King visits SUNY O. Westbury

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King, Jr. recently visited SUNY Old Westbury as part of his ongoing tour of SUNY’s 64 campuses that began at the start of his tenure at SUNY in January. During his visit, Chancellor King had the opportunity to tour campus, and meet with students, faculty and staf to learn more about the College.

Unique to his visit to Old Westbury, King participated in a panel discussion on “The Importance of Teaching Black History” along with

President Tim Sams and Danielle Lee of the English Department. The three shared their thoughts and experiences with Black History Month, why it’s important to be taught in schools, and how students can learn more about antiracism and allyship.

In addition to sharing personal stories about his enslaved great grandparents, and an uncle that was a Tuskegee Airman but couldn’t fnd an accounting job post-World War II, King explained why teaching both the progress and the struggles of black history prevents history repeating itself.

“The fear for me in the movement against teaching African American history and teaching the truth about the hard parts of our history is that it can undermine the progress of the Civil Rights era and set us back decades. Control of the narrative of our history shapes our politics profoundly,” said King.

King plans to return to Old Westbury to help celebrate the inauguration of Sams in April 2023.