Friday, Feb. 1 marked the beginning of Black History Month, which will run through Friday, Mar. 1. “When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us.” This is a quote by Ava DuVernay, a Black director and the first Black woman to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, according to the National Women’s History Museum. To commemorate Black History Month, The Herald is featuring two Meredith staff members, Dr. Alisa Johnson from the English Department, and Professor Lormarev Jones from the Theatre Department.
Dr. Alisa Johnson teaches multiple classes within the English department on Meredith’s campus, including Supernatural Literature and African American Writers. Dr. Johnson attended Guilford College as an undergraduate in Greensboro, North Carolina for her English degree. At Guilford College, Dr. Johnson explains that she was “the only African American English major during [her] four years there,” however, notes that the faculty were “wonderful,” as well as “very supportive and encouraging.” Dr. Johnson described the lack of opportunities to study African American Literature while at Guilford College, but her faculty supported the independent projects she had done on the subject. Dr. Johnson also added that she “loved the college very much” and made friendships that have lasted many years from her time there.
Professor Lormarev Jones teaches several classes in Theatre at Meredith including Theatre History, Stage Management, and Modern Drama. Jones attended Meredith College as an undergraduate with the class of 2005 as a Theatre Major then went to graduate school at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Jones expressed that Meredith was “very different demographically than now” and that she was the only Black theatre major in the Theatre department during most of her undergraduate experience. Despite this, Lormarev was able to explore a lot within theatre because of all the opportunities there were since the department was small.
Even though there were many opportunities for exploration within the theatre department at Meredith, Professor Jones expressed having a lack of opportunities while pursuing her acting career. She explained that despite theatre being “more progressive than many fields,” it still was not as progressive as it could be at the time she was pursuing a career in acting, since there were not as many opportunities for actors of color. In addition, Dr. Johnson described feeling “isolated and scrutinized” in certain academic situations and explained that because some don’t consider African American Literature to be American literature and that there are instances when people do not view her as a literature teacher. Despite these experiences, she describes feeling grateful for her education and the faculty that supported her.
When looking into careers, Dr. Johnson said that even though she loved her teachers, she had “no interest in teaching” until she got assigned her first section of composition and realized that she “never wanted to do anything else.” After graduating from her undergraduate program, Dr. Johnson said that she had no idea what she wanted to do “except pay back [her] loans.” However, after working a few jobs, she decided to go to graduate school to get a job in publishing where she instead took an interest in becoming a teacher. Dr. Johnson expressed that she is grateful for her mother who “never pressured [her] about [her] career choices,” for the jobs she took on in between schooling that taught her about her strengths, and weaknesses as well as for her first class of students who introduced her to her calling as a teacher and treated her with patience and support.
On the other hand, Jones drew her inspiration to pursue acting from Whoopi Goldberg who created a solo show on Broadway as a young actor Professor Jones also added that she resembled Goldberg when she was young. She states that she “somehow always knew” that she wanted to be a solo performer and had an amazing mentor, Maggir Rasnick, who believed in her even when she was in doubt about her ability to pursue a career in the arts.
Dr. Alisa Johnson is open about her love for the arts, taking a special interest in theatre, film, music, and dance. Outside of teaching, she often attends concerts, performances and festivals. She is also involved with organizations for affordable housing in Durham with emphasis on “strengthening [her] community” and addressing quality-of-life issues. She shares that she was a “comic book nerd” growing up and is a big fan of superhero movies, primarily Marvel. Aside from her interest in the arts, Dr. Johnson also loves cats and is an active member of her Buddhist Sangha. Outside of teaching, Professor Lormarev Jones loves to bowl and owns personal bowling equipment, including a bowling ball and shoes, but states that she is “terrible” at it. However, her bowling skills haven’t deterred her from enjoying the activity.
These two professors have shared their growth as individuals in their fields both professionally and academically. Despite the obstacles they faced as Black people, like the lack of opportunities and representation, they each expressed being grateful for different individuals in their lives who showed them support and also for the experiences they had that taught them about themselves and their careers. The experiences of these professors speak to what higher education is like for many Black students who may face systemic oppression in some fields and may have trouble finding a good support system and opportunities while pursuing their careers. In celebration of their success, Happy Black History Month!
By: Elaina Irving, Reporter
Photos courtesy of Dr. Alisa Johnson and Professor Lormarev Jones