Looking Through the Eyes of Faith to Become a Justice Warrior in the New Black Student Movement

Ty Hamer-Yelverton

Ty Hamer-Yelverton, Fayetteville State University (FSU) Justice Warrior in the New Black Student Movement (NBSM)

(A GDN Exclusive Series, Part 1) 

Ty Hamer-Yelverton’s grandmother and grandfather met at FSU in 1949-1950. His grandmother graduated from FSU when she was around 19 years old. So, he’s part of a legacy that establishes how proud he is to be an FSU Bronco.

Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Ty developed his passion for leadership, mentoring, and discipleship, and getting involved in the community from middle school, starting with the Student Government Association (SGA), throughout high school with the Goldsboro Mayor’s Youth Council, and where he was able to get an understanding of Robert’s Rules of Order. As a high schooler, Ty used that skill set at one of the Youth Legislative Assemblies held in Raleigh during one of his high school years. Those activities helped his talents grow. Starting at FSU in 2017, he became involved in student leadership with the Royal Court first, then becoming a Senator with the SGA, and now being the outgoing President of the student chapter of NAACP.

When asked, about his objectives as he leaves the presidency to take on another role within the organization, he says, “We have three actual strategic goals for 2021–2026 to primarily focus on: 1) Political/voter empowerment and awareness, to improve and grow in our student engagement via social media and have more of a campus presence; 2) Using this time during the pandemic to focus on the structural forms of the chapter so for the next administration those structural forms can add onto the structure; and   3) To ensure that our history is known.

Ty added, “As I was coming in, I wanted to know more about the chapter’s history and its involvement with Fayetteville primarily. I haven’t learned much. But one of the things that I wanted to key in on was when the chapter was established. If we know the established year of the chapter, it brings a more profound understanding of how long we’ve been in the fight as students at FSU. FSU students have been part of the NAACP, from what I know from the archives, ever since 1987 and it’s been here ever since. And from my archival research, I believe there has been the calling for a campus chapter ever since the 1970s. So, when I see students representing FSU within the NAACP it just honors how it was all established. So, that’s basically what we’re focusing on, those three agendas or three goals.

The Use of Technology to Move the New Black Student Movement Forward?

Other than what’s already being used as an educational tool, Hamer-Yelverton

offers that, “Besides Zoom and social media, I do believe, based on talking with a few people…. I want to answer this question, but I want to put it in this segment. Before I became president, in the process of being president, I talked with folks like our advisor Stanley Johnson. I had a one-on-one conversation with him to learn from him and to learn from his experience in the NAACP. He was part of the movement itself from an FSU student member perspective. So, he, Dr. Willis B. McLeod and Commissioner Jeanette Council, were all part of what we know of, what I refer to as the FSU Student Civil Rights Movement. They engaged in civil rights downtown in peaceful protest.

“But, to answer your question regarding social media and mechanisms for which we can bring the seasoned generation with the young adult and young people, I believe the greatest thing for a university, especially for FSU is to have a biopic. A founding of things that set FSU apart from any other institution. Not just FSU but any university, whether you are a Predominantly White Institution (PWI), whether you are a Black Student Union within a PWI or Minority Serving Institution (MSI). Black Student Unions have a history, they were founded for a reason. So, to learn the history and make it more modern…learn it from those who were involved and do your research and apply that research in a way that it can be found for the next generation. I believe that videos are one thing that the institution is doing to reach out, but I believe that a biopic or a small snippet of the founding of FSU, or any institution, is very important.

“I, myself, my freshman year, was given the opportunity to research Bishop Thomas Lomax, who is, not just the founder of FSU, but also the co-founder of Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC. So, to be part of that and to learn more about him that this was a bishop who established what we would now know it as a public institution of higher education within the Black context…an HBCU. Not just “a” HBCU, but ‘two’ HBCUs. And it’s all a part of me being a part of it. And that changed my whole perspective as to how I saw, not just my community, but I saw how my faith being contextualized in my community produces things and opportunity. So, that’s what I would say, not just social media. You can have talks and panels all day long. But if someone can get a visual of what it could have been, that would bring their imagination and their heart into it much more.

“The personal conversation is important. So, if people can “see” the “visual” of how things came to be…$136 for two lots on Gillespie Street, visualizing that, “seeing” that, “hearing” that will make it more powerful. I’m not just saying for FSU, I’m saying for any other institution, any other Black Student Union. The thing about Black Student Unions on PWIs, there had to be some backlash, but the students were still motivated, or the faculty was still motivated to establish BSUs in order for students to, not just learn more about themselves but to learn more about their culture and enhance their understanding and worldview to the opportunities that may have been few and far between.”

Ty continues: “One thing for this NBSM, it is vitally important that every generation leaves a piece for the next generation to build upon. That would be my closing statement. Because what we see in 1960 and what we see throughout the years is students leaving…not just bits and pieces, but a foundation, to build upon. And that’s what my idea of mentorship, discipleship, and leadership is all about…is planting seeds and allowing that person in his own individual relationship to grow and pass the torch along in a sense.

“The fire has already been lit it has to be refined. And this is the part of refining…the NBSM. Engaging with one another, learning about one another, and learning our history. FSU has BRONCO-iRADIO, which I used to do during my sophomore years, where we sat down with people at the radio station, that goes out to the Fayetteville and FSU community. So, in talking about a NBSM, it is vitally important. I look forward to seeing everything transpire.”

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