WELL HELLO, SAMFORD, AND WELCOME TO BECK'S BENCH. TODAY MARKS THE START OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, A
TIME TO HONOR THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS. WHILE OUR GOAL AT SAMFORD IS TO
CELEBRATE DIVERSITY EVERY DAY, FEBRUARY IS AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE THE
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF BLACK PEOPLE AND CULTURE IN OUR HISTORY. I'M PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK
OF OUR OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INTERCULTURAL INITIATIVES, WHICH WORKS TO ADVANCE EFFORTS TO
ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY IN MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT WHILE CELEBRATING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AND
PROMOTING RESPECT FOR OTHERS. TODAY'S SPECIAL GUEST BRINGS US HERE TO THE RECONCILIATION MEMORIAL,
A BEAUTIFUL OBELISK THAT HONORS THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE AFRICAN AMERICANS WHO BUILT AND SUSTAINED
SAMFORD'S MISSION, INCLUDING A LEGENDARY HERO AND A GROUND-BREAKING SCHOLAR, AND WITH ME TODAY IS DR.
DENISE GREGORY, OUR ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR STUDENT SUCCESS AND DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. WE'LL TALK
ABOUT THIS SPECIAL MEMORIAL AS WELL AS THE MANY WAYS BLACK HISTORY MONTH WILL BE CELEBRATED AND
RECOGNIZED ACROSS CAMPUS. WELL DR. GREGORY, WELCOME, WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU COULD JOIN US TODAY. SAY A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW SAMFORD WILL CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TODAY.
WE ARE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY MONTH. TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY FEBRUARY 1ST, AND WE'RE
LOOKING FORWARD TO A GREAT MONTH OF PROGRAMMING. SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE ON CAMPUS
ARE EDUCATIONAL AS WELL AS FUN EVENTS, SO I'D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW OF THEM WITH YOU. TONIGHT,
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A DRIVE-IN MOVIE THEATER EXPERIENCE. WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE WATCHING
"RESPECT," WHICH IS THE BIOPIC OF ARETHA FRANKLIN, SO COME OUT AND JOIN US TONIGHT AT 6 P.M AT THE LEEDS
DRIVE IN MOVIE THEATER. WE ALSO THIS WEEK HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CUMBERLAND SCHOOL OF LAW
WITHIN THE BLACK LAW STUDENT ASSOCIATION, AND THEY WILL PRESENT THEIR ANNUAL THURGOOD MARSHALL SERIES.
THIS SYMPOSIUM HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER ALMOST 28 YEARS, I BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT 28 YEARS HAS BEEN
GOING ON, AND SO WE WANT TO CELEBRATE THAT. AND SO WE HAVE SOME GREAT, TWO GREAT, KEYNOTE
SPEAKERS, THEIR BROTHERS: REPRESENTATIVE CHRIS ENGLAND AND HIS BROTHER JUDGE JOHN ENGLAND III,
WILL BE SPEAKING THERE THAT NIGHT. WE ALSO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE WANT TO SHARE AND HIGHLIGHT
SOME OF THE WORK OF SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES ON CAMPUS, AND IN PARTICULAR DR. NYAH PICKETT MILLER.
SHE ACTUALLY WILL BE SPEAKING IN A LUNCH AND LEARN WHERE SHE WILL TALK ABOUT THE PROFESSOR
IN PARTICULAR HOW PROFESSORS ARE IMPORTANT IN ELEVATING BLACK VOICES IN THEIR CLASSROOM. WE ALSO
HAVE DR. UHINA MAMU WHO WILL SHARE HER EXPERIENCE OF HER HOME COUNTRY OF SOME OF THE WORK THAT SHE'S
DOING IN GHANA, AND IN PARTICULAR RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN DRINKING WATER FOR EVERYONE
IN THEIR IN OUR COUNTRY. WE ALSO HAVE SOME FUN EVENTS, ANOTHER FUN EVENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO, AND THAT'S WITH OUR MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM IN ATHLETICS. WE ARE PARTNERING TO HIGHLIGHT
ON OUR FEBRUARY NINTH GAME AGAINST WOFFORD COLLEGE. COME TO THE GAME AND WE WILL CELEBRATE SOME OF OUR
BLACK ORGANIZATIONS ON CAMPUS, AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR FORMER STUDENT ATHLETES. AND THEN HAVE A SMALL,
LITTLE STEP SHOW IN THE MIDDLE OF HALFTIME WITH SOME OF OUR GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATIONS. SO WE'RE
EXCITED ABOUT OUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS. THERE ARE A WIDE VARIETY THERE SO IF YOU WANT
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM, YOU CAN VISIT AND LEARN MORE ON OUR WEBSITE, AND THEY'RE LISTED
ON OUR UNIVERSITY CALENDAR. WOW, IT SOUNDS LIKE A FULL MONTH OF ACTIVITY, THAT'S THAT'S AMAZING.
