St. Joe’s welcomed Tre Johnson, author of “Black Genius,” to speak to students and faculty in the Forum Theater Feb. 18.
Johnson was introduced to the audience of about 35 attendees with an extensive resume as a writer, educator and renowned cultural critic. His commentary and work on “Black Genius” has been featured in publications such as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, as well as CNN, NPR and The New York Times.
Johnson, now based in Philadelphia, grew up in Trenton, New Jersey. As a child, he attended St. Joe’s basketball games.
“Black Genius” is a collection of essays about Black American culture that asks readers to consider the definition of the term “genius.” Johnson argues that the term is outdated.
“‘Black Genius’ is communal, cultural, emotional, intellectual conversations and artifacts that are created out of Black community experience,” Johnson told attendees. “And I know that’s broad, but it’s intentionally broad because the book tries to embrace all different types of ways that it looks at that.”
Johnson went on to point out that Black experiences rooted in community have remained strong for generations.
“One of my favorite things is what I call the Black Philly summer,” Johnson said. “It’s the trifecta that runs between June and August: ODUNDE Festival, the Roots Picnic and the BlackStar Film Festival … To me, they are the mini ephemeral wakandas that happen during the summer in Philly for Black people that feels abundantly beautiful and creative.”
Gabrielle Stevenson ’21, program specialist for the Office of Inclusive Excellence, said Johnson’s talk embodied exactly what the Center for Inclusion and Diversity aims to highlight on the St. Joe’s campus.
“I always say, ‘It doesn’t matter what you look like, just come in and exist and build the community,’” Stevenson said. “I think that the CID, in and of itself, is really just about building community for students on campus.”
Samantha Savell ’29, who attended the event as part of an assignment for her Inequality in American Society course, said her biggest takeaway from Johnson’s talk was the importance of community, especially on campus.
“We have to be a community to talk about tough topics in our class, and I think that’s something that’s really important,” Savell said.
Johnson concluded his talk by promoting “Black Genius” on a personal level, saying that while there is so much that goes into the essays, the overarching takeaway is truly the power of community.
“There’s a lot about Philadelphia,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot about other cities. There’s a lot about my family. At the end of the day, this is about, how do we lovingly acknowledge and embrace two-feet-on-the-ground Black folks and their experience in households and communities with the ability to build community and live beautiful lives?”
