Black Excellence: Celebrating Black History Month

Tariq El-Amin   

Welcome to “Black Excellence” at UIC.   

The Office of Student Success and Belonging, with Dr. Aisha El-Amin.    

Recording of Dr. Martin Luther King   

[Applause] Believe in yourself and believe that you’re somebody.   

Clips from 1995 movie “Panther”   

His intention is that we study and master a bunch of different things.  
Why are you here?    
Study and master a bunch of different things.  
I’m proud to introduce our new Minister of Information   

Aisha El-Amin  

I’m Dr. Aisha El-Amin.   

Tariq El-Amin    

Welcome to “Black Excellence.” 

Aisha El-Amin 

I want to welcome you to the University of Illinois Chicago’s “Black Excellence” podcast, sponsored by the Office of Student Success and Belonging in partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Marketing and Communications, and I’m your host, Dr. Aisha El-Amin. I serve as UIC’s executive associate vice provost for student success and belonging.   

Just a little bit of history and context. UIC’s “Black Excellence” podcast was initiated in Black History Month 2022, and we started off with “28 Days of Black Excellence,” and this highlighted the history and legacy of exceptional Black faculty, students and staff that all call UIC home. During this month, we talked to graduates in all walks of life, from entrepreneurs to politicians, and they offered inspiration and sage advice while connecting the historic past to our contemporary times. However, UIC’s cup of Black excellence runneth over, and so we continue this podcast with understanding that you cannot know where you’re going until you understand, appreciate and connect into where you’ve come from. So, I stand in gratitude for the time that each of our alumni have given to us to have a conversation and to inspire. 

Aisha El-Amin 

In honor of Black History Month and our podcast’s third season, we are sharing a special episode to celebrate and reflect on the rich stories we’ve collected highlighting Black excellence. We’ve selected three popular episodes featuring guests who have truly paved the way for so many following in their footsteps. 

Aisha El-Amin 

We begin with one individual who has done just that…1969 UIC alum, the one and only, Senator Carol Moseley Braun. She was the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, first woman from Illinois to serve as a U.S. Senator. She was also the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa from 1999 to 2001…the list goes on… Needless to say, Moseley Braun is known for her over three decades of trailblazing public service. In our interview, she talks about the driving force behind her passion to make a difference and she offers encouragement to forge your own way forward. 

Carol Moseley Braun 

Early on, I think it was a function of curiosity. And my parents, particularly my mother and my father, they encouraged me to be courageous and just to go for whatever it was. They gave me no limitations, and I think that was the most important thing. They didn’t tell me there was something I couldn’t do because of my race or my gender but encouraged me to do what I do and what struck me as important, and that’s what I proceeded to do. And when you’re a curious person, when you start off with curiosity and you want to explore lots of different things, and that’s really what happened, that’s how my path got laid out. And I was just curious about the world around me, I did not know I was going to be in politics at all.  

Even though I studied political science, I had actually started downstate, I was the only Black girl in the entire dorm. I didn’t find it to be welcoming. I didn’t find it to be a safe space. I didn’t find it to be encouraging of my getting an education. And so, when I got sick with mono in those days, I came home, it was like, OK, maybe I just won’t go to college at all. And so, I took a job, and actually the job paid a very healthy salary, but it was again, the times, right? The times dictate our lives as much as anything else. So, I wound up taking a job at Chicago Housing Authority, and the riots broke out that summer, and so I’ll never forget as long as I live, I was standing up against one of those smokestacks with a hard hat on. My instructions were to go tell my tenants to please don’t come out because there’s riots going on, and I’m hearing gunshots, and I’m like, I can’t do this. So that was when I said, I’ve got to find a college that would take me and I’m going back to school and have a different career path than this.  

So that was, that was how I wound up at UIC. It had just opened, and it was a brand-new school, and so it was a lovely environment. And quite frankly, it started everything for me. And so, I mean, I have been able to do what I did because I got educated, and I give UIC a lot of credit for that, to be honest, because I’ve been able to get access to quality education, both at the undergraduate level and as well as the graduate level. You know, it made my life path possible. It would not have been possible without all that education. None of this would have been possible for me, but it turns out, it was, and that’s how it was.  

I was able to come through the ranks. I didn’t set out to be the first. Just the times were such that the doors have been closed for the people who look like me for so long that when I finally came through them, it made me a first, because there had not been that many senators, and certainly no women and women of color at all. And so, you know, breaking through that barrier just came as a as a natural kind of step. The thing that doesn’t get talked about in American politics, unfortunately, is class, and that gets left out of the conversation, although obviously it’s a very, very important dynamic in everything. And so, the value of diversity is that it brings different perspectives, different visions of the world to bear on policymaking, and in a democracy, that’s what you’re supposed to reach for. That’s supposed to be the goal, to bring as many voices together as you can.  

