Garden City, N.Y. - On Thursday, February 8, 2018, student-athletes, alumni and administration gathered in the Campbell Lounges for the 16th Annual Black History Month Dinner Celebration, hosted by the athletic department.
The evening opened with remarks from Director of Athletics and Recreation,
Danny McCabe who then handed the evening off to emcee Kevin Dexter. The program itself started with the acknowledgment of the 2018 Cecil K. Watkins award winners, Idongesit Ekong (track and field) and Austin Beech (men's basketball). Prior to accepting their awards, 2017 winner Niajah Morgan of the Adelphi women's basketball team read aloud Watkins's bio for the room.
"While looking back on his life he wanted to be remembered as someone who cared and loved, gave back to the community, paid it forward and just as importantly, someone who was able to reach and teach," Morgan read. Every year, the award is given to a male and female student-athlete of color who excels in the classroom and on the playing field. It is named after alumnus and Adelphi Hall of Famer Cecil K. Watkins, who was dedicated to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs.
After a brief break for dinner and dessert, Dexter introduced keynote speaker Dr. Perry Greene, Ph.D., Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at Adelphi University. He received his Master's degree in Media Ecology at New York University, and he earned a Ph. D. in English Education, also from NYU. Dr. Greene's career includes many years as a public school teacher at both the elementary and high school levels, teaching in Harlem, Brooklyn and Malverne, New York. For many of the last 30 years, he has taught English and teacher preparation at the college level and is a tenured professor of English education.
The interview covered an array of topics, including Greene's lengthy career in higher education to current events involving professional athletes. He touched on the variety of initiatives that he is spearheading as Adelphi's first VP for Diversity and Inclusion and what it means to have diversity on a college campus.
The Adelphi University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Annual Black History Month Celebration was founded in 2003 by former Director of Athletics Robert E. Hartwell and Assistant Director of Athletics Suzette McQueen. The annual event is held in February and is a chance for alumni to return to campus and mingle with current student-athletes and members of the department.
About Adelphi Athletics
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009, and in the past eight seasons, has collected 25 regular season conference titles, 26 tournament championships, 33 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup four times (2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), while winning six NCAA Division II National Championships.
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