When third-year Engineering students Justin Steele and Ermias Abebe do venture out of the E-school and into Gilmer 130, they are used to sitting in the audience seats.The evening of Feb 4, however, found them standing at the front of the auditorium, facing a few hundred of their peers.
That Tuesday night the two stood prepared to teach others about their own history through a presentation entitled "Connecting Communities: A Look at Current Race Relations through the Lens of Black History at U.Va."
"Preaching to the choir"
The presentation was first introduced to the public a semester ago, but at that time the audience make-up was almost entirely African-American.Steele noted that originally the presentation had been geared toward African-American students and was publicized with that in mind.
"The initial statement of purpose was to increase ownership of African-American students -- so that they could say U.Va. is their school," Steele said. "It was heavily, heavily publicized to the African-American community the first time. We were trying to get diverse students, but the push was towards African-American students."
Steele said he remembers the very different dynamics of the first presentation, likening its interactive vibes to the experience of attending a church with an all-black congregation.
"For me it felt much more interactive -- I was feeding off the crowd, they were pushing me forward," Steele said. "I was teaching them about their history
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