Northwestern’s For Members Only, NU’s Black student alliance, hosted “Love Island USA” Season 6 winner Serena Page for its State of the Black Union address on Thursday in Lutkin Auditorium.
Page emerged from one of the most popular seasons of “Love Island USA”, a drama-filled reality dating show, where singles were placed in a villa in Fiji to find love and win a $100,000 cash prize. Viewers adored her openness on the island, and she quickly became a fan favorite.
Each year, FMO hosts the State of the Black Union address, bringing a Black speaker to discuss a range of issues. Previous speakers have included activist Angela Davis and actor Tyler James Williams.
With the theme of this year’s State of the Black Union being “All Eyes on Us,” the breakout star discussed her time in the villa, Black pop culture and the struggles facing Black women in the media, encouraging audience members to “take up space” and show up authentically as themselves.
The address began with questions from the moderators, Weinberg sophomores Mya Stuckey and Elaine Adames-Jimenez. Page discussed topics such as the development of her relationship with fellow Season 6 winner and partner Kordell Beckham to how she navigates the entertainment industry as a Black woman.
“It’s super sweet that a lot of people were able to resonate with it and love the journey,” Page said about her relationship with Beckham.
Page said she had to work 10 times harder as a Black woman to prove herself in the industry, but she looked up to women like Ryan Destiny and Viola Davis as role models and encouraged the audience of young Black women to do the same.
For Weinberg first-year Tristin Hall, hearing from Page was inspiring and a reminder of why spaces for Black students are important.
“I feel like this is so important at a predominantly white institution where everyone can just celebrate being Black and celebrate someone that made it who is Black,” she said.
The event wrapped up with Page taking questions from audience members. She spoke about aspects related to beauty in Black culture, like haircare and personal style.
Weinberg senior Lehla Dillard said events like these are important not only because they help students find community, but they also allow students to see those who look like them be successful in various fields.
“It’s easy for Black women who want to pursue media to kind of get discouraged because there’s been such a push against seeing people like us on TV,” she said. “It’s important to show that you can still be successful.”
For Page, the path to a career in media wasn’t linear. She said she didn’t decide her major for three years while studying at the University of Texas at San Antonio until choosing to pursue marketing.
Following questions from audience members about navigating the film industry as a Black woman, Page told attendees to persevere and remain resilient.
“You really don’t have much of a choice but to just be yourself,” she said. “I wasn’t going to minimize myself in any way just because I’m a Black woman.”
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