The presidential run, which I had to collapse the tent on that one, you know, because I couldn’t raise a dime. But that came about because my little niece called me into a room. I had just come back from New Zealand, and she called me into her room, and she said, “Auntie Carol,” she had her social studies book open. “Auntie Carol, all the presidents are boys.” And I looked at her, I said, “Sweetie, girls can be president, too.” And she was satisfied with that answer. So, when I went to the kitchen, my brother said, “What’s the matter?” I said, “I just lied to Claire.” Cause I had lied to her, ‘Girls can be president. Girls can’t be president; we haven’t had one yet.’ And she was 11 at the time, so now she’s grown up. So, I’m hoping that will happen in my lifetime, or at least in hers. So, I’m not still a liar, you know, but I lied to her on behalf of being a loving aunt, but it was, it was not true. And so that was my motivation of throwing my hat in the ring and becoming a presidential candidate, because my brother said, “So, what are you going to do about having lied to Claire?” I said, I’m going to run for president. I was very intentional and very deliberate about what I was doing.  

And it fit in frankly, all the things that I had said I believed in, which was equality, equity, etc. for Black women. You’ve got to reach into wherever it is in your makeup, wherever the selflessness lies. You gotta reach into that. But again, if you recognize and keep your eye on the prize, that the prize is not about you. It really is about uplifting others and uplifting the community as a whole. And if that’s your guiding light, then you will be resilient, because you know too much is at stake for you just to give up. 

Aisha El-Amin  

Our next featured guest is Dr. Horace Smith. He is a medical doctor, a bishop and a class of 1975 alum of UIC’s College of Medicine. Dr. Smith has been treating bodies and souls for more than 40 years. As a Chicago native, he is the pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church in Chicago and a doctor specializing in pediatric hematology and oncology at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. He is the author of “Blood Works: The Insights of a Pastor and Hematologist into the Wonder and Spiritual Power of Blood.” 

Equipped with drive and compassion from his work in the church and the impact and expertise of a physician, Dr. Smith offers powerful advice that is woven throughout his own story. 

Horace Smith 

That was 1971 to 1975, I’m a proud graduate of the College of Medicine. And again, those were some difficult days, but of course, personally, those for me were some very good days. I’ll say at the very beginning, and some of the students can maybe too relate to this, in many ways the most difficult challenge was that many of us, of our ethnic background, did not feel like we belonged. Yeah, my story is, is a little bit different than many. I was, you know, again, when my mother died, I was 10 years of age, you can tell, very devastating. We went to live with our grandmother, who was my father’s mother. She was very religious, with this church all the time. So, for that year that we were with her, and my father, together, came to church every week. I fell in love with the church.  

In fact, I always tell people the church was a haven and saved my life. But I got my minister’s license, then I got ordained as a minister. And again, it’s kind of funny, in 1980 I had finished my hematology and college fellowship at Memorial, and the pastor of our church became open. Now, I never even envisioned becoming a pastor, but the board and some others there thought I would make a good candidate. Long story short, I became the pastor of that church in March of 1980, and so I couldn’t work full time at Children’s, but within six months of that, Dr. James Stockman, he’s a legend in pediatrics. He was the president of American Academy of Pediatrics for years. He was my mentor at Children’s, along with Dr. Honig. He called me, he said, “Look, you you’re one of our best trainees. We need you here.”  

And really, they worked it out so I could really pastor the church. It was a very small church at that time, it had 125 members. But again, they allowed me to do that and so they mentored me and nurtured me as a physician. Remember, I was a minority. And let’s face it, when you’ve had a hard time, you learn how to be empathetic to patients, how to be sympathetic, not numbers or diagnosis, and patients pick that up. And so, I was able, really, to get a reputation being somebody who could deal with hard families or cases, whatever it was. Eventually, I became the director of the Conference of Sickle Cell 1000 Year program. I had people along the way who were my support, but it was not easy. I would tell you that, you know, self-doubt, it is one of the biggest things, and that’s what you need — people, really, to tell you that you can do this, and they will help you along the track. 

I believe you cannot be what you cannot see. We must have role models. Human beings are connected. You don’t just pop up. I know “pop-up” is a new term, and so pop up this pop-up, that I’m not a pop-up. I come from somewhere. I need to see that in order to continue it and to go to the next level. And so, we’ve got to work hard to have people that are available who are role models, because I had that. I look back now, and that kept me going. So, those things are very, very real.  

So when you look at the issue of statistics about, you know, minorities being in admitted to medical school, you know, I tell the people that I know at high levels, we’re too smart not to be able to figure out how to ensure that diversity is more than a name, equity is more than a term. It’s in our best interest to make sure that those who care for us represent the demographics that are in our location. So, whatever you need to do, you better find a way to do it. God will help you. You know, I tell him, God will help you, but he won’t do it for you. This life’s a serious business, and so, yeah, we have to be tenacious. We have a great quandary of people at our church that people know that we mean business; we’re there to serve the body, soul and spirit.  

