SU Hosts Centennial Panel Discussion on African American Trailblazers in local community

From left to right: April Logan, Sebastian Swanberg, Anna Randall and Ian Post

When the Showell family lined up for a family photograph at Henry Showell’s 80th birthday party in 1975, they couldn’t have predicted it would become a part of local history. That same photograph was presented in the middle of the GSU’s Wicomico Room and became the focal point of the student’s discussion.

Showell and his wife Viola worked on Salisbury University campus for decades beginning in 1930 traveling every morning from Whaleyville to cook and clean for the students. The audience members absorbed the information, nodding slowly with each chapter of the lives they were learning. When Panelist Ian Post shared the last living Showell died in 2024, the same crowd bowed their heads in remembrance.

It was an opportunity to learn about Black culture and its history surrounding campus for most in attendance. For others it was about remembering and encouraging others to continue preserving history. But for everyone– it was an opportunity to reflect on the progress made around Salisbury University.

Dr. April Logan hosted SU’s Centennial African American Trailblazers Panel Discussion in the Guerreri Student Union on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The goal was to engage in the significance of the panelists' discoveries and to inspire others to conduct similar research, she said.

Panelists included history and English major Sebastian Swanberg, English M.A. student Anna Randall and History Archivist at the NAAB Center Ian Post. Logan expressed her joy that two of the panelists were current SU students and thought it signaled a positive trend in discussing local history.

“I think it’s exciting,” she said. “It really shows our students' investment in SU history and they’re being a part of that story. 

“It really gives me a lot of hope and courage. To see that they want to be a part of this ongoing discussion.”

Before Post discussed the impact of the Showell family on campus, Randall explored the beginning of African American Literature at SU and discussed how the classes and climate around campus came to be today. Her focus on Dr. Wavie Gibson, the first African American English faculty member on campus, piqued the interest of one audience member in the crowd.

Dr. Clara Small rose from her seat during the Q&A portion of the panel to share her story: she was hired by former SU President Dr. Norman Crawford on the same day as Gibson in August 1977. Small, an SU professor emerita of history, told the stories of old student-led programs and influential figures visiting campus to strengthen Black culture on campus.

“The goal was to bring culture to our community and we did it with our hearts,” Small said. “It wasn’t easy but we did it because we loved this campus.

Swanberg, a senior at SU, used his time to explore how the campus presented Black History Month in the past through published documents. 

He found the first Black Student Union / Black Culture Event publicized on campus took place on April 2, 1973. He concluded his presentation recognizing Black History Month was celebrated every year on campus after 1990 with events co-sponsored by registered student organizations, with the only exception being 1996.

Swanberg’s research began as an independent study with Logan during a summer course. He shared if he had the opportunity and more time, he would’ve explored more oral history.

“There’s so much to learn from [oral history], for example Dr. Smalls is in the room with us tonight,” he said. “These are the people that could directly tell us the history.”

Student Government Association President Jahnaiya Sutherland was in attendance and participated during the Q&A segment of the panel. Sutherland was thrilled to be a part of the audience and thought the event was a great opportunity to discuss the importance of preserving Black history.

“This event shows how incredibly important it is to preserve Black history at SU,” Sutherland said. “It can be something so scarce, and understanding the struggles faculty and students had to overcome highlights the incredible strides toward improvement and shows us how we can continue to improve.”

The panelists wanted to conclude the event by emphasizing the significance of preserving history. Post shared students can help maintain history by adding to the NAAB Center and utilizing it as a resource.

“The title of this [event] is called Trailblazers and we’re talking about firsts but it’s important for us to talk about how to continue,” he said.

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By DAVID BOHENICK

Managing Editor