Umoja: The Hilltop 24

It is not myth, speculation or arrogance. Every prominent black leader that has changed the world with a mere thought has graced the halls of Howard University. With that said, it is not surprising to know that students here right now still possess the power to change the world. One thing about Howard always remains true, for good or bad it never changes. We face the same challenges the greats faced, as a consequence, we will continue to produce the best and the brightest.

Never resting on our past, The Hilltop has chosen to honor those students that have made positive contributions to the Howard legacy with “The Hilltop 24” list. This list will highlight the 24 most influential students on campus at the moment.

Influential people are those students that possess the power to change the world by the sheer force of their personality and willingness, determination and ability to help others.

Students who use their influence to leave a lasting legacy at Howard. It’s about more than having a position or holding a title; it is about grinding everyday without the need for affirmation or kudos.

It is those students who give all of themselves to voice the concerns of and find solutions for another.

This is not a popularity contest; this is not a time for student leaders to set-up their campaigns for next semester, and this is not a list that The Hilltop staff decided to compile to gloat about people who have not come at us in the course of the semester, but rather a way to shine the light on students who are making a difference and inspire other students in the future. People who make others want to follow in their footsteps.

The Hilltop has already chosen some names but wants to know who you consider to be influential. Submit their name(s) on thehilltoponline.com or e-mail their name(s) to hilltopcampus@gmail.com. Really think about the people that have served as a positive role model in your life, undergraduate and/or graduate career.

Looking back at influential Howard alumni like Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure), Taraji P. Henson, George Padmore, Eric Williams, Thurgood Marshall, Anthony Anderson, Kasim Reed, Lynn Whitfield and Phylicia Rashad, The Hilltop started running HU History Corner  this year to highlight those alumni who are  now “leaders for America and the global community.”

With The Hilltop 24, we want to highlight those students before they leave Howard, something to look back an reflect on ten years. Give people the flowers while they can still smell them.

Influence is not determined by the individual exerting the influence so please do not submit your own name. Along those lines, we do reserve the right to ignore suggestions. So please think about the students that have shaped the course of your life at Howard University. Those people that can capture your imagination with a sentence.

3 comments

The Black Cynic

Tue Nov 17 2009 22:31

We have to be mindful that the majority of Howard University alumni[a](i.e., degree holders or not in some cases) who are widely revered are those from a historical framework when our overall conditionality was explicitly different. In fact, such persons were unapologetically Black and uniquely concerned about the survival of Black people. However, the Howard University alumni[a] who the author's mention in a current context are those who "popular" within the entertainment industry(have never publicly addressed the implicit/explicit racism Black endure) and hold (or currently seeking ) a particular political position have been merely maintain the status quo in these respective cities(i.e., Atlanta) if you examined various areas. Case in point, when do you last recall any of these "leading Blacks(not Black leaders) addressing such issues without being ahistorical and apolitical respectively?

In sum, we must keep in mind to not misinterpret one's popularity for real and true Black leadership who is "unapologetically Black" and do not modfiy his/her speech in the presence of any Whites, Asians, Latinos, or anybody else. For the author's erudition, they should included the Grand Master Teacher Dr. Khalid Muhammed alongwith those more recognizable and popular Howard University. That being said, even Dr. Muhammed did not graduate from Howard(i.e., Henson and Combs didn't either), he ignitied a firestorm and unlocked the minds of Howard University students when he gave his memorable speech on campus in the early 1990s. Not to mention the millions of Black people minds he unlocked across the nation and the globe. So, if you're familiar with his work, I would recommend you researching his contribution alongwith Dr. Frances Cress-Welsing(see her book:The Isis Papers).

After completing this task, I am certain that you'll be very pleased with your findings and my recommending it accordingly.

ca.

Mon Nov 16 2009 12:57

I think the nominated person has to be a current student.

Hope McNish

Mon Nov 16 2009 10:25

I nominate Ewart Brown Premier of Bermuda, a past president of HUSA and a past member of the Board of Trustees.

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out