In conjunctionwith Black History Month, the Southern University Student GovernmentAssociation and the SU Carter G. Woodson Historical Society presented “BuildingOur Future, Studying Our Past.”
The studentforum was held on Feb. 17 in J.B. Moore Hall and addressed issues that surroundthe black family structure.
“We just wantto hear what everyone has to say and what their feelings are,” said AndreaPayton, president of the Carter G. Woodson Historical Society. “We hope that bydoing this, we are able to help others.”
Students whoattended the forum participated in a series of roundtable discussions thatdealt with issues in black family homes and communities.
The blackchurch, long considered the foundation of the black family, was questionedabout its influence today.
Attendees feltthat the church no longer had a positive influence on the community becausemore churches have become businesses and seem to be concerned about “the wrongthings.”
“God isnowhere in the picture anymore,” said Niesha Bentley, a junior from NewOrleans.
The role ofthe pastor in the church, the tithing methods and the decline of church-relatedevents in the community were also discussed.
Another topicthat gathered much attention was the lack of suitable mates. Many students feltthat the reason behind the problem of finding a match is because many moderncouples are together for the wrong reasons.
“What everhappened to love?” said Ezzard Charles, a senior from New Orleans. “It seemslike it doesn’t exist anymore.”
Other studentsfelt that sex was the primary factor, and another opinion was people tend torush into relationships without any patience. Some felt like it depended on how children viewed their parent’srelationship.
“A lot oftimes it depends on how a person was raised,” said Brittany Howard, a freshmanfrom Savannah, Ga.
The group alsodealt with the issue of raising children in the community.
In general,the students came to the conclusion that black families need to come togetherto make things better.
“It was a niceforum, ” Payton said. “It’s good because we’re trying to build off of lastweek.”
The previousforum focused on civil rights vs. hip-hop. The next forum in the series will beannounced at a later date. The forums are centered on various concerns of theblack community.