studies major with minors in Indigenous studies and women and gender studies, “and learning that Buffalo State was a place where they could partake in student government and utilize available resources to support their justice-minded ideas.” 

“They had a hand in how the culture on campus is because they were very active on campus,” Johnson added. “That is important.”

“In Africana Studies, we understand that connections are vitally important to human beings,” Watson added. “One student was inspired by this event to organize a club for like-minded students to socialize and organize with a sense of purpose.”

Watson also emphasized that one of the distinguishing features of Africana Studies as a discipline is that knowledge must be relevant and actionable, or else it is considered a waste. This is in line with Buffalo State’s applied learning model, which focuses on providing hands-on experiences, not just theoretical knowledge.

“With this event, we took lessons about the importance of democratizing knowledge across the Eurocentric lines that divide campus and community, elders and youth, and past and present and put them into practice,” Watson said. “The students met actual alumni and experienced the benefits of making such connections rather than just intellectualizing within the confines of the classroom.”

“To hear so many wise pillars of Buffalo speak was truly honorable,” said Rocko Rapp, a junior television and film arts major and Africana Studies minor. “These speakers overcame insane odds and chose to share their knowledge to help us because they support their communities. This was definitely one of those unexpected life changing moments.”

Photos by Jesse Steffan-Colucci, Buffalo State photographer.