Hello Everyone, As I have said to some of you already, the past few weeks have been some of the hardest in my life. As you have been hearing from many people of color, the recent events have been triggers for many of us. I have been sharing many stories as a woman of color in this country over the past few weeks. It has been exhausting but also an important part of my work and research with faculty, staff, and students during these very difficult times. Many folks have reached out and asked me, "what can I do to help?" My response to all of them has been "now is the time to take REAL action," stand with me. I am sharing what I told others in the hopes that we can open an important dialogue. Here are my thoughts: As some of you know, my positions in academia and politics place me within a crossroads of intersectional contexts, including ones around student engagement, community building, race and socio-economic cultural relations, cultural advocacy, public policy, and research. Despite the many demands on me right now, emotionally and professionally, some of you are aware that I am STILL engaging in ways to make things better (it is in my nature!) I have been fighting for equality for most of my life and since moving to Buffalo I have dedicated my career (through my Buffalo Project research) to make this world more inclusive, much of which has been done with limited backing. I share this post as a call to action to those around me. We can make this world better if we work together!! I have hope. We can improve. My 10-year action research project on developing intercultural competencies in Buffalonian culture proves, with data, that we can get better if we learn from each other. We can no longer stand idly by and hope for a better future, NOW is the time to take steps and join me and others in making this world better. It does not matter how big or small that action is, but all must join in to truly heal this country and help us move in the right direction. You may ask "how do I start?" There are many online sites that can help, including a few in the resources various colleagues across the college, and I shared the last week few weeks. I would challenge you all to read them and my findings from my 10 action-research project, the Buffalo Project, and implement positive changes in your circles of influence. Here are some other tangible ways to get started: Item #1 - Read about the Buffalo Project and join me in the fight to make Buffalo, NY, the US, and beyond a more inclusive place for everyone: Item #2 - Join a reading group around African American/black culture and learn about other cultural histories of marginalized groups. You can find many culturally inclusive groups online or you can attend one of my groups. Right now I have a group title African American/Black Cultural discussion group that meets every Thursday in SUNY Empire Connects. Our next meeting is Thursday 6/11 @ 6-7 pm and is co-hosted with SUNY Empire NYC SAC Rep and Buffalo Project RA Sammie Maitland (contact me if you want to attend.) Item #3: Read the New York Times article "Check on Your Black Employees Now" and understand a perspective of what it feels like to be a POC in American right now: Item #4: Read Madison Butler's LinkedIn post to Corporate America about the Misuse of Black Trauma. Item #5: Attend my online presentation on June 29, 2020, focused on the Pulitzer prize-winning 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones and my response piece "Revisiting the 1619 Project: A Heartfelt Response during a Racialized Pandemic," (contact me if you want to attend.) As I stated earlier, it is not enough to stand idly by right now, if you truly want to help people of color, then take action. It could simply be reading this email, that itself is the first step. We can and must do better. It is the only way we can jointly make the world a better and safer place for ALL.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers
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