CLC’s Black Student Union wins national award for museum exhibit

Students in College of Lake County’s (CLC) Black Student Union (BSU) had the opportunity to have their voices heard during “Our Voice is Black History: Past, Present, Future,” a special exhibition that ran last year virtually and in-person at the Bess Bower Dunn Museum in Libertyville.

The exhibition, which ran from Feb. 6 to Oct. 24, received the 2022 National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials (NACPRO) Award in the Park & Recreation Program - Class IV category. The annual awards program recognizes and honors excellence in parks and recreation at the county, regional and special district levels.

“Our Voice is Black History” examined and explored multigenerational stories and experiences through graphic design, poetry, writing, art and video interviews that portray the voice of African Americans' past and present.

CLC students were given the chance to talk to prominent Black leaders in the Lake County community, helping them discover role models and people they can reach out to.

“Receiving national recognition lets people see that CLC is allowing its students to express themselves freely and we are helping our students to become leaders,” said African American Student Outreach and Programs Coordinator Beverly Phelps.

Jermain Hilton, a student who participated in the exhibition, said, “After hearing about the award, I felt appreciated, and that people cared about our work. With everything that was going on at the time, this felt important to us and it was our real emotions.”