Column: It's our responsibility to improve our communities Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ed.D, Guest columnist Feb. 17, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail Cynthia Teniente-Matson, Ed.D is president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio.Courtesy photo We are living through a period that has stirred our collective national conscience about racial injustices and democratic literacy. This February, as we celebrate African American History Month, it feels especially important to honor and celebrate Black lives and the many contributions of African Americans to our society and culture. At A&M-San Antonio, we’re in the midst of our month-long celebration, launched by a panel discussion and on-campus portrait exhibit, “Living in My Skin,” by former A&M System Regent and acclaimed San Antonio artist Lionel Sosa. The exhibit was accompanied by a panel discussion featuring Mr. Sosa and his collaborators who posed for portraits, as they shared their experiences living as Black men in San Antonio. It’s clear that Sosa’s poignant art pieces and his inspiration opened an emotional space that Brandon Logan suggests, “made us susceptible to listening,” and learning about the lived experiences of men of color. I gained a deeper appreciation of the personal investment of time and deliberate actions that it takes to create an anti-racist society.