February is Black History Month, but These Dedicated Individuals Shape Young Minds Year-Round.
Special Report
Written By Mia Molfetta staff writer, Daniel Cocklin staff writer, Leanna Sheffield staff writer
Written By Mia Molfetta, staff writer
Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight is a well-known, loved Associate Professor within the community here at Winthrop. She has been here for about 8 years now, teaching History and African American Studies.
Dr. Dixon-McKnight has published several works throughout the time she has been teaching at Winthrop. Her newest published piece is a book called “We Paved the Way,” where she discusses black women and the Charleston Hospital Workers Campaign from 1969. She also directed Project 2020: A Collab of Oral History, which explored aspects of the pivotal year that 2020 was. The focus of her works and Winthrop classes are African-American women, specifically the working class women in the South.
“[…] my experiences from different institutions, professionally and educationally, Winthrop’s description as a family is genuine. From the size of the campus to the mentor and educator dynamic with the students, you get the feeling of family,” Dr. McKnight commented.
Dr. Dixon-McKnight highlighted the importance of collaborating with student organizations, like DSU, and with the campus itself. This allows the opportunity to be able to contribute all around Winthrop University.
“Winthrop gives me the opportunity to be a part of the community and share work that highlights my passion for community and history,” Dixon-McKnight said. “It allows me to do both often, so I am able to contribute to the broader community; with my research skillset, as well as work directly with students, with mentoring and guidance.”
When asked about what Black History month means to her, Dr. McKnight shared, “What we can say about the African-American experience is that it is complicated. The idea of studying African-American history has become a new thing, but it is important to shed light on the experiences of all of the people that live here, and for black people in this country […].
“Black history is American history, and you are not getting the American story if you do not learn about that, because it truly deepens the understanding,” Dixon-McKnight said. “ […] For me, it is about honoring me and where I come from.”
RMR staff ended the interview discussing the ways we can continue to have representation going forward, to which she commented, “Be intentional, not with just your story, or people, or places; pinpoint somewhere or someone that you want to gain more knowledge about. Overall, be open to the human experience. Understand that we are all here, and understand our collectiveness.”
Written By Daniel Cocklin, Staff Writer
Orangeburg, South Carolina is the home of two Historically Black Universities and Nathaniel Frederick, Winthrop professor and Department Chair of Mass Communications. Dr. Frederick grew up around inspirational and educated African Americans who lectured at these institutions.
Frederick’s teaching aspirations became more apparent as a student at Claflin, looking up to one of his professors.
“I thought he was the smartest person I’d ever met,” Frederick said. “He was from New York. He was the Department [Mass Communications] Chair of Claflin. From Harlem, he was completely different from any man I’d ever met. And I thought, wow, this guy is brilliant. Just the way he talked about the media, how passionate he was, and the way he broke it down.”
His professor being a graduate of Penn State led Frederick to attend Penn State for both his M.A. in Media Studies and Ph.D. in Mass Communications.
“I thought if I ever wanted to, if I ever was going to be a professor, I wanted to be like him,” Frederick said. Not only does Frederick emulate his former professor, but also other professors from his college education. “I wanted to have an open door policy, because when I was there, they all had open door policies. I never felt that I was bothering anybody when I would come by the office or talk to faculty.” Frederick understands what it is like for students to come chat with him over concerns or their career.
“Black professors are important because representation matters,” Frederick said, noting that representation extends beyond race to include gender, sexuality, or any other identity and characteristics. “Seeing someone that represents you matters in terms of giving you a model of what you can be.” Frederick’s professors gave him hope in academia, which is what he wanted to carry on to his students.
Leanna Sheffield, Staff writer
Collins Cornwell is the Director of Student Conduct at Winthrop University. He graduated in Winthrop Class of 2013 as an education and music major, and he received his master’s from UNC Charlotte in educational leadership.
Before returning to Winthrop, Cornwell worked in residence life at UNC School of the Arts, the Johnson & Wales School of Culinary Arts, and Johnson C. Smith University, a Historically Black College and university. He stated that this gave him the opportunity for a liberating and diverse experience in higher education.
Cornwell said he was brought back to Winthrop after he completed his master’s degree and was looking for a higher level director role.
Since returning to Winthrop, he has worked on several projects that foster diversity and inclusion. As an advisor of the Winthrop Fashion Club, he hosted a fashion show last year for Denim Day, a holiday highlighting consent. Cornwell is also the chair for the MLK Committee. This committee is responsible for planning events around Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year, they hosted numerous music and art events to highlight the holiday.
Cornwell said he came to Winthrop because he heard about the school’s populational heterogeneity relative to other similar schools.
“The reason I decided to come to Winthrop as a student was because of the diversity. One of the main factors for me was taking HMXP [The Human Experience] and really learning about the different ways people think. People can look the same and think completely different or look completely different but think the same. Everybody can find their own place at Winthrop, but there is a lot of intersectionality.”
Student life at Winthrop is filled with diversity, and being director of student conduct gives Cornwell the chance to have a deeper interaction with students than most.
“I have a different perspective than most, I often meet students in their most vulnerable state […],” Cornwell said. “This allows me to see them grow and help the dynamic I have with them.”
Cornwell said that Black History month is a testament to the perseverance and resilience of the African-American people in the United States.
“It reminds me of the strength in our history, and the idea that in 10, 20, or 30 years, we will be a part of that history,” Cornwell said. “It’s a reminder that it’s not just the past, but the idea that we are presently making our own history.”