Lo-ring Greene is a senior at Medford High School, the captain of his karate team and an active member of his community. He recently received a brand new laptop as part of the Bernard Harleston Scholar's Award, given to three local high school students each year by Tufts Emerging Black Leaders (EBL).
This group, in its fourth year at Tufts, is using practical tools like laptops, training sessions and awareness-building events to create an inclusive and powerful black community both on and around the Tufts campus. The EBL's increasingly expansive presence on campus is bringing a fresh perspective to the ongoing campus-wide dialogue on race.
EBL was founded in 2004 by two alumni, Yahola Somburu and Chike Aguh (both LA '05).
"The founders found that there wasn't much of a way to have an intellectual dialogue among the leaders of the black community," said Jennifer Bailey, a junior and political science major who is currently president of EBL.
According to Bailey, these students were looking to create a place to examine "how not only African-Americans, but all Americans can work together to create an interesting and productive dialogue in which people are allowed to speak their mind."
Four years later, EBL has developed into a large group with a twofold mission: to raise awareness of the potential of an inclusive black community and to give tools to its members that will help them succeed in their education and beyond.
"EBL is trying to raise awareness of having partnerships with the black community without being black yourself to help the community support what it's doing," said freshman Krystle Shakespeare, a member of the group.
To that end, EBL holds symposiums each year. The most recent of these symposiums, entitled "The New Face of Black Leadership," examined the increasing leadership roles being played by women in the black community, discussed the new black political agenda, and addressed how blacks and non-blacks alike can be powerful leaders of the black community.
In practice, the group takes decisive steps to promote diversity in all of its endeavors. It has formed formal and informal partnerships with groups of varying purposes and cultural backgrounds within and outside of Tufts.
"One of our major steps is acknowledging that our group is predominantly black, and we want more diversity in it," Shakespeare said.
Many of the group's members are deeply involved in Tufts through their work with groups including the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, various student government organizations and the Tufts Democrats. Such collaboration allows EBL to reach out further into the campus community.
"We have people from all sorts of backgrounds who participate in our programming and mentoring," Bailey said.
Today, the group has between 40 and 50 members in different committees, most of whom meet twice a week. Freshmen and new members like Emeka Okparaeke find that they get a great deal out of their participation in the group.
"I chose to get involved with EBL because I wanted to be a member of a group with positive goals," he said. "I like the idea of the symposium and want to help plan and support its development."
The second arm of EBL's mission, community outreach, allows EBL students to work with local high school students from all sorts of ethnic and cultural backgrounds to encourage them to pursue higher education, and to give them the tools to do it. Their education initiatives include the College Access Medford Program, in which EBL members go to Medford High School each Friday to hold discussions and workshops focused on the college application and financial aid process, and the Sankofa Youth Project, which brings local students to Tufts on Saturdays to engage in programming that encourages the formation of responsible community leaders.
This programming embodies the broader mission of EBL.
"We challenge people to step outside of their comfort zone, to join our group, to get outside of the box and embrace different lifestyles and morals. We're trying to help you out, to step out and recruit people that aren't black," Shakespeare said. "At Medford, we're mentoring Latinos, Asians, Caucasians and blacks."
Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser has provided informal faculty support for this mission, which Shakespeare cited as an example of partnerships going beyond race in order to focus on academics and leadership.
Glaser, in turn, believes that the group's momentum offers a great deal to the Tufts community.
"Each conference has been successful, but what's been especially impressive is how they have been able to sustain themselves year-to-year," he said. "They have dealt with issues of concern to the black community but also with issues of universal concern."
Mae-Ling Lokko is a member of the African Student Organization, which has also worked informally with EBL. "It [the relationship between the groups] has served as a means of reaching out beyond Tufts and strengthening the support systems that hold the Africana organizations together," Lokko said.
Although it is based out of the Africana Center, EBL is not officially funded by Tufts, and is neither affiliated with the Tufts Community Union nor funded by the student activities fund. Rather, it funds itself through outside donations.
"People outside of the Tufts community are so moved by us that they're willing to help us out," Shakespeare said.
As the group heads into its fifth year, it is looking to broaden its mission while staying true to its original goals.
"I really think what we're trying to do is expand our mission beyond just the symposium to address issues of education access for students of color," Bailey said. "We're addressing leadership, and having the stories of students who don't necessarily get represented a lot be told."
