#multiculturalaffairs

First World graduates ready for the big stage

One step closer for these Class of 2021 members as they were honored this fall during the First World Graduation Ceremony by Bloomsburg University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The bi-annual First World ceremony is celebrated each December and May to congratulate the achievements — academic and leadership roles — of BU’s multicultural students at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels.

First World Honorees

Kiara Badillo, social work 

Keron Butcher, digital forensics and cybersecurity

Juwan May-Craddle, business administration management

Jalen Denson, communication studies

Brianna Figueroa, art studio

Alexander Gooden, accounting 

Sankofa Conference presents ‘Black in America’ 

Bloomsburg University's Sankofa Conference is an annual program hosted by the Multicultural Center, designed to help students learn, understand, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of people of African descent. It promotes unity and understanding among students and a forum for discussion and learning.

This year’s Sankofa Conference featured a series of virtual workshops, highlighted by the Keynote address on “Black in America,” a conversation with minister, activist, and scholar Nyle Fort who was joined by two family members of George Floyd that featured personal recollections by Floyd’s aunt and uncle of his life and him as a person.

"We leave feeling good that we've talked,” Fort said. “As if the talk itself is transformative. No, all the talk does if we don’t do anything about the talk is it makes us feel good. It does nothing to change the world … I do want to do something."

Angela Harrelson, Floyd’s aunt, felt that hope is real.

"There are things that’s being done,” Harrelson said. “It’s taken a lot longer than what we really want it to be, but there are some movements toward change."

Floyd’s death sparked protests against police brutality as well as in support of the Black Lives Matter movement across the country and internationally throughout the summer.

"We had the world stand up and say, 'Hey that’s wrong,’” said Selwyn Jones, Floyd’s uncle. “So, we’re seeing people that care now who never have. I believe we got a little bit better than just a chance. I do believe we got a chance."  

In addition to the keynote presentation, conference workshops included:

“Building Community and Student Activism” by alumnus Marcus Scales ‘10, '12M, director of multicultural student services at Bucknell University.

“The Manifesto” Speaking Truth to Power” by alumnus Marvin Carter '13M, associate director of intercultural engagement and inclusion at The College of New Jersey.

26th Annual Sankofa Conference

Bloomsburg University's Sankofa Conference is an annual program hosted by the Multicultural Center, designed to help students learn, understand, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of people of African descent. It promotes unity and understanding among students and a forum for discussion and learning.

This year’s Sankofa Conference features a series of virtual workshops, highlighted by the Keynote address on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 6 p.m. entitled “Black in America,” a conversation with minister, activist, and scholar Nyle Fort as well as family members of George Floyd.

Fort is a joint Ph.D. candidate in religion and interdisciplinary humanities with a concentration in African American studies. His dissertation, Amazing Grief: African American Mourning and Contemporary Black Activism, is a scholarly meditation on how acts of public grief shape black freedom struggle, with a particular focus on the Movement for Black Lives. Nyle has received fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Forum for Theological Exploration, University of Pennsylvania, and the Charlotte Newcombe Foundation.

Fort has worked in education, criminal justice, and youth development for over a decade in various capacities including the National Director of Communities Against Militarized Police, as founder and co-director of the Organizing Praxis Lab at Princeton University, and lead trainer at Momentum, an activist incubator that builds large-scale social movements in the U.S. and around the world.

Sankofa Conference Workshops

Wednesday, Feb. 24

“Building Community and Student Activism” — Marcus Scales '10, '12M, director of multicultural student services at Bucknell, webinar, 4 p.m.

Sankofa Conference Keynote “Black in America” — A conversation with Nyle Fort and George Floyd family members, webinar, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 25

“The Manifesto” Speaking Truth to Power” — Marvin Carter '13M, associate director of intercultural engagement and inclusion at The College of New Jersey, webinar, 4 p.m.

Bloomsburg University to host distinguished Princeton University scholar for MLK commemorative celebration

BLOOMSBURG — Eddie S. Glaude Jr., chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, will be the guest speaker at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Luther King Commemorative Celebration on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Glaude will present “Lessons from the Later Dr. King.” 

Pre-registration is required. 

Glaude, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Princeton, is an accomplished and respected scholar of religion and a former president of the American Academy of Religion. His books on religion and philosophy include An Uncommon Faith: A Pragmatic Approach to the Study of African American Religion, African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction, and Exodus! Religion, Race and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America, which was awarded the Modern Language Association’s William Sanders Scarborough Book Prize.

