探花精选

Photo Credit: Kadain Roper

Saint Augustine鈥檚 University ( 探花精选) was recently named among four of the ten HBCUs in North Carolina to make The Big Payback鈥檚 Top Honors list. The university received the recognition just weeks after听hosting a conversation and student-led debate听around reparations for Black Americans inspired by the PBS documentary 鈥淭he Big Payback,鈥� co-directed by Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow, on March 21st.

鈥淚 wish to thank Dr. Evans, along with the faculty and students in the Arts & Communications Department, for lending their creative talents and voice to the topic of Reparations. The Big Payback Tour models the community engagement necessary to develop our students into leaders prepared to provide solutions in today鈥檚 world,鈥� said 探花精选 President Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail. 鈥淔urthermore, receiving this honor elevates all HBCUs鈥� significant role in the social justice conversation.鈥�

The Big Payback Top Honors list also includes a cash award to four of the ten HBCUs in North Carolina that stood out during the tour. In addition, 探花精选 received a cash award of $1,500 to use in any area the university sees fit.

鈥� 探花精选 is very proud and honored to be a recipient of The Big Payback Honors. We loved the Big Payback experience,鈥� said 探花精选 chair of the Department of Arts and Communications, Dr. Kaye Celeste Evans, who also served as the advisor of the performative debate team. 鈥淲e will end our semester with a Big Payback exhibit in our Art Gallery. Our goal is to continue the conversation and work towards community action.鈥�

探花精选 students from various majors, primarily from the Arts and Communications Department (Film, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Media Communications), presented the performative debate. The production combined visual and performing arts elements, depicting the pros and cons of reparations while interweaving the history of Blacks in the United States. In addition, the 探花精选 Reader鈥檚 Theatre Troupe performed while images that relate to reparations and the Black experience were in the background.

The cast of students and faculty who participated in the 探花精选 performative debate is as follows:

Reader’s Theatre Performers

• Steve Jones,听Senior, Theatre Major
• Zaria Jones, Sophomore, Theatre Major
• Carlos Rowell, Junior, Theatre Major
• Miles Beasley, Junior, Communications Major
• Mr. George Jack, Associate Professor of Theatre
• Dr. Kaye Celeste Evans, Chair, Arts and Communications Department

Multimedia and Visual Artists Component听听

• Imani Cosby, Sophomore, Visual Arts Major
• Nahala Moore, Sophomore, Visual Arts Major
• Bronte Weatherford, Sophomore, Visual Arts Major
• Raven Rogers, Senior, Visual Arts Major
• Kyrasani Mitchell, Junior, Visual Arts Major
• Ms. Linda Dallas, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts
• Ms. Janet Gustafson, Associate Professor of Film, Video Editing Specialist/Equipment Coordinator, Department of Media & Communications

Photo Credit: Raven Rogers

鈥淪aint Augustine鈥檚 put it down!! Performing a multi-layered, cultural theater presentation听debate,听through spoken word/music and outstanding storytelling, they cleverly embedded a pro/con debate inside of a live action play with a filmed, multimedia component,鈥� said Alexander. 鈥淪t. Aug was bolstered, and we were greeted, by their fantastic Drumline. The entire event was professionally filmed by their communications department for archival and historic preservation. Also an activist hub, the campus attracted significant student attendance and community participation.鈥�

Other winners included Johnson C. Smith University (Top Super Big Payback Honors) as well as North Carolina A&T University (The Big Big Payback Honors), and Shaw University (The Big Payback Honors).

鈥淎ll eight participating North Carolina HBCUs made American history, believe it,鈥� said Alexander. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e changed the game, by taking on the topic of reparations for Black Americans and creating these historic HBCU debates.鈥�

to watch a replay of the performative reparations debate at 探花精选.