New London ― For Connecticut College juniors Khadedra Neals and Shamar Rule, shaking the ground and demanding change from those in power was always in their plan.

But even they would be the first to admit they never thought they would be the students to jump-start a movement that would lead to the resignation of a college president.

“I would never have thought before coming to Conn that I would have to actively protest and mobilize a whole college community to fight for change. But we did,” Rule said.

In early February, former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King told student leaders, including Neals and Rule, that he would resign in protest of the college holding an event at The Everglades, a Florida country club with an alleged history of anti-Black racism and antisemitism.

From that point on, the two understood their plan to enact change on campus would need to start swiftly.

“We can’t let Katherine Bergeron get away with this,” Neals said referring to the president of the college after King told them of his plans to resign.

Students began protesting on February 8. They boycotted classes for one week, organized protests with faculty, and 30 students locked themselves in Fanning Hall, a administrative and lecture hall that houses the president’s office, for 10 days.

The faculty on March 8 issued a vote of no confidence in Bergeron, solidifying the students’ protest efforts, which would lead to Bergeron’s resignation on March 25.

Chicago roots

Coming from Chicago, Rule, 20, is studying government. He began his involvement in community action from a young age. Rule grew up in the Cabrini-Green neighborhood, a predominately Black neighborhood whose former public housing complex was the setting for the 1970s TV sitcom “Good Times.” He lived with his younger sister and their mother, who is an inventory specialist at Walgreen's.

His call to activism was accelerated in 2020 after the death of George Floyd sparked mass protests throughout the country.

That summer, Rule said he began to organize and lead a protest in Chicago.

“I felt like I needed to do it because I was a Black man in Chicago,” he said.

“A lot of times in the news, especially in 2020, there was an influx in unarmed Black people being shot and killed by a police officer. I felt called to action at that time.”

Rule began to learn the skills necessary to coordinate and mobilize community action. Alongside his friends, he grew to understand how to cultivate an effort to fight for change.

“I started talking to some friends and I reached out to a few people at my high school who helped us when it came to fundraising and organizing and getting people out there on the streets,” he said.

In June 2020, Rule planned the March for America’s Future in Chicago. Despite it being the first protest he had ever planned, more than 200 people showed up in support.

“I decided to respond in my own way with my community. This was the start of my activist career,” Rule said.

Neals, 21, is majoring in government and sociology. She aspires to be a lawyer, which has driven her throughout her upbringing. As an only child, Neals grew up on the West Side of Chicago with her mother, who works as a resource specialist for a childcare assistance company. She attended a predominately white private high school and quickly noticed the differences in her community, versus the one where she attended school. Despite the differences, she never questioned her identity.

“I was born and raised in Chicago. Growing up, I’ve always been exposed to diversity. I went to predominately private and white schools. However, I lived in neighborhoods where I only saw my own. I saw the change of people who looked like me in my community when I came home, versus when I went to school,” she said.

She added, “I never questioned my Blackness because I was taught to remain true to myself.”

Prior to attending college, Neals was never involved in organizing protests or leading activist causes, but instead used her aspiration to become a lawyer to advocate for her beliefs.

“Being a Black woman in Chicago, I always went through the model of taking up space. No matter where I’m at,” Neals said. “In high school, I was a part of our mock-trial team. That really pushed me to get into political justice and reform. I thought it was really important to understand the law.”

Coming to Conn College

Rule and Neals knew early on that the environment at Connecticut College would be something they weren’t used to. Students of color, a criteria set by the federal government’s race and ethnicity categories make up 23%, out of the 1,915 of the student population and only four percent are Black.

But the two knew that they could create change anywhere. After both receiving a full-tuition scholarship from the Posse Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides students to attend college tuition-free, the two became friends through the organization.

“I’m a first-gen college student,” Rule said. “As soon as I heard Posse was paying my tuition, I knew that I had to take that up as an opportunity to be able to have every other resource that a white person or upper-class individual has in their life.”

“When I first heard of the scholarship, I immediately knew I wanted it to be mine,” Neals said. “Many Chicagoans feel a sense of fear of getting out of their environments. Being a pre-law student, I wanted to explore my environment outside of Chicago. I knew that I wanted to explore Khadedra outside of Chicago.”

Rule noticed immediately that students who looked like him had a much more difficult time adapting to the college’s environment.

