Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

D Y S O N Y E A R I N R E V I E W 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1 14 Black Excellence B orn out of a national movement and a course taught by Assistant Professor Kiku Huckle, PhD, political science depa ment, an initiative has taken root. It was the killing of George Floyd and the resulting Black Lives Ma er protests that drew increased a ention to the problem of police violence against people of color, in pa icular, as well as the desire to suppo Pace University's Black students that propelled Huckle to develop the Black Excellence Initiative. Huckle explains. "Police brutality is just one of many deep-seated problems faced in our country. Problems such as housing discrimination, disparities in healthcare, and the school-to-prison pipeline can all be a ributed to one root cause: the systemic denial of Black humanity. In an effo to actively counter this implicit and explicit narrative, I came up with the Black Excellence Initiative for my Race and American Political Development course." The Concept The Black Excellence Initiative works to counter the endemic effects of racism and to create space to cultivate well-being and a mindset for success for Black students and communities. By regularly bringing Black speakers to campus who exemplify excellence in a variety of contexts to speak with Pace students about their accomplished careers and rewarding lives, the expectation is that these guest speakers will help normalize the presence of successful people of color and open oppo unities for Black students within the larger university context to thrive. Huckle first developed and implemented this concept for one of her courses. Thus, the Black Excellence Initiative module was launched. Therea er, she brought it to light during a meeting of the political science depa ment faculty, gaining the suppo of Amy Freedman, PhD, chair of the depa ment. Intrigued, her colleague, Professor Meghana Nayak, PhD, women's and gender studies depa ment chair and political The Kiku Huckle, PhD Meghana Nayak, PhD Initiative Countering the effects of racism D Y S O N Y E A R I N R E V I E W 2 0 2 0 – 2 0 2 1 14

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