BE WELL: Cultivating Space in Wellness for Women and LGBTQ Identities, Tobi Ewing '15
BE WELL: Cultivating Space in Wellness for Women and LGBTQ Identities is a self care workshop around using art & wellness to create intersectional spaces for folks of color. Led by artist & wellness advocate Tobi Ewing, you will be guided through basics of restorative yoga, breath work for meditation & creating an alter space for self-reflection. In this space we will discuss intersectional theory, identity politics, community building, creative energy and the unique ways this connects to our wellness journey. Wellness should be accessible, black, brown and communal. Kale smoothies and Acai bowls aren't the barometer to holistic health. Tobi is a queer Black woman and founder of Beyond the Clouds, a wellness and creative community cultivating space for women and people of color to Be Well.
Black and Brown Faces in Public Spaces: Reclaiming Historical Narratives of Place, Dr. Amber Wiley (American Studies)
This interactive workshop focuses on the civic engagement piece of liberation. As a scholar of the built environment, Professor Wiley focuses on both urban history and African American cultural studies. As a preservationist, she has worked extensively to advocate for the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of historic sites related to contributions of underrepresented peoples in the United States and abroad. Historic preservation as a field, city planning, public art, and museums have traditionally been exclusionary spaces that do not allow for counter-narratives to the story of American exceptionalism. In this workshop she will present on the idea of re-creating and reclaiming historical narratives of place through official and un-official tactics, and challenge attendees to think of places in the United States that are overdue for an updated public interpretation of their history - even if that updated history is confrontational or unpleasant. Case studies presented will include work done in San Diego, New Orleans, and Charlottesville.
Black Panther and the Quest for Healing, Candace Hairston (Associate Director of OSDP)
The film Black Panther brought to light pressing issues facing Black people today. One of those issues is the dissonance and tension amongst the African Diaspora. Where does this tension stem from? How can we move to a space of healing and love?
Bollywood Dance Workshop, Stuti Bhagri '21, Urvi Kalra '18, Arpa Paul '19 and Aarushi Jain '21
Join us for a quick morning dance routine on a great, lively Bollywood song! We will take less than an hour of your time and teach you some easy moves that you can perform on your own or with a partner! You can brag about knowing Indian dance moves to your friends while losing the extra calories! Get jumping, Get BOLLYWOOD!
Creating Community: The Journey from Skidmore to the World, Angela Botiba ’15, Chloe Chang ’13, Jasmilca Martinez ’15, Malcolm Perry ’14, Tiffany Watson '11 and Patrick Pierre Victor ’14
Skidmore alumni share their stories about their experiences at Skidmore as students of color and their journey beyond into their professional careers. Along with a larger group of alumni, these six professionals seek to create a grass roots effort at Skidmore to establish stronger connections between current students of color and alumni. Recognizing the importance and impact of building relationships outside of Skidmore, these talented and engaged professionals will change the way you think about the power and strength of the Skidmore network, and how you can build your own personal network as you travel from Skidmore and beyond.
Enhancing the College Environment: A Conversation with Skidmore Staff & Faculty, Leya Moore Ph.D., Dr. Xiaoshuo Hou (Sociology), Dr. Leigh Wilton (Psychology) and Shenette Scille Psy.D.
Join a panel of Skidmore staff and faculty as we discuss factors that have been shown to threaten the academic persistence and wellness of college students of color and students of marginalized identities. We will examine the competing demands, cultural values, and stereotype threats experienced in the college setting. We will also explore what can help to enhance rather than threaten students’ wellness when facing these issues.
From Solidarity to Liberation: Organizing for Social Change, Silvena Chan (Former Director of OSDP)
In this people of color-centered workshop, we'll confront the clash between organizing strategies used by communities of color. How does our willful ignorance of division and conflict between our communities challenge solidarity? What kind of organizing do we need to go beyond assimilation into white supremacy toward collective liberation, domestically and globally?
Healing and Wellness: An Experiential Path to Liberation, Leya Moore Ph.D. and Shenette Scille Psy.D.
Taking care of yourself and making time for “just being”, rather than “doing”, is an act of liberation. What does stress look and feel like for you? Have you ever wondered how to improve your stress? How does your body and mind respond to stress? How can you be aware of those responses in order to intervene earlier on? In this workshop, participants will learn how to identify their own body’s unique cues and responses to stress. Additionally, participants will engage in experiential activities designed to enhance the mind-body connection and improve adaptive and optimal well-being.
How Do We Write About Ourselves Without Selling Our Trauma?, Alyssa Morales '18 and Ashley Polanco '18
From college, job, scholarship, and grant applications to interviews, we are conditioned to speak of our trauma as a way to legitimatize why we, people of color and other intersecting marginalized identities, deserve to be in privileged spaces. In this interactive workshop we will explore the ways in which this operates as a survival tactic to compliment the white gaze. Through dialogue, we will reimagine alternative narratives in which our worthiness is not based on our trauma. We will unpack the wealth that exists within our communities and our identities. We have a lot to celebrate.
Making Weaknesses Collaborative for Effective Positive Change, Jamerly De La Cruz '18
This workshop is meant to understand our own individual weaknesses as a point of access, networking, and collaboration with others. I believe that by knowing each others' strengths and weaknesses, we can become more realistic about possibilities to create effective positive change. Participants should expect to embrace vulnerability, storytelling, and creating in a collaborative force that will not only allow us to learn how to work together but also learn from each other.
