Instead of presenting some grandiose discussion on how the News needs to do better with recruiting Black writers and including our voices in the conversation, what it means for a newsroom to actually be diverse and inclusive, or even the intricacies of being a Black student at Yale, I will let the contributors’ works speak on their own. 

In this year’s spissue, read about a student’s experiences with racial profiling during two consecutive Yale-Harvard weekends. Enjoy a poem about a student’s heritage. Browse through photo essays that examine Blackness and comment on professionalism’s roots in anti-Blackness. Read about a student’s experience discovering Black Yale — and much more. 

Thank you to the contributors and everyone at the News that made this issue possible. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Michael Ndubisi, who is the reason I was able to spearhead an issue of this magnitude, and Solomon Adams, who encouraged me to take the risk of leading the special issue. 

This spissue is for us. No strings attached. Take it in, consume it, appreciate it. 

While growing up, my mom would always say, “I can show you better than I can tell you.” So here it is: the Black History Month special issue. 

We welcome and appreciate any feedback about the spissue. Feel free to contact us at editor@yaledailynews.com, or email me directly at the email address below. 

With love, 

Collyn Robinson is the editor for the Black History Month Spissue and serves as the Multimedia Managing Editor for the News. 

Writers

Solomon Adams

Muyi Aghedo

Deja Dunlap

Modupe Karimi

Maya Foster

Aminata Kamara

Madeleine Keenan

Miles Kirkpatrick

Seline Mesfin

Bayan Mohamed

Kemi Omoniyi

Ja’Juan Refuge

Alejandro Rojas

Kayla Samo

Sebastian Ward

Madison Williams

Contributors

Milan Acosta

David Adebogun

Celene Bennett

Joseph Nash

Kyle Shepherd

Illustrators

Milan Acosta

Michelle Foley

Photographers

Elishevlyne Eliason

Maxx Shearod

Photo Editors

Christina Lee

Production and Design

Carter Cashen

Maria Cestero

Laura Ospina

Jane Park

Yash Wadwekar

DEI Chair

Michael Ndubisi

The post Welcome to the News’ special issue commemorating Black History Month! appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Rabb spoke about his experience as a student at Yale, how he became a genealogist for his family and his direct genealogical ties to the University. He also focused on why believes it is important for community members to trace their own genealogy, or as he referred to it, “reclaiming our stories.”  

Hunter Robbins ’27 moderated the event. Robbins said that he was initially nervous to learn about people he had never met and people his father never knew about because of his family’s limited information about their ancestry. He noted that it was basic information he felt everyone should know. 

“Sadly, my dad doesn’t know very essential and basic information about our ancestors; Their names, where they’re from, and very basic things, I feel like we all should just really know,” Robbins told the News. “Understanding that I have the ability to learn about my ancestors, even though systems such as slavery made that very difficult and continue to make it very difficult. It’s still possible for me, and being able to help others do that was really meaningful.” 

Rabb began the event with a keynote presentation about his Yale experience titled “Yale & Me.”

As a student, Rabb studied African American Studies and was a columnist for the Yale Daily News, where he wrote about race, politics and culture. He resided in Calhoun College, now known as Grace Hopper College, as a student, and explained how the time he spent there correlates to his relationship with history and genealogy. 

Rabb called attention to the markers of slavery that existed and still exist on campus, such as a glass-pane window in his residential college while he was a student. Members of the class of 1992 held a protest during the Calhoun College graduation, which Rabb was a part of, where he read a manifesto — called the 1992 Calhoun Manifesto on the College History section of Grace Hopper College’s website — aloud to the audience. He noted that he was shocked by the affirmation he received from the crowd, even earning a standing ovation. 

Three years later, Rabb discovered that his ties to Yale were closer to home. He learned that he has direct ancestral ties to Philip Livingston — a member of the class of 1737, a slave trader and the endower of the first professorship at Yale College. Livingston has an archway dedicated to him in the Branford courtyard.

Rabb explained that his grandmother was the woman who inspired him to explore their family history and that she paid him to do so to ensure he would complete the task. Rabb, with the use of archives, connected with family members to find more family members to the point where he even found information on his “father’s, father’s, father” and subsequently found their tie to the Livingston family. 

“I just started writing in the names to trace my ancestry, incorporating all the information I could find to create a pedigree chart,” Rabb said. “I looked for birth or death dates, where they lived, where they moved.”