The very fact that they are at UIC means they belong. This is not a low level attainment. It means you have the goods. Now, it means you have the potential. You have to give yourself to it and fight hard to find mentors of people that will help you. And I would say to them, you know, bother people. You know, be persistent.  

Aisha El-Amin  

To round out our special episode celebrating Black History Month, we’re excited to feature a snippet of UIC alum Marvin Slaughter’s interview. During Slaughter’s time at UIC, he ran for student trustee and created his own legacy as a fervent advocate for UIC students as the co-founder of the Student Advocacy Coalition. Slaughter shares the impact UIC has had on where he is today and offers advice for current students in the midst of their education.  

Marvin Slaughter  

My name is Marvin Slaughter. I graduated in 2019 with my BA. I was a political science economics double major. After graduating from UIC, I went on to, you know, receive my master’s in public policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. Originally from the South Side of Chicago, grew up in the south suburb known as Markham, second-generation college student, second-generation UIC Flame. Go Flames! I have a younger sister who is a graduating senior, so our entire family is very much so UIC centric.  

I am currently the senior research portfolio manager at the University of Chicago’s inclusive economy Lab. I’m also the chairman of the Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission, and a member of the UIC Alumni Board, on the advocacy committee. You know, I love UIC as an alum, as a student. You know, I showed that love with a lot of the advocacy work I did. I came in as a pre-nursing student. After orientation, I had a conversation with my mother, and she was like, “Do you really want to do nursing?” And I was like, “You know, it’s employable.” My mom’s a nurse, so there’s that as well. Ultimately, you know, I really just wanted to help people, and I didn’t really know how I wanted to help people.  

So, you know, I switched over to undecided my first semester. And I don’t think many people have heard this story, but I struggled immensely with mental health during the second semester of my freshman year. For a stretch of about the first eight or so weeks of the semester, I received news of my friends’ passing every week for that first eight weeks, and you know, it was just a really difficult time that I couldn’t overcome without, you know, the love, caring and guidance of my faculty, my mentors and my friends, but you know, most importantly, I don’t think I would have made it through without channeling that pain into something meaningful. 

Aisha El-Amin  

As folks like your sister, who’s a senior now, listen to this, and are kind of in the thick of it. Maybe they’re thinking about UIC. Maybe they’re in their first year. Maybe they’re finishing, trying to finish up, and don’t know if they can make it to the finish line. Are there pieces of advice that you can offer? 

Marvin Slaughter   

Oh, most definitely. I would first say, take this opportunity to find your why. Because when times get hard, you can always lean on your why. You know your purpose, your reasoning, to give you that strength that you need to kind of carry forward, make mistakes. Perfection is a myth. Go out for every opportunity, internship, extracurricular activity, you know, leadership, position, anything that interests you. Take the time to understand yourself. Be introspective, be purposeful. Find your interest and think about your purpose early, it’ll begin to kind of help you as you start to seek these opportunities.  

We don’t succeed in a bubble. The truth of knowledge-seeking and educational attainment is that it was meant to be done in community. So don’t keep your knowledge to yourself. You know, share it with anyone willing to listen. But as you share, be open to critiques and criticisms. There are plenty of academic theories that are based in and on the very lived experiences of people from the Black community. Just because academics add fancy vernacular doesn’t mean that their theories are new or more legitimate. So, challenge your professors. Learning is bidirectional, and much of what we understand about the world is based on beliefs and assumptions that inherently hold some anti-Black perspectives. So, you know, feel free to challenge freely. I guess the last thing I would say is, don’t let a cold world harden you. The world can be unkind, but don’t let this world’s coldness impact what and who you are called to be. 

UIC really is a place that, you know, I’ve got my start. I learned about who I am. I learned what my purpose for life is. And ultimately, you know, when I was at UIC, the campaign slogan for my slate was legacy, and it was about legacy building. And, you know, I had a conversation with Dean Keen in the Honors College and Interim Chancellor Reyes earlier this week, and we kind of talked about, you know, the idea of legacy and how, you know, it’s our job as students, to think about why do you do what you do? Are you going to be able to build something or accomplish something that is going to enable, strengthen, equip and encourage those who are coming behind you to continue to build, and that is exactly what I’m striving to do. So, you know, for any student who is going to hear this podcast, feel free to reach out to me. I’m very easy to find. I am here to pour into you, to support you and to make sure that you, you know, experience the level of success that you want to experience while at UIC and after graduation. 

Tariq El-Amin  

Thanks for joining us. Find more inspiring and informative conversations with UIC alums, faculty and staff at blackresources.uic.edu.