Black History Program Held at UAHT

From 6 to 8 P.M Wednesday February 22nd U of A held an event in Hempstead Hall honoring Black History Month.  The keynote speaker was Sean Penix, the Senior Director of Legends Global Sales.

The evening started with a welcome by the SGA president Joshua Johnson, followed by a prayer by the board of visitors – chairman Reverend Freddie Smith.

Following this the Haynes Chapel Baptist Church choir sang the hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson.

The choir followed with a song of choice and then the Multicultural Club President Emily Moreno spoke introducing the keynote speaker, Sean Penix.  Moreno talked about his success in raising funds, his varied roles and his school history in Arkansas.

In his speech Penix started with a quip about how being there was a vacation from his family.  An important part of his speech was the importance of not skipping steps and talked about his role of raising his daughters and how they would test him and the example he would need to provide.  He stated that as people grew older the importance of not skipping steps grew.  Penix stated that as you move forward, the question is who comes behind you.  He asked, “What is the process for fulfilling your life purpose?” He stated that he got up at 5:00 A.M. when the house was quiet and meditative. He said that he asks himself daily how he can be of service to others.  Penix emphasized the importance of daily consistency.

Penix then showed a picture of his parents and talked about love and legacy.  He stated that his parents grew up in Crosset but moved to Fort Smith for better opportunities.  His parents were educators who put education, people and him first.

Penix stated that he reads a lot and mentioned the idea of the 10,000 hour rule – become a master at what you love by practicing it enough.  He stressed the idea of not waiting and instead practicing everyday. The time to make an impact is now and make serving others a priority. Penix stressed that your network is your net worth and talked about the important of having others around who thought differently.

Penix stated that in the sports industry so many things are happening all the time so that it is important not to follow a narrow path but have broad interests. He challenged us to be uncomfortable and said that we have to be adaptable to keep up. He said if you want it go fast, go alone. If you want it go far, go together.  The important thing he stated that we have to think about is how to bring people together. He talked about the obstacles his parents had faced and yet they persevered as they believed in their vision.

Penix was followed by a dinner served by the Multicultural Club and SGA.

Then the President of TXK Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Ms. Maggie Love spoke about all the opportunities the students had and said that service was the rent paid.  In Greek life she developed a lot of friends and continued alliances and challenged the students to focus on education and to develop a plan, execute the plan and bring it to the communities.  She stated that she was honored to be a part of black history.

Following this was a talented Step Dancing Performance by the NPHC and closing remarks by the Multicultural Club V.P. Evelyn Medina.