Rabb then transitioned into the workshop portion of the event. He presented a worksheet with four exercises, available to all attendees, meant to provoke thought regarding who attendees defined as their “people” and 10 identities they embraced, as well as a pedigree chart and a descendant chart. In between exercises, Rabb asked participants to speak to their peers about how they felt during the exercises and what meaning they drew from the activities. 

Afterward, students were able to access the Ancestry.com database through the Yale Library. 

KaLa Keaton ’25, the co-president and co-founder of the Yale Generational African American Students Association, spoke to the News about the impact the series had on her. 

“For me, it means everything,” Keaton told the News. “I’m lucky to have a family historian and she’s done a lot of work to find names and track the family tree. But it’s less so on my dad’s side. So, I want to start something for that side of the family as well… and on my mom’s side, for the names that I do know, I want to do the work to learn more about them as humans and inform more of a narrative versus names and dates.” 

After the event, Rabb was able to connect with participants and speak more about elements of genealogy that he was not able to cover during the workshop. 

Rabb explained to the News why he believes it important to encourage others to learn about their genealogy. 

“It’s for those people who are interested in figuring out how they identify, to whom they belong, how they define community, sense of belonging and purpose. It’s hard to do that work without talking about your connection to our very first network, which is our biological family. But families are complex, and that journey is something that is lifelong,” Rabb told the News. “I want to share that gift with as many people who want to undertake that journey.”

The event was co-sponsored by The Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale, Beinecke Library, Pierson College, the Black Student Alliance at Yale and the Yale Generational African American Students

The post Chris Rabb ’92 hosts genealogy workshop  appeared first on Yale Daily News.

The conversation was moderated by Ceily Addison ’26, a cadet with the Yale Air Force ROTC Detachment, who explained that she found the experience personally meaningful. Addison’s father is a Black pilot, and she said the Tuskegee Airmen were always legends in her house.

“It’s amazing to hear from somebody who’s got that spirit, that camaraderie, that excellence, and that’s something we all, especially as Black students, have to take with us into the future … that’s how you become the change for the next generation,” Addison said. “And so, it’s just amazing to be sitting here, honored to be in uniform, honored to be able to speak with him.”

Woodhouse was one of four Black students in Yale’s class of 1952. But before he arrived on Yale’s campus in 1948, Woodhouse enlisted in the United States Army after graduating high school. He would eventually be assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group — known as the Tuskegee Airmen — as paymaster.  

For most of Tuesday’s event at Yale, Woodhouse recounted his time at Yale and shared stories about his experience, sometimes offering wisdom to attendees in a blunt but insightful manner. 

When he first arrived on campus, students in his entryway slipped “unwelcoming” notes under his door. Woodhouse said he tore them up. He also recalled that white students would leave the dining hall when he sat near them.

“I just ignored them. I had self-respect, I would take the right road,” Woodhouse said. 

Woodhouse emphasized to the audience the importance of using Yale’s academic resources, like Sterling Memorial Library, and stressed that there is no substitute for excellence. 

He discussed how essential it is for students to focus on academics and use what they learn to offer support for communities at home. 

“When you go back to communities, they look to you for support,” Woodhouse said. “In addition to the advancement of Black, Brown and Asian communities, I care about the advancement of humanity. It can unadvance if we’re not in it together.”

The event then opened up to the audience for a question-and-answer session, during which he cracked jokes about Harvard and praised the establishment of the Af-Am House in 1969.

Woodhouse, who graduated nearly two decades before its founding, said that The House was “a dream realized.”

“Take advantage of your time at Yale,” Woodhouse noted in closing. “It’s collegial, try to get to know another person. It’s not a dating pool, it’s educational.” 

After the end of the conversation, The Yale Black Men’s Union presented Woodhouse with an honorary membership. The Yale Black Alumni Association and The House also gave Woodhouse and his wife gifts to commemorate his visit.

Since Woodhouse recently turned 97 years old, Af-Am House staff presented him with a birthday cake, sang the Stevie Wonder version of Happy Birthday and asked him to make a wish. 

He turned and said his wish was that “The House continues success … and puts our [Black] graduates into the mainstream of America.”

Attendants were able to shake hands, exchange hugs and take photos with General Woodhouse. 

After the event, Woodhouse told the News why he tells his story around the country. 

“America has to be educated to what America really is. Who really built America? Who really was enslaved by America? But at the same time, factors and individuals that canceled out the negativity and built on foundation, to make America America,” Woodhouse said. “I don’t believe in the saying, ‘Make America Great Again.’ America has always been great, and I say that America remains great.”

