Unity and the Meaning of Coalition
The story of the original Rainbow Coalition was told through vignettes, gospel music, dance and spoken word at the Black History Month Assembly, themed “Unity and the Meaning of Coalition,” held in the large gymnasium on March 1.
Sponsored and organized by the Black Student Union (BSU), with guidance from the group’s moderator and faculty member Tony Green and staff member Marguerite Green, this was the school’s 32nd annual celebration of Black History Month.
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BSU member Jenay Hatchell ’18 wrote the play staged at the assembly, which examined how the Rainbow Coalition – a political alliance of differing groups including the Chicago Black Panther Party, Yellow Peril, Puerto Rican Young Lords and Poor White Young Patriots Organization – came together across racial lines to build power, support each other and fight for their shared interests.
“At the end of the day, we’re all the same. We share the same blood, we breathe the same air. We’re all human.” Adeya Wyatt ’18 said during the performance.
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A professor and nationally recognized expert on medical, legal and judicial decision-making, Kimberley Papillon ’87 was the featured speaker at the assembly. She has delivered over 300 lectures nationally and internationally on the implications of neuroscience, psychology and implicit association in the analysis of decision-making in the fields of medicine business, education and the justice system.
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Papillon explained how unconscious components of our brains drive our decision-making, and challenged students to be aware of implicit biases that can influence people on a daily basis and work towards awareness and change.
“This world is so much in need of your leadership,” she said. “The world needs your new attitude, your new perspective on life.”
A community presentation of “Unity and The Meaning of Coalition” was staged on March 3.
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