The college offers an orientation program for first year students of color, but Rule said he found the resources dedicated to helping students of color feel empowered adapting to a predominately white environment were lackluster.

“The first week we were able to tell that something bad is going on at this school. We didn’t feel comfortable,” he said.

When Rule and Neals arrived, the college was in lock-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some regular programming that might have helped students adapt to the environment was limited.

The pair set out to ensure that future students who look like them never have to experience the discomfort they faced when coming to the college.

“One of the biggest discomforts was the lack of community among Black and brown people at the college. That made it ten times harder to meet people and feel at home,” Rule said.

He added, “Going to class and being the only Black kid in class my whole first-year in college. If someone mentioned BLM or a Black person, they’d look at you.“

In April 2022, Rule and Neals met with the former Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion Rodmon King to discuss establishing a Black student union at the college. King, who later became the club’s adviser, said he was impressed by their vision.

“I was not initially thinking I wanted to be an adviser. The thing that really struck me is that they had a really strong community vision for what they wanted to do,” King said in a phone interview.

King remarked that he asked himself, “How are we going to get the Black community together? It was really the timing for Khadedra and Shamar. It immediately was clear they understood what the community needed.”

The Black Student Union was formed in May 2022 and quickly became one of the most prominent clubs on the campus. The organization raised thousands of dollars from Black alumni and has hosted events that attract Black students throughout the campus.

With 70 active members, the club has hosted various events from a BBQ cookout, to a black-tie gala event that was attended by alumni, students, and faculty.

“We’re going to continue to advocate for the social and political well-being of Black students here at Conn College,” Rule said. He added that the club “will continue to have an impact” even when they are gone.

Sparking a movement

For Rule and Neals, King’s resignation was the catalyst for organizing the campus community into action. From the beginning, they set out to replace college President Katherine Bergeron, who in their view failed the college too many times.

“This last series of events sparked a different range of emotions for us as students that said we can’t take any more,” Rule said. “We had to speak up and stand up for ourselves. If we don’t change this institution, students who look like me and Khadedra are going to come to Conn in one or two years and have to go through the same thing we’re going through. It’s a pattern.”

Neals had no idea that they would become leaders of a movement that ousted a college president. She said she has no regrets and is proud of what she and her peers accomplished.

“I honestly would have never thought this could happen or at least me being a part of a movement like this in our college experience. But as Shamar said, I don’t regret it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would,” Neals said.

Neals said her mother had concerns about her daughter taking action against the college administration, fearing that she would face retaliation.

“I know my mom was scared,” she said. “When you see a Black leader in a predominately white space speaking up and going against the norms, that is scary. Especially for people back home who are used to going by not saying anything.”

“But they were so happy with the outcome,” Neals said, referring to her family.

Rule said his mother knew his commitment to activism and instilling change was strong. To her, as long as Rule continued to be a good student and stand up for what he believes is right, she had confidence, he said.

“My mom has always been a very supportive woman in my life and I know I can express to her how I feel,” Rule said.

“The support from our families really kept us going,” Neals added.

Their future plans

As their senior year nears, their eyes are on the future and its opportunities. Neals hopes to attend law school in Chicago.

“Next year, I will be studying for my LSATs to go to law school,” Neals said. “I’m ready to use what I’ve learned at Conn in my profession, especially when I attend law school, hopefully in Chicago. I knew (for) undergraduate I wanted to be away from Chicago. But now I see (that) if I can incite change from communities I’m not from, I can do it back in my hometown.”

Rule wants to continue making changes within the campus. He plans to run for Student Government Association president next year. After college, Rule plans to go back to Chicago and continue his activism and political advocacy.

“Making change is my goal. Next year, I’m running for SGA president,” Rule said. “The day after college, I’ve always been interested in policy and politics and making a change in my environment when it comes to activism. In Chicago, we just elected a new mayor, Brendan Johnson. I want to be the next Brendan Johnson of Chicago one day.”

King is hopeful about the future of the two students.

He believes that older generations oftentimes like to overlook just how effective and ambitious young people are, and that Rule and Neals will continue to prove them wrong.

“There’s times where the gray-heads can be critical of younger generations,” King said.

He added, “I think Shamar and Khadedra are strong contradictions to that narrative. That is our future.”

t.wright@theday.com