He has been featured in TIME magazine as a columnist and on MSNBC for programs including Deadline Whitehouse with Nicolle Wallace and Morning Joe. He also hosts the podcast Princeton’s AAS, a conversation around the field of African American Studies and the Black experience in the 21st century.

Glaude is a Morehouse College graduate, earned a master’s degree in African-American studies from Temple University and a doctorate in religion from Princeton University. He is married to Dr. Winnifred Brown Glaude, a professor in the Princeton sociology department.

Interim vice provost named Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities fellow

Bloomsburg University’s Interim Vice Provost Mindy Andino has been named a Fellow for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).

Andino, an associate professor of teaching and learning, is one of 26 fellows from across the country selected for HACU’s second cohort of its Leadership Academy/ La Academia de Liderazgo.

La Academia seeks to increase the number of talented individuals who aspire to leadership positions of existing and emerging Hispanic-serving institutions. Fellows selected for the program participate in an array of leadership development activities that will prepare them for leadership roles in the full spectrum of higher learning institutions and in Hispanic-serving institutions.

“I am honored to have been chosen as a fellow by The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities for the coming academic year,” said Andino. “I look forward to learning from an outstanding group of mentors from around the country as we work to increase diversity in higher education leadership as well as being able to better serve our Hispanic students and all students of difference here at BU.”  

“Congratulations to Dr. Andino on this well-deserved honor.  Through this fellowship experience, Dr. Andino will engage with and learn from other leaders in higher education from across the country for the benefit of our students, and particularly our underrepresented students, “ said Bloomsburg University President Bashar W. Hanna. “The focus of this HACU program is to champion student success, which aligns perfectly with BU’s strategic priorities.”  

The one-year fellowship program includes three seminars, with the first taking place in October 2020, in conjunction with HACU’s 34th Annual Conference, “Fostering Excellence and Social Justice.” The second seminar will lead into HACU’s 26th Annual Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education in April 2021. The third seminar will be held in late spring or early summer of 2021, with a focus on international collaborations.

More than a dozen nationally recognized current and emeriti presidents and senior-level administrators will serve on the faculty. Mentorship with a university president will be a key component of the fellowship, as will be the development of a special project designed to have an impact at the Fellow’s current institution.

Andino earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Rutgers Cook College, her master’s degree in administration and supervision of education from Rutgers University, and her doctorate in education from Rutgers.

Record turnout for annual Sankofa Conference

More than 250 students representing nine different schools made this year’s Sankofa Conference at Bloomsburg University the largest yet.

Headlined by Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, the 25th annual conference kicked off with a keynote lecture on his experience of being falsely accused when he was just 15 years old, then convicted of assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili, and later fully exonerated. Salaam was one of five boys charged, who collectively became known as the “Central Park Five.”

In 2002, after the boys spent between seven and 13 years of their lives behind bars, their sentences were overturned after a convicted murderer and rapist serving a life sentence confessed to the attack on Meili.

“I enjoyed having Yusef Salaam speak to us,” said Mirlie Larose, a mass communications major. “It was an honor having someone who experienced what he had talk to us. He said something that stuck with me which was, ‘Our differences should bring us together.’ Which is important, because society always wants to be divided.”  

Sankofa, sponsored and coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, grew out of the need for students to learn, understand, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of people of African descent. The conference has been developed as a way to promote unity and understanding among students, providing a forum for discussion and learning.

Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana, translated to “it is not taboo to fetch what is a risk of being left behind.”

“My favorite aspect of this year’s conference was just being in one place with many people of color from different schools and walks of life, and being able to discuss some of the things we go through and that we can grow through together,” said Kayla Barnett, criminal justice major. “This conference helps me not only professionally but mentally, because we discussed things from how to be a mentor to how to keep our  mental health intact, which is a very important topic we need to break the stigma of not discussing.”

Conference sessions covered such topics as personal perception, cultural leadership, activism, confidence, financial success, mentorship, mental health, generational impact and personal identity.

“A key takeaway and lesson that I learned from the, "I just took a DNA test turns out I'm, 100% toxic," session (my favorite session) was that it's okay to break away from certain relationships because you aren't the same person you were before,” Larose said. “It's okay to let go. Sometimes we act the way we do due to trauma. And trauma could be something as simple as you being the older sibling, and always feeling like you have to watch out for everyone else.”

More than 250 students registered for the conference. It’s highest total in its 25 years, according to Madelyn Rodriguez, director of the Multicultural Center.

