On February 24th, Father Thorne held Neumann’s 4th annual Four Women and a Priest panel, a discussion on racism and what it means to be a strong Black Woman covering themes of Open Wide our Hearts, Encounter, and the Giftedness of Women.
For this year’s Black History Month presentation, Father Thorne turned his focus on Black women leaders here at Neumann University such as Georgette Hall-Peterson; Director of Counseling Center for Wellness, Stephanie Jones; Dean of Students and Title IX Co-Coordinator, Michelle S. Santana; Chief Diversity Officer and Tahirah Stevens-Gaillard; Coordinator for Student Leadership.
When discussing the death of George Floyd and the ongoing protest that took place in the summer of 2020, Georgette Hall-Peterson says “As I grieve, I understand the term strong black women, I turn it to powerful Black Women. So I wish I could say what happened to George Floyd was shocking.”
Some key take-away quotes from this Panel when touching on what it means to be a Black woman and the topic of Power, Dominance and Racism “ I want to make sure our young ladies see themselves as worthy” , “ We are all fearfully and wonderfully made”.
Father Thorne went on to ask the Ladies of Neumann what activities bring them joy and Ms. Steven Gaillard started off by saying “ Walking, traveling, reading books, and listening to Jazz.”. Georgette followed up with “ Baking, So calming and relaxing”. I belong to a book club with other fierce black women.”
Closing out the panel, Father Thorne asked about the importance of the ladies working here at Neumann
“To be at Neumann and not see people who don’t look like me doesn’t bother me, because I’m here for the students who look like me”- Stephanie J
