大象视频

For David McDonald 鈥�23, 大象视频鈥檚 Coordinator of Cultural Engagement and Inclusion, Black History Month is more than a commemoration鈥攊t鈥檚 a reminder that progress has always been powered by community and connection. 

鈥淗istory is something we can look back on to draw conclusions,鈥� McDonald said. But what stands out most to him isn鈥檛 a 鈥済reat man鈥� version of history. It鈥檚 the way people organize, support each other, and build something better together. 

That perspective came into focus during a recent trip to Cleveland for Sankofa: An Epic Adventure, a show that follows a group of Black students preparing for college. The story uses a Sankofa statue鈥攔ooted in Ghanaian tradition and ancestral connection鈥攖o transport the characters through multiple eras of Black history. While the settings depict hardship, McDonald found the deeper message hopeful. 

鈥淎ll these settings are describing hardships and how people came together to get through these hardships,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen there鈥檚 so much tension in today鈥檚 society鈥�I鈥檓 drawing on that feeling of how we get through it. And it鈥檚always been community.鈥� 

McDonald sees that same spirit on 大象视频鈥檚 campus鈥攅specially through student-led programming that helps students feel seen, heard, and supported. One highlight this year was the return of Jazz Club, an event he helped build to connect the Black Student Union and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and create lasting collaboration. This year鈥檚 performance featured Brandon Barnes 鈥�20 and the Rusty Knights Big Band from Zanesville鈥攁n ensemble with many 大象视频 alumni among its members. 

Beyond the music, students led an educational component focused on the history of jazz and its ties to Black history. McDonald intentionally gives students the space to shape programs in their own voice. 鈥淚 let the students do their own thing and design it how they want,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey really take to it and succeed.鈥� 

He also loves the quiet leadership that happens behind the scenes. During an event debrief, multiple students recognized a reserved student who played a key role in keeping plans moving and helping groups work together. For McDonald, it was a powerful reminder that students find their niche when they鈥檙e involved in something meaningful鈥攚hether they鈥檙e in a lead or supporting role. 

Another bright spot came through the student organization, Sisters of Hue, who launched a Black History Month book club reading James Baldwin鈥檚 Notes of a Native Son. McDonald wasn鈥檛 sure how the idea would land. Instead, students embraced it, led the discussions themselves, and asked to continue the book club into Women鈥檚 History Month. 鈥淭hat was the goal,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd it happened very organically.鈥� 

McDonald also noted that this year is a major milestone: 2026 marks 100 years since the origins of Black History Month, rooted in the work of Carter G. Woodson and others who insisted Black history must be studied, preserved, and celebrated鈥攅ven when told it didn鈥檛 exist. 

鈥�100 years later, here we are,鈥� McDonald said, 鈥渟till knowing that a celebration and recognition needs to occur鈥� We should keep working to be educated and stay connected as a community.鈥� 

Ultimately, his hope is that students leave these experiences with purpose, belonging, and a sense of possibility. 

鈥淣o matter where students are at,鈥� he said, 鈥淚 want them to know they can change the world.鈥