Jesus Christ Superstar at the Stony Brook Student Union Reviews

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Ayanna Gill is heavily involved in the black student community, as president of Alpha Kappa Alpha and an employee of the Center for Black Culture. Gill is as well a powerful student activist, involved in the Black Lives Matter movement and the recently formed Blackness Cabinet.

BY MATT MOORE
SENIOR REPORTER

Middle on the steps of Mitchell Hall in mid-September, Ayanna Gill stood, clad in all black and firmly gripping a blaring megaphone, every bit her voice reverberated beyond the dozens of students in protest on The Dark-green.

"We practise not tolerate systematic forms of oppression on this campus. That is why nosotros are out here," Gill says, widening her stance and peering through thick, nighttime glasses at a bounding main of straight-faced students continuing in silent solidarity, property up diverse signs including a staggering ten-foot banner that read '#BlackLivesMatter.'"

The group gathered that day to vocalisation their opposition to the registered pupil organization (RSO), Students for the 2nd Amendment, and their decision to feature Katie Pavlich—a frequent invitee on Fox News who has drawn national attention for her commentary on major social issues equally well every bit harsh criticism of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Months later, Gill sits on the steps outside the Trabant Educatee Center and reflects on that day in September, elaborating on how powerful it felt to stand up as a group in protestation, and how it was "merely the offset."

"I want to use that day, Yale University and Mizzou as an example of what we demand to be doing every bit blackness students on this campus," she says, referencing the recent bouts of racial tension occurring on the campuses of Yale University and the University of Missouri. "We need to be advocating for ourselves in many means, we need to stand up to administration in many ways as well."

Regardless of the subject area, Gill speaks passionately, asserting herself with each rising and autumn in tone, and each careful emphasis of syntax— making fifty-fifty the almost coincidental conversation sound like lucid prose. For Gill, this mode of articulating herself is rooted in her upbringing.

Born and raised in Brooklyn until the historic period of 11, Gill spent her childhood in libraries and fine art museums, studying the writings of Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, in addition to African American history— all done under the supervision of her father.

"One of the biggest things he taught me at a very young age was to accept a voice," she says. "He said, 'Me and your female parent are non going to speak upward for yous, nosotros won't be at that place for you all the fourth dimension—you demand to have a vocalism.'"

Afterwards her father was accepted into Princeton Theological Seminary, Gill moved to Princeton, North.J.

Gill went on to attend the academy and major in mass communications, where she found herself overwhelmed by the full extent of the underrepresentation of students of colour on campus.

This prompted Gill to become involved on campus, by working with Center for Blackness Culture and joining Alpha Kappa Blastoff, the first sorority established strictly by African American women.

Now a senior and president of AKA, Gill has stayed busy throughout her time as a student. In improver to her involvement with the CBC and Greek Life, and fourth dimension equally a Pupil Admissions Officer, campus tour guide, American Global Fellow and member of the Senior Gift Quango, she likewise traveled to Barbados last winter to teach and is gearing upward to do the same in South Africa this winter.

"I'one thousand constantly on my everyday grind, but proving that I need to exist hither," she says. "I think that's the biggest thing for me equally a black student. My white peers will never really understand what that means."

Through her interest with these organizations, Gill has developed a bond with several students that has served as the foundation for what is at present known as the Black Chiffonier— a dynamic group of prominent African American figures from the Pupil Authorities Association, Oasis, Blackness Pupil Spousal relationship, Center For Black Culture and Greek life.

The group was first organized during a march they conducted last year as the emphatic mantra "Black Lives Thing" began trending on social media. Since then, they organized the demonstration at Mitchell Hall and the open forum at Memorial Hall this year.

Recently, the Black Chiffonier began meeting regularly with faculty and assistants, working together to identify systemic issues within the academy policies regarding race and gender and offer solutions to ensure structural change.

"It'south one thing for an institution to bring black students on campus, but black bodies are not enough to establish a sense of inclusion—blackness bodies are not enough to establish a quota of multifariousness for an institution. Information technology takes creating resources for those students to actually feel welcome and stay here," she says.
Touching the gilded heart necklace dangling around her cervix, Gill looks down for a moment, as traffic drones on South College and students walk past her. Lifting her head, she talks enthusiastically about having always felt compelled to be a leader and at present, more than ever, she needs to employ her voice.

"At the cease of the twenty-four hour period, I'chiliad constantly worried about my ii deepest identities that I concord onto—my blackness and being a female," she says. "In one case you disturb my peace, in one case you make me feel dangerous, that's when it becomes an issue. We understand that every single life matters, merely on this campus, on a national level too, this country has given united states plenty examples as to why we need to be at the forefront of racial injustices."

Shifting her position slightly on the rock steps, Gill flashes a bright smile.

"We're going to higher at such an interesting time in this nation's history," she says. "What I'thou seeing is the power of blackness students when we have a sense of collective unity, and how much we're capable of doing once nosotros get together."

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