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Clarence Gaines '76 Opens First-Ever Black Alumni Network Event With Stirring Talk

Lester Batiste '09 wrote this account of the first-ever gathering of Episcopal's new Black Alumni Network, where Clarence Gaines '76 gave a keynote talk. 

OG
is an acronym that stands for “original gangsta,” and though the continued debate over the connotation/denotation of the word “gangsta” is inescapable, an OG is how I would describe Mr. Clarence Gaines Jr. In the annals of street legends, OG is a status that speaks to a gangsta’s longevity to the game and influence on the younger generation to help them survive it. Clarence Gaines Jr. is one of the OGs as well as the unofficial historian in the Black Alumni Network, a newly established institution devoted to the advancement of Black bodies and the preservation/ illumination of Black culture in the halls of EHS. 

During his presentation at the first-ever gathering of the network, Mr. Gaines did not talk about the six championship rings he won in the ’90s with the Chicago Bulls as an NBA talent scout, nor did he even allude to those rings, plus a Bulls embossed belt buckle and money clip, that are the background picture on his Twitter page. @ClarenceGaines2 did not talk about his tenure with the New York Knicks organization — no! The game that Clarence decided to drop on that inaugural night of storytelling/fellowship was a reflection on his three years at EHS — as a member of the class of 1976. 

Mr. Gaines introduced the OGs of his era, or the old boys who helped shepherd him on his journey to the Hill fresh from integrating the ninth grade class at the Summit School back in his home state of North Carolina. Alumni such as Oran Alpha Rowe III, Raphael Thompson Jr., Charles E. Allen, Mack Benn, Stan Reid, Kevin Wallace, and others proudly posed in black and white photos displayed as Clarence transported participants back to the 1970s. Brother Gaines demonstrated what it was like to be one of a few minorities — who “totaled eight in 1976,” he said — and the significance of their experiences as young, Black, and gifted during that time. The images of these trailblazers set the nostalgic tone of Mr. Gaines’s presentation as he transitioned toward his two visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The transition truly made me take stock of how the history of oppressed bodies is the history of America and the institutions that exist here. 

Clarence’s overwhelming positive experience living with, working with, and learning from the majority culture at the time illustrated the tensions that students of color face and continue to bear at an institution that inculcates tradition. Mr. Gaines’s presentation offered the hard truth that “being black is having to manipulate adversity so that it becomes tolerable.” The adversity that many students face showcases why the creation of the Black Alumni network is vital to the advancement of Episcopal High School. 

I pray that you continue to be safe during these uncertain times. I also hope that you may join the newly established Black Alumni Network or BAN to listen and learn from our OGs or the ones that came before us! Contact us at BlackAlumniNetwork@episcopalhighschool.org.
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