Alumni of Color Advisory Council

Established in 2020, the Alumni of Color Advisory Council is composed entirely of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) alumni, and advises the college on ways to intentionally empower and strengthen relationships with students and alumni of color. Through bi-monthly meetings, the council plans to develop programming, promote mentorship and advocate for institutional change towards a more equitable and inclusive environment. 

Council MEMBERS

• Angela Matusiak ’04, President
• Alexis Koehl ’23, Vice President
• Jake Taber ’04
• Chris Jackson ’11
• Jasmine Harris-Mathis ’13
• Quinette Yarbrough ’10

VIDEO LIBRARY — Anti-Racism In Action at Hope College

Tools for Tackling Micro-Aggressions in the Workplace | Hope College Connection LIVE

Vanessa Greene talks with LEDA

To Achieve Our Country: Pathways to an Anti-Racist Future

Hope College No Justice, No Peace

Read, Listen, Discuss

We encourage friends of the Alumni of Color Advisory Council to join us in reading, listening and discussing the following titles:

• “1619” is a New York Times audio series, hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones, that examines the long shadow of American slavery. For more information about the series, visit nytimes.com/1619podcast
  
• Black Fatigue by Mary-Frances Winters
  • Racism is killing Black people. But it's not just the atrocities that break into the mainstream news cycle. It's also what award-winning diversity, equity and inclusion expert Mary Frances-Winters calls Black fatigue: the crushing physical and psychological toll of dealing with a constant stream of racist acts and attitudes, from the clueless to the cruel to the criminal. Black Fatigue faces the disparate outcomes of intergenerational exhaustion that affect the intimate, daily lives of Black people. Winters writes, "I ask white people to read this book not only to be educated on the history of racism but also to be motivated to become an antiracist, an ally and a power broker for systemic change. For Black people, I hope that it will be educational and affirming, and when one of your white colleagues asks you to educate them, you can refer them to this resource, so as not to exacerbate your own fatigue." Purchase Black Fatigue from LIT | Multicultural Bookshop.
• Looking for more? Check out more titles, podcasts, movies and more on CDI's Anti-Racism Resources page

Anti-Racism Glossary and Resources

• Anti-Racist — A conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do. (National Museum of African American History and Culture, Talking about Race).
  
  
• BIPOC — Black, Indigenous, People of Color, the term is used to highlight the unique relationship to whiteness that Indigenous and Black (African American) people have, which shapes the experiences of and relationship to white supremacy for all people of color within a U.S. context. (The BIPOC Movement)
  
  
• CDI — Hope College's Center for Diversity and Inclusion
• DEI — Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Diversity — The range of human differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs.
  • Equity — A measure of fair treatment, opportunities and outcomes across race, gender, class, and other dynamics; differs from equality, which focuses on the equal distribution of resources rather than equal results.
  • Inclusion — Refers to the intentional, act of ensuring that all members of a community have equal access to the benefits inherent to that community, and that the flourishing of any individual or group is not prevented by policies or practices that privilege one group to the exclusion of another.
    
    
• Decolonization — The active resistance against colonial powers, and a shifting of power towards political, economic, educational, cultural, psychic independence and power that originate from a colonized nation’s own indigenous culture. This process occurs politically and also applies to personal and societal psychic, cultural, political, agricultural, and educational deconstruction of colonial oppression.
  
  
• Individual Racism — Occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases,or hateful words or actions. (National Museum of African American History and Culture, Talking about Race).
  
  
• Micro-aggression — Brief, commonplace, subtle or blatant daily verbal, behavior or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color. (University of Washington Racial Equity Glossary) Three types of microaggressions: 
  • Microassault — Most similar to what is traditionally thought of as “overt discrimination.” Microassaults can be verbal, nonverbal, or environmental. 
  • Microinsult — A comment or action that communicates insensitivity or disregard of a person's identity. 
  • Microinvalidation — A comment or action that ignores or dismisses the thoughts, feelings or experiences of a member of an oppressed group. (Fitchburg State University, Anti-Racism Resources) 
    
    
• POC — People of Color, often the preferred collective term for referring to non-white racial groups, rather than “minorities.” Racial justice advocates have been using the term “people of color” (not to be confused with the pejorative “colored people”) since the late 1970s as an inclusive and unifying frame across different racial groups that are not white, to address racial inequities.
  
  
• Privilege — Unearned social power accorded by the formal and informal institutions of society to all members of a dominant group (e.g., white privilege, male privilege, etc.). Privilege is usually invisible to those who have it because they are taught not to see it, but nevertheless it puts them at an advantage over those who do not have it. (Colours of Resistance Archive, “White Privilege”)
  
  
• Racism — Different from racial prejudice, hatred or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.
  
  
• Structural Racism — The overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color. Example: Stereotypes of people of color as criminals in mainstream movies and media. (National Museum of African American History and Culture, Talking about Race).
  
  
• White Supremacy — A form of racism centered upon the belief that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds and that whites should politically, economically and socially dominate non-whites. While often associated with violence perpetrated by the KKK and other white supremacist groups, it also describes a political ideology and systemic oppression that perpetuates and maintains the social, political, historical, and/or industrial White domination. (Race Forward, "Race Reporting Guide")

To view these definitions and more resources, please visit the following external resources:

• • RacialEquityTools.org Glossary
  • Georgetown University Library – Anti-Racism Toolkit Glossary
  • ABC’s of Social Justice – Lewis & Clark College 

Inaugural Council Members

• Courtney E. Brewster ’04
• Kendall Collins-Riley ’19
• Tonisha Gordon ’09
• Israel Hipólito ’16
  
• Rachael Kabagabu ’15
• Debbie Kang ’19
• Tiffany Labon ’05
• Samantha Poon ’14
• Emily Salazar ’19
• Angela Saxton ’06
• Marissa Solorzano '19
• Amena Wallace ’15