In celebration of Black History Month, the College of Humanities is spotlighting faculty, staff, students and alumni. At the conclusion of this year’s celebration, meet Peju Alfred, a doctoral candidate in Transcultural German Studies.
“Black History Month to me means taking an inventory of how far we have come and how much further we have to go. It means truthfully acknowledging our accomplishments and shortcomings and courageously taking the steps to evolve better for coming generations. Above all, it means celebrating our essence every step of the way,” she said.
From Lagos, Nigeria, Alfred chose the Transcultural German Studies program because she observed an alignment of values between the program’s philosophy and her own. Additoinally, she serves on the College of Humanities Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee.
“Serving on the committee to me means actively working on being a voice that represents the need of a larger group, while also reflecting on how my positionality and privileges affect the depth of my engagement with specific issues. It means an ongoing process of asking myself the whys of being on the committee, and the hows of navigating certain issues,” she said.