On February 22, as part of Black History Month, Professor Vincent Gaddis who teaches at Benedictine University,  talked with students, faculty and community members about civic activism and what can be done to become part of the solution rather than the problem.

“As advocates it is crucial that we continue to speak, educate, and inform the public about the issue,” said Gaddis.

The event was inspired by a Black Student Achievers (BSA) member who wanted to highlight that the more educated people are the more they can help with the resolving the issue.

“The more educated people are about what is or has happened in the world, the more equipped and empowered they will be to play an active role in the solution.” said BSA Adviser Brittany Barber.

The event had around 30-50 people attending most of them attending as part of a class, the event consisted of discussing different parts of history, some of which talked about migration, “the war on drugs” and prisons. These were just some of the many words mentioned in the discussion and there was even a little bit of history about Chicago.

“I hope they are able to understand better why the ghetto of Chicago has developed the way it has overtime,”said Gaddis.

Barber hopes the event shows that the ghettos of Chicago are not accidental.

“Our hope is two-fold. First, we hope that people leave aware that the ghettos we see in Chicago and around the nation are not accidental, that there have been policies set in place to economically disenfranchise black and brown people. This is all for the purchase of challenging stereotypes and changing the narrative. Second, we want people to feel excited about being a part of the solution, to seek out those of like-minded initiative, drive, and positivity, that do not want to sit idly by any longer,” said Barber

Gaddis interacted with the audience quite a bit, often asking questions about themselves, for ECC Student Brittany Robbins who attended the event, the speaker was very passionate with the topic and made the event enjoyable.

“The speaker of the event was absolutely brilliant. He made the event enjoyable and meaningful. My favorite part about him was his emotion and passion,” said Robbins.

Attendees were then encouraged to get into groups to talk about ways they can create change, also talked about were different organizations people can get involved in to make a difference.

While students are already talking about and taking action, Barber hopes that this kind of event will continue to encourage students to get more involved in making change.

“I think students are already having these kinds of conversations, from Jobe Lounge to Social Media. Civic action and political action are in the air, and though it can feel overwhelming, it’s exciting to see so many waking up and getting involved. So I hope that the college and other agencies continue to help students navigate this content and help them produce healthy, productive, and positive results,” said Barber

Gaddis also hopes that this event will encourage students to get informed about what is going on and get involved.

“Get informed, read more, seek out those groups who are working for social justice, read more on a wide range of topics even if it is something that bores you, it is the only way to really understand anything,” said Gaddis