Timeica Bethel, Director of the Afro-American Cultural Center, helped organize the event. 

Bethel noted the importance of representation and connection for Black students and alumni alike and expressed gratitude at Woodhouse’s visit.

“I often talk about how incomparable the Black Yale alumni network is; events like this really breathe life into those words,” Bethel told the News. “Representation matters. Welcoming alumni like Gen. Woodhouse back to campus gives students the opportunity to engage with people who have sat in their seats and gone on to have a tremendous impact. It’s a rare experience to be in such an intimate setting with a leader of Gen. Woodhouse’s stature.”

Before the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen, there were no Black pilots in the United States Armed Forces. 

The post ‘No substitute for excellence’: Tuskegee Airman honored at The House appeared first on Yale Daily News.

A small group of students were sitting in the Founder’s Room inside The House when the incident occurred on Nov. 13. Af-Am House Director Timeica Bethel ’11 notified House staff in an email on Nov. 15 and called it a “possible hate crime.” The News interviewed two students who said they witnessed the event. 

Alanah Armstead ’24 said that some of the group of students in the room were working on problem sets, while others were taking a call before they heard the window shatter.  

“We heard a loud bang; it was like seven people in the room, and we tried to see if something had like fallen over or got knocked down, and we didn’t see anything,” Armstead told the News. 

Armstead said that a couple of minutes later, she saw two men, one in a green hoodie and the other in a white hoodie, behind The House. 

The men, according to Armstead, were walking down the alleyway toward Park Street shortly after the shattering of the window.

“Everyone knows that The House is a space for Black students and staff, and Black students and staff are always here,” Audrey Leak ’24 said. “So any kind of damage to The House could be [to] possibly hurt Black students or staff.”

Leak and Armstead said the group of students present during the incident became nervous about their safety and decided to go home shortly after. 

The News obtained an email sent to the Af-Am House staff on Nov. 15 at 10:41 a.m. issued by Bethel, with the subject line “potential hate crime.” It outlined the events that occurred on Nov. 13, the possibility that it was a hate crime and measures put in place to keep students safe at The House. 

“Given the positionality of The House as a space that celebrates Black culture, it is possible that this was a hate crime,” Bethel wrote in the email. “Nothing about The House or our programming of late has been particularly controversial, so it’s unclear why this incident happened. In the name of full transparency, it is possible that this is the result of a resident group recently posting on social media that The House will be holding a fundraiser for Palestine at the tailgate this weekend.”

Bethel wrote that the fundraiser was not authorized by The House and that she contacted the leaders of the group to remove the flyer.

Bethel declined to comment further on the incident when reached by the News Wednesday afternoon, as she said she is not allowed to comment on ongoing police investigations. 

The News reached out to the Yale Police Department the night of Tuesday, Nov. 14, regarding the incident. 

“YPD was contacted by the leadership at the house, and officers responded to initiate a report regarding a vandalism complaint,” YPD Chief Anthony Campbell wrote to the News. 

Campbell later told the News in the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 15 that the YPD was continuing to work on the investigation into the incident.

“I’ve reviewed the report within the last hour, and we’re actively reaching out to witnesses provided by the original complainant,” Campbell wrote. “Gathering their information will significantly impact the direction of our investigation.”

He encouraged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the Yale Police Department at 203-432-4400, adding that individuals can opt to remain unnamed in a report or utilize the LiveSafe app to report any information anonymously. 

The Afro-American Cultural Center was established in 1969.

The post Af-Am House window shattered, Yale police investigating appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Producers: Olivia Cevasco, Nydia del Carmen and Max Sternlicht

Editors: Linden Skalak and Bronwen Pailthorpe

Camera: Nydia del Carmen and Linden Skalak

Sound: Nydia del Carmen and Linden Skalak

The post YTV: Weekly Roundup Week of 9/18 – 9/22 appeared first on Yale Daily News.

On Aug. 31, University President Peter Salovey announced his intent to step down from Yale’s helm this June. Multimedia Managing Editor Collyn Robinson sat down with the Yale College Council President and Vice President to discuss the upcoming change in university leadership.

Produced by Eli Berliner, Olivia Cevasco, Jonah Halperin and Max Sternlicht Edited by Jonah Halperin

The post Interview | YCC President, VP on Salovey’s Departure appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Across the country, pollsters have attempted to gauge support for the retired policy among Americans. Compared to polls from the Associated Press, Pew and PBS, which report that 60 percent of respondents favored affirmative action, the 360 respondents to the News’ anonymous survey expressed slightly higher levels of support, with 67 percent indicating their support as a six or higher out of ten (ten being strong support). 

