More Than A Month is a new storytelling campaign sharing photos and personal anecdotes from students to empower and inspire the University community.
The goal of the campaign created by senior psychology major Summer Wigley is to “celebrate those around us who are history in the making.”
The campaign is sponsored by the UM Black Student Union and the UM National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
More Than A Month began Feb. 1 to coincide with the beginning of Black History Month, but the goal is to continue the campaign in some capacity even after the month ends.
Wigley said several ideas inspired her to start the campaign.
“I’m a photographer on the side, and I asked myself ‘What are you doing with your gift?’ I’ve always had a passion for photojournalism and I’m a huge fan of Humans of New York, so it was a big inspiration,” Wigley said.
The name More Than A Month was derived from a campaign that the Black Student Union did last year called I Am More Than. Wigley said the name was chosen to demonstrate that young people are history in the making and should be celebrated.
Reuben Johnson, senior broadcast journalism major, was one of the first people to be featured in the campaign.
“The More Than A Month campaign is a very refreshing platform that provides different perspectives on what blackness entails,” Johnson said. “I can definitely see a lot of positive dialogue coming from this and I am so excited to see the impact it will have on race relations on campus.”
Wigley said she made a vow to do whatever she could to learn and understand her best friend’s experiences after she realized her friend would be treated differently based on the color of her skin.
“I didn’t want to simply sit back and sympathize from a distance, but be proactive and empathize with those different than me. There’s no growth when you feel for someone, only when you feel with him,” Wigley said. “It’s been a really growing experience and I think people can learn a lot when people open their hearts and their minds to things different than them.”
The stories the students tell through More Than A Month aims to help educate University students and the Oxford community.
“The stories shared will, without a doubt, open the eyes of many who may be unaware of the challenges faced by members of my community,” Johnson said. “I also believe that the stories being shared will support the idea of black people being multi-dimensional beings, an idea that is hardly backed by society.”
Wigley said she hopes people will learn something new as they follow the posts from More Than A Month.
“I just hope that one person is inspired or (their) heart is changed,” Wigley said. “I want people to see it and engage with it. Hopefully there will be an open, continuous conversation about people. Don’t be afraid to be who you are and share your story because our campus has proved that when you speak up, people will listen and things can change because of it.”
More Than A Month can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
