Unison
ISSUE 3
FEBRUARY 2022
Black History Month Assembly BY: MADELINE DONOVAN ’23 AND JANNETT MARTIENA ‘22 In celebration of Black History Month, on Thursday, February 3rd, The Ursuline School community invited several significant Black singers, musicians, and guests to share with students and faculty the importance of Black culture and accomplishments. The Honorable Judge Tanya R. Kennedy shared a presentation entitled “Young, Gifted and Black,” where she discussed snippets of the lives of 10 Black women who have made history in the United States. “Black history is American history,” she told the students. Following Judge Kennedy’s discussion, Ursuline’s Honors Choir had the opportunity to participate in the assembly by singing a Freedom Medley of songs that were traditionally referred to as “Negro Spirituals” by slaves during the time of the Civil War and abolition. They were also sung during the Civil Rights Movement to give strength to and “root” the protestors. They continue to hold important meaning in the culture of African-Americans, and they’re still sung in many Baptist churches across the country to celebrate their liberation. After the assembly’s conclusion, Madeline Donovan ’23 and Jannett
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Martiena ’22 were able to spend some time speaking with these guests on a myriad of topics, from music to law to college and many in between.
Judge Kennedy’s Q&A with Con Law
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We had the privilege to sit in on a brief Q&A session Judge Kennedy informally held with Ms. Jacqueline Geller’s Constitutional Law class, where a few students asked her some of the questions they had pondered in the classroom. One senior asked the “Why Law?” question, to which Judge Kennedy replied that she wanted to be a lawyer but never a judge. She had been waitlisted at New York University which prompted her to speed up her plans to go to law school. She had even been interested in the fashion and public relations industries before finally deciding that she wanted to help people, and therefore, law was the path for her. A junior in the Con Law class asked our guest what the hardest challenge she faced was and how she overcame it in law school. The Hon. Judge Kennedy told students that the transition from college to law school was very difficult because in law school, “you’re graded on a curve… it’s more competitive because my A may be a B or a B- now.” She also mentioned that the Socratic method is used during lectures, and that the homework is “very analytical” and involves “a different type of writing - a different type of reading, too.” Judge Kennedy went on to emphasize the importance of asking one’s professor, “What can I do better?” She explained how she regrets not doing this in law school, and she also regretted getting “too caught up in the city environment,” which she did not recommend. Additionally, she discussed how “money is freedom; money provides you with options.” However, “the love of money is a problem,” and she believes that that is where many students make mistakes. Judge Kennedy is “having a ball as an Appellate judge,” as she put it. “Every sit I’m learning.” She concluded her talk with Ms. Geller’s class by recommending to the girls that they keep their options open and remain flexible. “You have to show up and be in the room. That’s when opportunities happen.”