The survey further suggests that staff and legacy students support race-conscious admissions models by the highest margin, compared to undergraduate and graduate students. Fifty-four percent of respondents rated their support for affirmative action as an eight or above out of ten, and 20 percent of respondents rated their support as a two out of ten or below. 

Thirty-seven students who responded to the survey self-identified as legacies; according to official University figures, about 181 members of the class of 2027 are legacy students, or 11 percent. Overall, about 538 students in the classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026 are legacies, amounting to more than 700 legacy students in Yale College alone.  

Staff and legacy students who responded to the survey were disproportionately white — 72 and 75 percent, respectively, compared to 47 percent of the whole sample — while legacy students were also disproportionately wealthy. Sixty-eight percent of self-identified legacy students reported an annual household income greater than $200,000, compared to 32 percent of the whole sample.

Crucially, the specific effects that the Court’s June ruling will have on admissions approaches are unclear, as a July analysis by the News listed six major questions about changing admissions models that remain unanswered. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jeremiah Quinlan has committed to announcing changes to the Yale College admissions process in the coming months; meanwhile, the role of standardized test scores and legacy status in admissions is growing increasingly controversial, in large part because of the disproportional wealth and whiteness of legacy pools. 

Here are five graphs summarizing the survey’s findings. 

Support for affirmative action:

The results of the survey show that across all groups — legacy students, non-legacy students, staff and faculty — the majority support affirmative action, with staff and legacy students supporting the policy by the highest margin. Fifty-four percent of respondents rated their support for affirmative action as an eight or above out of ten, and 20 percent of respondents rated their support as a two out of ten or below. 

Support for use of race in college admissions

The survey also asked respondents to rate their support for the consideration of race in college admissions. The results were similar to those of the previous question asking about support for affirmative action, with 55 percent rating their support as eight or above, and 67 percent as a six or higher. Faculty and legacy students also most strongly supported the use of race in admissions.

Support for use of race in admissions by race

When segmented by respondents’ racial identity, results show similarly broad support for race-conscious admissions across racial groups. 

Support was strongest among Black and African American respondents, 87 percent of whom rated their support as eight or higher. Support was lowest among Asian respondents, as 52 percent rated their support for race in admissions as a four or below. 

Although the survey included more racial and ethnic categories than displayed here, this chart reflects responses from the racial groups that the University — and most employers — uses in its reports. 

Support for affirmative action by income

Forty-five percent of respondents with a self-reported household income of $30,000 or less rated their support for the use of the policy as an eight or above, as did 52 percent of those with a household income of $200,000 or more. 

Heatmap of beliefs about admissions factors

Respondents also shared opinions on what factors admissions officers should weigh when deciding on an applicant’s future — and how heavily. For a set of potential components — gender, socioeconomic bracket, legacy status and athletic ability, among others — survey takers identified whether they felt that attribute constitutes a major or minor factor or should not receive consideration at all. 

In the chart below, boxes are classified based on the median of the responses for the associated sample. 

Across political groups, most agreed that socioeconomic status should be a major factor in college admissions. All groups also agreed that admissions officers should consider first-generation status and community service history, although their opinions varied regarding the importance of these factors. 

All groups except for those who described their political affiliation as right-leaning opposed the consideration of legacy status. Respondents broke along political lines when it came to the use of race and ethnicity in admissions, with only those on the left supporting its consideration as a minor factor and those on the center and right opposing its consideration. 

Nov. 1 marks the due date for early applications to the Yale College class of 2028, the first undergraduate application cycle post-affirmative action.

The post DATA: Survey suggests Yalies support affirmative action at rates slightly higher than national average appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Varick Memorial Church was founded in 1820, standing as the third-oldest African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America and the oldest Black church in New Haven. Dixwell Congregational Church, also founded in 1820, is the oldest Black congregational church in the world. It was originally located at the end of Temple Street near the modern-day expressway, but moved to Dixwell Avenue in 1860. About 100 years later, in 1969, it moved up two blocks to a space next door to the Dixwell Community House, also referred to as the Q House. The Varick Memorial Church, which remains in its original location, still contains the overlook above the church parish that several educators and community members said was the place where enslaved people were hidden. 

“Visiting this site was bittersweet,” said Marcella Monk Flake, former parishioner at the Varick Memorial Church. “The hideaway was too low to stand up in, and seeing it made the horrors of enslavement that much more real for me. I felt a need for reverence, because to me it was a sacred place. I was only there for a brief moment, and although tears filled my eyes, I could only think of the strength and resilience of my people.” 

