CM Celebrates Black History Month with Black Alumni Roundtable

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To celebrate Black History Month, on Tuesday, February 28, the CM student group The Knights of the Roundtable held a new event, The Return of the Knights, to welcome black alumni to campus for a discussion about their experiences as students and graduates of Catholic Memorial.

For more than an hour Ron Teixeira ’65, Tim Skaggs ’75, P'04, Rolf Alphonse ’82, Max Erilus ’06, and Donovan Henry '12 took questions from a large group of students and faculty gathered in the student commons. Topics ranged everywhere from "How did you come to Catholic Memorial?" and "Did you experience racism at CM?" to "What advice do you have to our students of color as they go to college?" The conversation was a lively, no-holds-barred talk about race, athletics, education, and the role Catholic Memorial played in all of it.

When Tim Skaggs '75 assured students that a Catholic Memorial education sets the foundation for future success. "Your gifts will blossom," he said. "and you will reap the benefits."

In 1961, Ron Teixeira '65 became Catholic Memorial's first student of color. And he emphasized the word "color:" there were no black students, no Hispanic students, no Chinese students, literally no one of color. He said he never felt any racism at CM; he did, however, point out that the fact he was a six-foot-seven freshman member of the State Championship Varsity Basketball team, which might have helped him. As Teixeira explained, racism doesn't always affect black athletes in the same way it affects black citizens.

Unfortunately, however, life at CM was not always a Camelot for Knights of color. Rolf Alphonse '82 was from Haiti, and his neighborhood upbringing was very diverse. His first week at CM, he thought he was in heaven. But at the end of the first week, he went to his locker, only to find graffiti: the n-word. A schoolwide assembly was called immediately, and when students returned after the weekend, all the lockers were painted a different color. It was a rude awakening to the prejudice in the world, but Mr. Alphonse explained that the way CM handled it helped make the next four years as happy and memorable as any in his life.

Both Max Erilus '06 and Donovan Henry '12 emphasized the need to be good to each other and to foster relationships with students and faculty. They, like every panelist, explained how CM prepared them mentally, physically and spiritually for their life's journey.

A special thanks to senior members of the club, Nathaniel Trotman '18 and Jonathan Valdez '18, who brought the idea of this panel to administrators and worked through every minute detail. This was undoubtedly a gratifying success.