Marching to the Beat of His Drum

How do you eat your toast: butter side up or down?

If you’re like most, it’s butter side up. But do you ever think of eating it another way or asking yourself why we eat our toast butter side up? Inspired by Dr. Seuss’ book The Butter Battle Book, where two cultures clash over such a trivial issue, Kristopher-Jamaal Clemmons ’03, asks us to consider looking at things from a different perspective.

Clemmons, who will graduate from Georgetown University Law Center this spring, will give a talk titled “Eating My Toast Butter-Side Down: My Personal Paradigm Shift in Africa” on March 22 at 4 p.m. in Hogan Jenks Suite B/C.  He’ll reflect on his year of study in Africa, which he embarked on after receiving a Watson Fellowship his senior year at Holy Cross.

The Watson is a one-year grant for independent study and travel outside of the United States that is awarded to only 60 graduating college seniors. Clemmons had always dreamed of going to Africa because of his general curiosity for the continent, and the Watson Fellowship was his means of achieving that wish.

Clemmons researched how the drum is traditionally used in religious ceremonies and celebrations in African culture. He wanted to understand the drum’s function in contemporary African society while traveling to Mali and Ghana, as well as Jamaica. His interests stemmed from his senior year capstone project at Holy Cross that examined the relationship between social justice and rap and hip-hop music.

Clemmons has hopes of delivering a stimulating talk about his “beautiful experiences where all of his senses were turned on.” It will be a challenge to describe, he admits.  “The experience of travel is unexplainable; photos do not do any justice to how amazing the actual trip was.”

Although the people he met did not speak his language, Clemmons found the West African culture exciting and intriguing. “People were very patient with me and taught me patience,” he says. “It was a time when you have to reach out from your self and reach to others.”

Researching abroad, Clemmons was able to witness different customs that people around the world have. The one-year experience gave him a sense of “connectedness” between himself and those geographically far away.

“The Watson fellowship is the type of experience that stays with you. You experience the world by yourself, make your own links and, at times, must rely on other people and that ultimately leads to further self development,” he says.

Clemmons found that his experiences in Africa gave him insight into leadership and have influenced his career path and life choices.

In law school, Clemmons developed his interest in pursuing a career in community real estate. He served as a student attorney at the Harrison Institute for Public Law/Housing from 2005-2006 in Washington, D.C. He represented residents of 16-unit apartment complexes during a $1.4 million renovation and conversion to affordable housing cooperatives. He also played a vital role in facilitating communication between construction manager, development consultant, general contractor and the housing cooperative.

Following his Watson, Clemmons also spent a semester of study at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where he was an Outreach Volunteer at the Pollsmoor Juvenile Detention Center/YMCA. He was responsible for conducting life skills workshops and faith-based mentorship programs for juvenile inmates who were serving time for felony convictions. He also helped prepare inmates for release from prison.