Emily Ely reported this story on assignment from the Rutland Herald. The Community News Service is a program in which students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost. This is the latest installment in an ongoing series of articles that introduce readers to local Rutland individuals who are making a difference in their community.
Kayon Morgan is a senior political science major at Vermont State University Castleton. She started as secretary of Castleton’s chapter of the NAACP — the first collegiate chapter in Vermont — and has served as the president of the organization for the past two years. Morgan is a driven student, determined to make change and bring diversity to campus. Her time spent at Castleton has not only been incredibly impactful but has driven many forms of change within the university.
Q: What made you want to take on a leadership role in Castleton’s NAACP chapter?
Morgan: I was lost, and in a weird situation coming to Castleton. I’m from Florida and grew up in a very diverse environment. When I came to Vermont, I felt culture shock. In most of my classes, I was the only student of color. When I heard about the NAACP, I didn’t know much at the time, but I wanted to check it out. … After joining, I faced a lot of discrimination that year. But the feeling of community from the NAACP was nice. I had a support system that understood what I was going through. I wanted to make sure other minority students and marginalized communities on campus have the NAACP. I wanted to do for them what they’ve done for me. (The) community has inspired me to take on the leadership role as president. Just feeling like you belong somewhere, where people look like you, are on the same path as you and have the same experiences as you can literally transform your life. It did for me, so I want to do that for other people.
Why is it important to have a chapter of the NAACP on campus? What role does our chapter play in educating students and faculty, as well as the wider community outside of campus, about the issues facing people of color?
Having the NAACP on campus is beneficial for VTSU. Vermont is not a diverse state. It’s not nurturing enough of a diverse population. If VTSU wants to survive after this transformation, it has to be more diverse and inclusive. Having the NAACP here attracts diverse populations, but also holds Vermont State University accountable.
Like I said earlier, community is important. Who would want to go to a school where they’re the only person that looks like them? The NAACP has hosted events from social gatherings to educational events. We’ve hosted a panel event where students talk about their lived experiences.
The NAACP has been very open. Most of the time, we have been the most angry, the most hurt, the most traumatized, but we’re still able and willing to have conversations. This is how we educate. If the school makes a mistake, we don’t just run away. We reach out, we issue a statement, we make a call to action, we tell them that this is what needs to be done. And that’s part of education.
What specific initiatives or programs does our NAACP chapter offer to promote diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness among students, faculty, and staff? Can you share some recent successes?
Last semester, we hosted a (VTSU) Black Out to bring awareness to gun violence. … During Black History Month, we hosted three events. The first was Soul Food Sunday, where we catered from a Black-owned business and invited people to eat … while we educated (them) on food and culture. Then we had our history fair about Black African Americans in the arts.
Our NAACP members worked on poster boards, and that’s honestly a huge commitment outside of your classes. They really stepped up. Members picked a figure and showcased them, which was a great way to educate and bring awareness to Black voices in the arts and beyond. … And to end we did a Black History Month festival where we had an African-American woman, Facile, who’s also a wellness counselor at Castleton, sing. We catered again from Harmony’s Kitchen. We had stations where people could hang out and get creative. We invited Charlotte (Gerstein) from the Castleton Library to come. She put out a display of books people could check out.
Have any challenges arisen from doing this work at a predominantly white institution in a predominantly white state?
We have a lot of micro- and macro-aggressive things we’ve faced. One of our biggest challenges is membership. We’re looking to find leaders that we can pass the membership baton to. Minority organizations don’t survive well in PWIs (predominantly white institutions). … That’s a challenge that every NAACP in New England is facing. It’s heavy to be a leader of the NAACP, and, in all honesty, it’s scary. You’re constantly having to be the voice of minority communities, it’s a pressure. You can’t get it wrong, and you have to keep working. If you stop doing the work, no one does it. There’s so many challenges. … But I can say we are moving towards a more radical and progressive time and were grateful for that.
What is it like to balance your classwork as a student with your leadership role in the NAACP?
For me, nothing comes before academics. I’m a student first. I wouldn’t be able to be a part of the NAACP if I wasn’t a student. But it is hard. I remember when I faced discrimination about my hair in my classroom, and, to be frank, I struggled with depression that entire semester. It was hard to get out of bed most days. But what I found during that time … (was that) it was always easy to come to the NAACP. I could talk about the same thing 20 times and still be given empathy. It nurtured me in a way for me to heal but ignited passion in me because I realized that I never want someone else to go through that. … If I’m ever feeling really low, I lean on my community. Some of my closest friends are in the organization. Our faculty adviser, Rich Clark, is an amazing support system. Honestly, I would have transferred after my sophomore year if it wasn’t for the NAACP. They kept me going.