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DEI Corner - We All Belong

November 2021
December 2021
  • Brenda and Selina Boria
    Diversity Caucus Co-Chairs Brenda Safford and Selina Boria.

QCC Recevies HEIF Grant

In early December, students enrolled in QCC’s School of Healthcare will receive a climate survey. Implementing this climate survey is critical to the experience of faculty, staff, and students within the School of Healthcare programs.

“Diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environments where there is a collective sense of belonging that allows all individuals to thrive and do their best work, are essential to achieving the School of Healthcare’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Assistant Professor of Nurse Education, Craig Toney.

This year the School of Healthcare recently learned it received a Higher Education Innovation Fund grant in the amount of $74,971 for the 2022 fiscal year. The School of Healthcare plans to use this funding to provide workshops that focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training of faculty and staff. The workshops will be conducted by local trainer Rob T. Jones and will be provided virtually in early January.  The training provided along with the data from the climate survey will allow the SOH to foster environments where diverse backgrounds are valued and respected. 

The Diversity Caucus Final Semester Events

Two Sankofa Lecture events were held this semester with two more Sankofa events scheduled for the spring (date and time TBD).

Guest lecturers in the Sankofa lecture series included:

  • Dr. Carlyn Ferrari presented Black Women and the Politics of Privacy on November 18. There was no recording of the event, but all are welcome to review the PowerPoint Presentation on QCC’s website.
  • Professor Barrington Edwards presented on the Imagined Future Project on October 14. Visit Diversity events for a full recording of the presentation.

Other Diversity Caucus events included:

  • Tim Turner, Associate Director for Indigenous Education at the Plimoth Patuxet Museum led a conversation that explores Wampanoag culture and traditions in People of the Dawn on November 30. Check back on Diversity events for a recording of this incredibly informative event.
  • A co-sponsorship between the Diversity Caucus and the Creative Writing Club led the way to a fun and insightful Creative Writers/Poetry Jam on December 1. Students, faculty and staff recited poems and shared original works and favorite passages. It was a terrific way to start the month of December.
  • To close out the semester, the Caucus also held a hybrid event in the Hebert Auditorium and on Zoom on December 6, regarding Mental Health and our Criminal Justice System.
  • Worcester community's own Derrick Kiser spoke about his journey and how he started Fresh Start 508 as a solution to a problem he directly lived through when he co-founded the first gang in Worcester, MA. Mr. Kiser works directly with high-risk individuals in his professional work in the school system, foster care/DYS, community-based in-home therapy, and acquired degrees and certifications directly related to aiding this population. His involvement, collaboration, and partnership with the criminal justice system make him the leader needed to “build a healthy foundation for the next generation.”  Mr. Kiser also invited co-presenters Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, District Attorney Joseph Early, and Judge Timothy Bibaud, to present with him on this important topic. This event will be posted on the Diversity event page, so check back regularly for this powerful and thought-provoking presentation.

Visit QCC Diversity to learn more on the informative events coming in 2022.

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