WE'RE EXCITED. WELL WE ARE HERE BY THIS BEAUTIFUL MEMORIAL .TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THIS
MEMORIAL REPRESENTS, AND HOW WE PLAN TO DEDICATE IT THIS MONTH. YES, THIS MEMORIAL HONORS AFRICAN
AMERICANS AND THE WORK AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THEY'VE MADE TO SAMFORD UNIVERSITY.
AND SO, THIS INSCRIPTION THERE IS SOME WORDS THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY INSPIRING FOR YOU TO READ, AND
I'M ASKING YOU TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE THE TIME TO COME BY AND READ THE THE MONUMENT AND THE DESCRIPTIONS
THAT ARE THERE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE CELEBRATING, HONOR THE WORK OF AFRICAN
AMERICANS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SAMFORD. THE ACTUAL MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED IN MAY OF 2020, HOWEVER,
DURING THE PANDEMIC WE WERE NOT ABLE TO COME OUT AND CELEBRATE INFORMALLY, SO WE WANT TO DO THAT.
AND SO ON FEBRUARY THE 15TH AT 10 A.M WE INVITE YOU TO COME TO THE WRIGHT CENTER TO SHARE IN THAT
CELEBRATION. OH, THAT'S WONDERFUL. NOW, IN HONOR OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., DAY, OUR DAVIS LIBRARY
AND OUR SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DISPLAYED A VERY RARE COPY OF DR. KING’S "LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL."
TELL US HOW THE PUBLIC CAN EXPERIENCE THAT LETTER AND SEE THAT LETTER ON THEIR OWN. YES, WE
ARE BLESSED TO HAVE TWO COPIES OF THE LETTER HERE ON SAMFORD, AND WE HAVE USED THIS LETTER WITH OUR
STUDENTS, AS WELL AS REQUESTS FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT WANT TO USE A
LETTER, BUT WE RECOGNIZE WE SHOULD ALSO JUST SHARE WITH OUR SAMFORD COMMUNITIES AS WELL, SO WE HAVE
IT ON DISPLAY IN THE LIBRARY. IT'S BEEN UP SINCE JANUARY THE THE 15TH, MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY, AND
WILL BE UP THE ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, SO PLEASE PLEASE GO BY TAKE A MOMENT AND LOOK AT IT AND READ
AND VIEW SOME OF THE WRITINGS THAT DR. KING HAS IN THE WORKS THERE. NOW, ON A MUCH BROADER SENSE,
YOU PROVIDE IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP TO THE SAMFORD COMMUNITY AROUND DIVERSITY AND RECONCILIATION
ON OUR CAMPUS. SAY MORE ABOUT THE WORK THAT YOU AND COLLEAGUES ARE INVOLVED WITH HERE AT SAMFORD.
YES, WE KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL CALLED AS CHRISTIANS TO VALUE THE IMPORTANCE OF OTHERS, AND SO
WE TAKE THAT VERY SERIOUSLY HERE AT SAMFORD, AND SO SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE OFFICE
OF DIVERSITY AND SEVERAL COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS ACROSS CAMPUS IS TAKING THE WORK FROM THE TASK
FORCE ON RACIAL JUSTICE. AND THAT'S THE REPORT WE RECEIVED LAST YEAR AND WE'RE TAKING THAT AND
CREATING A DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN, AND FROM THAT WORK, WE WANT TO CREATE METRICS, MEASURABLE PLACES,
THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MEASURE THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN DIVERSITY, SO WE'RE CONTINUING THAT WORK
ON AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING THAT WITH THE SAMFORD COMMUNITY, SOONER THAN LATER. WELL,
I KNOW I SPEAK FOR SO MANY ON OUR CAMPUS WHEN I SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP.
THANK YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE AND THE WAY YOU'RE GUIDING US IN THIS AREA. THANKS FOR JOINING US
TODAY FOR BECK'S BENCH. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. BECK'S BENCH WILL RETURN ON
MARCH THE 1ST, SO UNTIL THEN I’M BECK TAYLOR SAYING GOD BLESS YOU, GOD BLESS SAMFORD, AND GO BULLDOGS.