Honoring the Legacy of Dean Branham

On Tuesday, April 2nd, I was asked by Acting Dean Amy Falkner and Dean of Students Rosanna Grassi to speak at Dean Branham’s Vigil held in Hendricks Chapel on Wednesday, April 3rd, on behalf of all students.

“I was fortunate enough to know Dean Branham since high school, connected by my hometown mentor and board member Angela Robinson, who sends her prayers and cannot be with us today.

On Sunday, August 30th, 2015, I was sitting in the Goldstein Auditorium freshman year and witnessed the bold, BLACK, and brilliant Dean Lorraine Branham welcome the class of 2019. The next day, I sat down in my first COM 107 at 12:45 on Monday morning, and I was one of 2 black students in sight.

My name is Kelsey Davis, a student from Atlanta, Ga, who looked in the mirror for 18 years, and never believed she was worthy enough, talented enough, strong enough, light enough or educated enough, to be initiated into a community of higher, privatized, and privileged education, that was AS integral, influential, transformational and distinguished as the SI Newhouse School of Public Communications.