The News spoke with New Haven community members about the Underground Railroad and its relationship to Dixwell Avenue. Conversations pointed to a comprehensive oral history, as well as some archival documents preserving the rich legacy of the two churches. 

Varick Memorial Church Pastor Kelcy Steele said overall there are limited archival documents about the history of the church in relation to the Underground Railroad and about enslaved people in general. Steele explained that this is why oral history has become the most reliable source of information with regards to the history of enslaved people. 

“A lot of times our history was not preserved,” Steele told the News. “Things were taken home, put in the attic, thrown away.” 

New Haven native Flake, who is now an educator, spoke about the time when a previous pastor at the Varick Memorial Church first gave her access to view the site where enslaved people used to hide while on their journey along the Underground Railroad. Although the hideout was intact, she said the structure was still unstable. She described the place as having a small window with a view that looks across Dixwell Avenue. Access to the space is now even more limited after a fire in the parish house a few years prior. 

Motivated by her love of history, Flake said that she first came across the information about New Haven’s ties to slavery, and more specifically the Underground Railroad, on her own. That history, she said, was not taught in school. 

The Underground Railroad was a network of safe “stops” for enslaved people making their way north to free states and Canada. The system is called the Underground Railroad because freedom-seeking enslaved people had to remain invisible and out of public view — as if they had gone underground — to avoid capture. Private homes or churches would host the formerly enslaved person until they could move on to the next stop. Two of such sites along the railroad were Varick Memorial Church and Dixwell Congregational Church. 

Pastor Steele said that well-known abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was involved in the Underground Railroad, was a follower of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church denomination which Varick Memorial Church is a part of. 

Pamela Monk Kelley, educator and sister of Flake, said she also found out about New Haven sites of the Underground Railroad through oral history. As a person who visits churches frequently, she learned about this history from Varick community members and churchgoers.  She mentioned that when Varick holds anniversary celebrations, members typically discuss the history of the Underground Railroad and the church. While she did learn about New Haven history at school, she said that her current understanding of slavery and its ties to New Haven was not something that was taught in her classes. 

New Haven Board of Education representative Edward Joyner said that he was teaching the history of the Underground Railroad at Hillhouse High School before he even learned about the specifics of railroad and its relation to New Haven. He told the News he learned this history by living in New Haven and building relationships with the pastors at the Varick and Dixwell churches.

“By going to church there, from time to time, [the Underground Railroad in New Haven] would come up,” Joyner said. 

Dixwell Congregational Church Pastor Frederick Streets DIV ’75 was a student at the Yale Divinity School and an intern at Dixwell Congregational Church when he first found out about this history. He said he believes this knowledge is important and should be passed down from generation to generation. 

“It talks about resilience, people Black and White, but certainly about the enslaved people, their resilience, their creativity, their intelligence. … It’s a part of American History and not to have it known or understood is a blind spot,” Streets said. “Imagine leaving South Carolina, Mississippi [or] North Carolina often on foot or horseback and making your way 1,000 to 1,500 miles to freedom when you have slave catchers on the same route finding runaway enslaved people and taking them back? It was a very dangerous enterprise. This is a real story of the resiliency of humanity.”

Steele echoed the same sentiment, adding that passing on information generationally is the best way to preserve history. He said that there are “some things a textbook doesn’t capture and school doesn’t teach.” 

Flake told the News that she thinks that the history of the Underground Railroad in New Haven should always be taught in school.

“It’s criminal that it’s not taught and that it’s not taught in its entirety,” she said. “I just think that this history is so complex and tells such a rich story.” 

Varick Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church is located on 242 Dixwell Avenue, and Dixwell Avenue Congregational United Church of Christ is located on 217 Dixwell Ave. 

The post Havens of freedom: The history of two New Haven churches that were stops on the Underground Railroad appeared first on Yale Daily News.

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Seven students discuss how their experiences at Yale have been different from what they’d predicted. Learn more about impostor syndrome, choosing classes, and which residential college has the best amenities.

Producers: Sadie Bograd, Sasha Jones, Grace Ellis, Collyn Robinson, Mia Osuna
Guests: Bella Osgood, Ruth Lee, Rishika Veer, Court Johnson, Edwin Ruiz Fuentes
Music: Blue Dot Sessions

The post Full Disclosure: Expectations vs. Reality appeared first on Yale Daily News.