As graduation approaches, seven Black women participated in a photo shoot on Thursday, April 29, at the Jack K. Williams Administration Building to celebrate each of their achievements in unity. The purpose of the shoot was to raise awareness of the accomplishments Black women have made on campus during their undergraduate years.
Interdisciplinary studies senior Jabreon Jackson said the photo shoot began with a vision she had several months ago.
“Sometime last semester, I had a passing thought of getting some of my friends together and taking this picture,” Jackson said. “I thought, ‘Let me do something to celebrate us in a very simple way and would be really fun and would be a lasting memory.’”
This semester, Jackson said she was able to narrow the photo idea down to what she wanted it to look like: Black Aggie women, all Class of 2021.
“I really wanted to highlight different female Black Aggies in a way that would celebrate their accomplishments because oftentimes we feel overlooked,” Jackson said. “We’re here too, and we deserve to be celebrated, and so why can’t we celebrate each other?”
On the day of the photo shoot, sport management senior S’dney Goodman said she experienced a range of emotions.
“It was overwhelming in the sense that knowing that my time here at A&M was coming to an end, but I was happy because of the experience that A&M had given to me,” Goodman said. “It was a fun experience to be had, but then at the end of it, we were all like, ‘This is it. We’re all about to go our separate ways. Let’s enjoy this moment.’”
Although the purpose was to take photos, Jackson said even more than that, they were able to form a deeper bond over their shared experiences.
“When we got there, we could really feel the sisterhood,” Jackson said. “It was really fun within ourselves to celebrate each other … but [to] also talk about all of the different accomplishments that each of us have. Just within ourselves, we were so diverse in all of the different achievements that we have.”
Specifically, Goodman said she is proud to have been selected to join a prestigious and selective honors program.
“I was just initiated into Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society,” Goodman said. “I believe it’s one of the oldest long-standing honor societies in the country and for A&M, and getting into that society is by invitation-only.”
Sociology senior Tiara Kinnebrew said she is also proud of the accomplishments she and the other women have made during their academic careers.
“I was able to achieve my childhood dream of illustrating children’s books … [and] I managed to be published three times so far,” Kinnebrew said. “Despite stressful situations and adversity, we all made it through … We went through difficult times, and we all preserved and are graduating.”
Ultimately, Goodman said the photos represent both the recognition and celebration of Black female Aggie graduates.
“The overall purpose of the photo shoot is to highlight that the African American women that are on Texas A&M campus … are making great strides as well,” Goodman said. “The [number of] African Americans on the campus … is very small, so we wanted to use this photo shoot to highlight that we’re [here], we exist and we are also making strides. We’re graduating from Texas A&M, this school that can be recognized all over. This is the time to be celebrated.”