PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – While international travel has been on hold during the pandemic, faculty and staff at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) have found ways to continue inspiring students to pursue a global education. They did not want to waste any time and decided to utilize this unconventional school year as an opportunity to develop alternative programming to meet students’ needs.
Stephanie D. Tilley, Prairie View A&M
Through a collaborative partnership with Howard University and Morgan State University, PVAMU’s Study Abroad office has engaged in a joint venture to bring intercultural programming to Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students. Stephanie D. Tilley, a program coordinator in the Office of International Programs at PVAMU, worked with her contemporaries at the partner HBCUs to target students’ specific needs and interests so they will be ready to launch their global learning when international travel resumes.
The collaborative partnership began offering virtual programming last April that was culturally relevant, time-sensitive, and resource-rich for HBCU students. “This program benefits our students because it gives them exposure to the beauty, variation, and power of global Blackness,” Tilley said. “In doing so, it enriches our students’ understanding and expands their connection to the collective Diaspora community and our unique and shared experiences.”
Tilley, along with her partners Maraina Montgomery (Howard University) and Marisa A. Gray (Morgan State University), authored an article about virtual global engagement for HBCU students to detail their efforts at making study-abroad information more accessible. “Reimagining Global Learning and Student Engagement at HBCUs” was published in the Diversity Abroad program’s fall 2020 issue of Global Exchange Journal.
Maraina Montgomery, Howard
The article focused on engaging in Black Diasporic-centered conversations around contemporary themes, such as COVID-19, social justice, and Black consciousness. Students and other interested parties from the United States, Costa Rica, England, Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand were invited to participate in the discussions.
Originally, the objective of the partnership was to simply sustain students’ global curiosity, awareness, and the #StudyAbroadSoBlack movement while actual travel was on hold. But, the recent devastating political and social events inspired them to do more.
In the face of happenings like the inequitable impact of COVID-19 on the Black community, the murder of George Floyd, and the sustained protesting for worldwide social justice, Tilley and her partners expanded the program goals. The partnership decided to make a space for HBCU students and communities to have authentic in-group dialogue about life and work in and outside of the United States for Black people, and how to take a stand for Black people globally.
The timing couldn’t be better as we delve into African American History Month. The Study Abroad offices at PVAMU, Howard University and Morgan State University recently hosted about ten events and are currently hosting a four-part series, titled “Ubuntu: I Am, Because We Are,” in an effort to celebrate Global Blackness.
Marisa A. Gray, Morgan State
“Ubuntu is an African term that signifies community and honoring those who have come before us, and those who are here with us, and how they have contributed to our growth and legacy,” Tilley said. Participants can join the discussions via Zoom throughout February to engage in topics important to Diaspora communities.
Looking to the future, Tilley says she is extremely hopeful about upcoming study abroad opportunities. “In this season of virtual programming and engagement, there has been an increased appreciation and interest in physical interaction,” she said. “I am confident that travels will resume more strongly once COVID has been resolved and health has been restored globally.”
To view the upcoming Ubuntu Series events between PVAMU Morgan State and Howard, visit www.pvamu.edu/events-calendar.
By Angie Frederickson
-PVAMU-