Joseph Vaughn Day 2024 remarks by Abijah Leamon ’24

Joseph Vaughn Day 2024>>

Student Diversity Council President Abijah Leamon ’24

Daniel Chapel, Furman University

Jan. 26, 2024

Good morning, everybody!

Joseph Vaughn Family, Erica Ramsey and loved ones, President Davis, Furman faculty, staff, students and community members, I am so grateful and blessed to be standing in front of you all today. My name is Abijah Leamon, and I am a senior from Greenville, South Carolina. I am also a double major in politics and international affairs and Africana studies.

When I was asked to give a call to action for today’s program, my mind immediately began to think of the reason why to call people to action. One word came to my mind — community. Because of community we can. A wide range of communities have provided us with experiences that are components of who we are and guide us through our daily lives. They help us grow, and they are also tools for effecting change.

Looking back on my experiences, I can also say that community has revealed itself as a major component of my life and a reason why I call myself to action. My community is my family and the Greenville community. Community is meeting for Dins Dialogue every Wednesday to talk about our identities and the social justice challenges that we face. Community is attending a spades game night to surround myself with people who look like me. Community is also traveling with the Cothran Center to Alabama to embark on a Civil Rights Trail. How I feel in these communities and how these communities have contributed to me have given me more than enough reason to call myself to action. Community is one of the reasons why I advocate for others, stay involved, and try to find ways to make a positive impact.

I now turn to you and would like everyone to take a moment to think of a time where you felt included. You consistently felt heard and supported. You felt confidence in the relationships and connections in that space. Whatever just came to your mind is your community and a reason to become active. Because of community, we can, and we should.

As we spend time reflecting on Joseph Vaugh’s life, Joseph Vaughn created opportunities and experiences for other students to feel that sense of community while using his voice for advocacy. As Vice President of the Southern Student Organizing Committee, he provided a space for students to talk freely about social issues like race relations and the Vietnam War. Alongside his expansive impact on the Furman community, he contributed and advocated for others and the Greenville community by leading a march in downtown Greenville to protest the Orangeburg Massacre and to condemn racial prejudice and police brutality. Amidst his experience of being the first Black student at Furman, Joseph Vaughn did not let social barriers or self-doubt hinder his commitment to building community and advocating for social justice. And although we are not all firsts in the same way as Joseph Vaughn, that does not mean we cannot carry on his legacy through our actions and experiences.

Over these past two years, we have heard more of the phrase “a beloved community,” so I come today to ask you: What are you doing to make your community beloved? What are you contributing to your community to make it better? This will look different for everyone because we all have different identities, experiences, strengths, and talents. Learn about others with different identities and backgrounds than you and develop ways to advocate for others. Have those hard conversations that may make you uncomfortable but will make you aware of the issues and barriers we face. Or you could check-in on people and find ways to support them.

However, our actions of positive impacts cannot be met with actions that weaken the connectedness of our community. We cannot invalidate the experiences of others and expect unity in our community. We cannot be hesitant to speak out about injustice but then expect for change to come. We cannot turn a blind eye to when members of our community are unsafe and then expect people to be vulnerable. We must have compassion and empathy for our neighbors. We must learn what makes us who we are and learn the same about others. We must find ways to use dialogue and other tools of activism to reach tangible ways to effect change.  Every single one of you matter and have a purpose in this life; utilize who you are to positively affect your community.

I am going to be honest and transparent with you all. Advocating for the upliftment of your community is not easy. Social justice advocacy is not easy and wears on the person. Learning about yourself and having vulnerability in sharing your experiences takes time to develop. Personally, there have been times where I have had multiple emotions all at once that either made me shut down or enraged to the point where I want to scream. Being a part of a community is not always positive or pleasant. There will always be challenges and times that will test you. There could be times where you feel uncomfortable. But that does not shy me away from using my voice and getting active; it should not shy you away either. I call you all to continue to fight for what is right, educate yourself on what you aren’t familiar with, and advocate for others even when it gets challenging. I challenge you to use Joseph Vaughn’s legacy to motivate you and guide you in deciding how you will commit to your community. Change will not come if we stop moving. We are all in this together. Remind yourself of the why and keep on pushing forward.

Lastly, I leave you with words of inspiration from Donny Hathaway:

Keep on walking tall.

Hold your head up high.

Lay your dreams right up to the sky.

Sing your greatest song.

And you’ll keep going, going on.

Take it from me, someday we’ll all be free.

Hey, just wait and see, someday we’ll all be free.

Thank you to everyone for attending this program and coming together to celebrate the life and legacy of Joseph Vaughn. This is the conclusion of our program. Have a great day and keep moving forward!