Eight different schools in addition to BU were represented to include West Chester, Lock Haven, Wilkes, Scranton, Philadelphia Community College, The College of New Jersey, Kings and Elizabethtown.

“The smallest things you do or say can impact someone’s life in many ways, so always be honest and stay positive to shed a light on someone else’s life,” Barnett said. “Sankofa is such a great experience, and I’ll continue to encourage everyone to go every year because it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Yusef Salaam to deliver keynote for Sankofa Conference

Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Sankofa Conference on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m., in Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium. 

Salaam, falsely accused when he was just 15 years old, was convicted of assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili. Salaam was one of five boys charged, who collectively became known as the “Central Park Five."

In 2002, after the Central Park Five spent between seven and 13 years of their lives behind bars, the sentences of the boys — now men — were overturned. A convicted murderer and rapist serving a life sentence confessed, and the "Central Park Five" were fully exonerated. Now, nearly 20 years later, Salaam has become a family man, poet, activist, and inspirational speaker.

Sankofa Conference

Sankofa, sponsored and coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, grew out of the need for students to learn, understand, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of people of African descent.

It has developed as a way to promote unity and understanding among students, providing a forum for discussion and learning. Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana, translated to “it is not taboo to fetch what is a risk of being left behind.”

Conference Sessions

I Just Took A DNA Test, turns out I’m 100% Toxic?!; Presenter: Bryan Pointer and Ashley Lyles; Room: Multipurpose Room A 345 

Leading the Movement: College Students and the Struggle for Racial Progress; Presenter: Dametraus L. Jaggers; Room: Ballroom 1 Room 408

I’m not a fraud? Am I?; Presenter: Shannon Musgrove; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345

Put Some Respeck on My Name: The Daily Struggle of Being a Millennial Leader in Today’s Society; Presenter: Marquise Isaac-Rivers; Room: Multicultural Center Room 230 

Launch Point: Career Development, The Things They Won’t Say; Presenter: Marvin Carter; Room: Multipurpose Room A 345 

Know How Money Works: The foundation to Financial Success; Presenter: Carolyn Reid-Brown and Cardail Batiste; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345

How Can I Help? Mentorship: Guidance That Can Lead to Personal Growth, Professional Success, and Partnership; Presenter: Diamante Logan and Melissa Cheese; Room Multicultural Center Room 230

Oodles of Noodles Babies: Exploring the Impact of Trauma on College Students from Urban Communities; Presenter: Ralph E. Godbolt; Room: Ballroom 1 Room 408

Guiding Your Greatness: Examining Different Paths to Success; Presenter: Tevonne Hemmans; Room: Multicultural Center Room 230

Help! I Can’t Stop Replaying That Scene; Presenter: Carmella Carter;

Room: Multipurpose Room A 345 

Get Curious, Not Furious: Make A Connection With Others’ True Colors; Presenter: Marion C. McKinney and Marcus T. Harrison; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345 

Good Hair: What Does it Really Mean?; Presenter: Allena McCloud; Room: 343

Black History Month Events

Wednesday, Feb. 5 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration with Bakari Sellers, Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 6 — Campus Movie: Harriet in the KUB Multicultural Center, 7 p.m. Discussion to follow.

Monday, Feb. 10 — Movie Screening: When They See Us in the KUB Ballroom, 6 to 9 p.m. Discussion to follow.

Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Mental Health in the Black Community with Stacey Pearson-Wharton, KUB Multicultural Center, 6 p.m. 

Wednesday, Feb. 12 — The You Effect: Think Your Way into Academic Success in the KUB Multicultural Center, 6 p.m. 

Thursday, Feb. 13 — Frederick Douglass Symposium in the KUB Multicultural Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

First World graduates ready for the big stage

One step closer for these Class of 2019 members as they were honored this fall during the First World Graduation Ceremony by Bloomsburg University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The bi-annual First World ceremony is celebrated each December and May to congratulate the achievements — academic and leadership roles — of BU’s multicultural students at the baccalaureate and graduate degree levels. This class was among the largest ever, according to Madelyn Rodriguez, director of the Multicultural Center.

First World Honorees

Sita Cherif Jr.

Morissa Dougba

Angel Green

Geanna Green

Komeh Lansana

Esthefany Mendoza

Demi Moore

Irvin Mulbah

Avia Nickerson

Comfort Nyesuah

Najha Sealy

Brianna Stevens

Mukalah Upshur

Malik Waters

Asa Whiters

Shalie Williams