ACADEMICS
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n response to a summer characterized by high racial tensions, two Schwob School of Music students, Christian Harvey and Jordan Johnson, decided to take action by creating a Black student union at their school. According to CSU Involve, their new organization, The Black Schwob Society, aims to “highlight and educate on the experiences, concerns, and diverse cultures of Black students, specifically in the music department of Columbus State University.” Harvey, now a junior pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Bass Performance, came to Columbus State University for his first semester in 2018. He recalls, “When I first got to school here, I noticed that the Black students took part in a lot of code-switching; groups of Black students would use slang amongst friends but might feel pressure to speak grammatically ‘correct’ among their professors.” The pressure for minority students to change the way they spoke or acted around different members of the schools’ community revealed to Harvey that there was a need for a place where students, especially those of color, could go to feel “welcome and empowered.” Johnson, now a junior pursuing a Bachelors of Music in Trombone Performance, felt similarly about the cultural issues at Schwob that Harvey began noticing at the start of his education. He figured that if they related to each others’ experiences as Black students at Schwob so much, they must not be alone. So, he and Harvey paired up to co-found the Black Schwob Society. The pair approached Schwob’s professor of choral activities, Dr. Ianthe Marini, to request that she lead 16 | The Uproar | SPRING 2021
them as the organization’s faculty advisor. Marini says that their request was “perhaps the greatest honor that I’ve ever felt.” In the beginning of the fall semester of 2020, the Black Schwob Society formed into an official organization. Marini says that the response from the faculty of Schwob was 100% supportive in the creation of the organization. Despite the various challenges that came from the pandemic, the organization reports that it was successful in its first semester. The organization’s faculty advisor even recalls that the pandemic may have opened a few doors for the group in their first year.
“Having our meetings on Zoom has allowed us to hear from nationally renowned speakers from all over the country.” She says, “Having our meetings on Zoom has allowed us to hear from nationally renowned speakers from all over the country.” Among these speakers were Metropolitan Opera artist Kimberli Render, the renowned choral composer Dr. Rosephanye Powell, and South Carolina Maestro Kellen Gray. Vice President Christian Harvey says that the organization’s “Bringing Schwob to the Streets” event, which took place on Oct. 2, 2020, was the most successful event of their first semester. The event aimed to bring the music of Schwob out into the streets of downtown Columbus. Various tents SPENCER WHITE
