Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 1 No. 1 Inspiring Firsts

mentors, the program includes women from both in and
out of state serving as a connection on campus.
These sentiments are echoed by Lucy’s Legacy alumna
and mentor, Arianna Morse, “You really build community
and connection and family, sisterhood,” she said. Morse,
a sophomore majoring in Secondary Education English,
is from Auburn, GA and was initially interested in
the program because coming from out-of-state to a
predominantly white institution complicated the normal
difficulties of making friends and adjusting to
campus life. Being a part of the first class of
Lucy’s Legacy helped to solidify relationships
with fellow community members beyond the
program that are replicated through the current
freshman class and their own connections.
Just as Morse questioned the idea of community
and how that would look for her, another out of
state student and current Lucy’s Legacy member,
Jazzmine Burge, had similar questions. “Some
students before they hit their first year at UA,
they hear like, you know, maybe rumors or myths
or horror stories about, the state of Alabama and
being an African American woman or male,” she
said. Rumors and stories aside, Lucy’s Legacy
placed the UA campus in a different light for
Burge with the living-learning community
playing a large role in that perception. “I was
actually going to be able to be around people of
my color or people that have the same mindset
of me,” Burge said.
Similarities have formed the foundation for
connection among Lucy’s Legacy members.
Just as this organization speaks to the care
and development of young Black women and
women of color, there is also an organization
that speaks to young Black men and men of
color known as BRIDGE. BRIDGE also began
in the Fall of 2019 with goals of creating a
legacy at the University by supporting men
of color through creating a vision plan,
forming a community and learning about
being a UA student. The involvement of
Asst. Director Kiara Summerville along with UA faculty
and staff formed the BRIDGE committee that worked
together to enhance the young mens time at UA as both
productive and enjoyable.
Both of these programs hold a special place for
Summerville, as she said, “I always tell people, BRIDGE
and Lucy’s Legacy for me is a way of reaching back into my
own undergraduate experience. So, I was very involved as
a student leader, but I can’t say that I had access to a large
number of, Black faculty or staff, to support me. I had
faculty and staff support, but they were not necessarily,
people of color, some of them were, but not all the time.”
Support from like-minded individuals is shown through
BRIDGE members’ participation in the program, as
demonstrated by current member, freshman Thomas
Rodgers. Following advice from his sister, a current
Lucy’s Legacy mentor, and his friends led to his interest
in BRIDGE. “It was an amazing way for us to learn that we
are not alone here on this campus and for us to like, just
remember that, we’re here for us basically, and this is the
place where we can keep our paths going,” Rodgers said.
Being a support system for one another is a prominent
part of BRIDGE and applies to both BRIDGE members
and mentors, known as BRIDGE Builders. As a BRIDGE
Builder, this relationship is discussed through terms of
accountability by current mentor, Brekeese Pierce. “Being
able to hold me accountable, having that representation,
seeing other men of color, who are driven just as much
as you are, who are doing big things in the community
and have a clear purpose and vision. I think that’s very
imperative,” he said. Pierce, a junior from Huntsville,
AL, elaborates on this through comments about the
importance of seeing fellow Black men as confident and
as an uplifting image against negative stereotypes.
Programs such as Lucy’s Legacy and BRIDGE are
communities of connection through friendship and
support that extend beyond campus grounds. Despite
being young organizations, their work will leave a lasting
impact for generations to come and allow students of
color to form their own stories in bridging historical
divides.
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