Me Gritaron Negra: On Blackness, Latinidad, and their Intersections, Kleaver Cruz (The Black Joy Project)
Join writer and activist, Kleaver Cruz, for a conversation about Blackness and Latinidad. Kleaver writes, “Latino is often defined as someone who isn’t perceived to be Black and that is easily evident in novelas, magazines and the rest of the ways we as a people are popularly represented. I’ve been on the search for language that indicates we are Latinos of African descent and are also the face of Latinidad, not a special category within it.”
M.I.X.E.D. (Multiracial Individuals eXchanging Encouragement and Dialogue): An Affinity Space, Morgan Dagnicourt '18, Jane Moretta-Miller '18 and Keara Sternberg '18
“[Insert demographics question here]: please select one.” Do you identify as multiracial, multi-ethnic or transracial? Have you ever felt like you occupy a racial middle-ground? Do people often expect you to choose racial “sides?” What are the differences between identifying as monoracial versus multiracial? Where do multiracial folks fit into conversations about racial solidarity and how can we affirm the complexities of our identities among friends, with family and within our local and global communities of color? In this workshop, we will explore themes of authenticity and racial invisibility in POC conversations about race and racism through interactive dialogue. We hope this space will create opportunities for participants to find community with other multiracial/multi-ethnic/transracial folks and share their narratives in an affinity space that is often lacking on campus.
People of Color in the Workplace, Jane Moretta-Miller '18 and Morgan Dagnicourt '18
Navigating through the professional world can be an exciting yet intimidating, challenging, and frustrating process. Through the lens of being a person of color, additional issues may arise––power dynamics in majority White spaces, oppressive regulations, perceptions of professionalism––that may limit our autonomy and sense of well being in a work environment. This particular workshop offers students the space to share and unpack some of the aforementioned topics in addition to exploring potential strengths-based solutions to maintain energy and ambition as we venture towards one of the biggest trajectories of our adulthood.
Power Mapping: A Guide to Utilizing Networks and Relationships, Elesa Davis '19 and Keara Sternberg '18
When trying to create change and organize in communities of color, it is important to understand how your network works. What resources are available to help communities of color at Skidmore, in the local area, or beyond? Who do you need to ally with? Who do you need to convince? Who has the power? In this workshop, we will address these questions and dialogue around ways in which we can share resources and create more effective campaigns for change.
The Shades of Our Network: Colorism in Communities of Color, DyAnna Washington '18, Ashley Polanco '18, Kali Villarosa '18 and Keara Sternberg '18
Colorism, or anti-blackness, impacts all communities, especially communities of color. To what extent has anti-blackness created intra-racial conflict within communities of color? To what extent has anti-blackness reinforced barriers between communities of color? This workshop is a space for people of color to dialogue with one another about the lasting impacts of colorism between and among them. In our attempts to engage solidarity in communities of color, we often overlook how our actions and visions are informed by frameworks of anti-blackness, racial oppression “Olympics” or colorblind racism. In this space, we seek to acknowledge and resist these frameworks through critical dialogue and reflection.
Unapologetic Self-Care, Everyday, Altagracia Montilla '12
Founded on white supremacy and designed to exclude students of color, the traditional academic space is a danger to the well-being of students of color. As we climb the academic ladder the pressure to obey norms and practices that challenge our identities increases, putting our wellness at risk and increasing the need for self-care. Students of color must be unapologetic about self-care and should engage in self-care as a form of resistance. During this workshop participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their individual academic experiences, explore self-care as resistance, and practice self-care techniques that can be applied to our everyday routines.
“We Gon’ be Alright”: Mental Health and the Blues in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Sayeed Joseph '18
During the era of the Black Lives Matter movement, which strives to combat and expose the structural and personal oppressions of racism that impact the mental health of people of color, Kendrick Lamar released his message of self-love in his 2015 album, To Pimp A Butterfly (henceforth TPAB). In keeping with the Black Lives Matter movement, the album strives to combat issues plaguing the mental health of people of color, specifically Black men, regarding the cycle of gang violence and the power of self-actualization as exhibited in the rural and classic blues era. According to the blues tradition, the personal testimony of heroic tragedy is used to find a sense of belonging or, as noted Black novelist Ralph Ellison explained, it is “an autobiographical chronicle of personal catastrophe expressed lyrically” (Ellison 1992 [1945]:62). In a country that exploits, ostracizes, and oppresses people of color through systemic racism, Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical expression of personal heroic tragedy is an inspiration to process self-love while combating larger racial issues in order to truly belong in America. In my presentation of this paper, I argue that the blues tradition is the primary entity that catered to Black people’s mental health and ability to survive the oppression that they faced in post-slavery America.
You Speak, I Speak, We Speak, Jamerly De La Cruz '18
In this workshop, students will spend time discussing, debriefing, and analyzing the ways in which pop culture has been tied to racial tension. Students will then collaboratively curate a creative response and have a finished product by the end of the workshop.
You’re So Well Spoken, Samantha Velez '20 and Daisy Rodriguez '20
“If you’re _____, why do you sound like that?” ”Where did you learn to speak English so well?” “Is English your first language?” The questioning of our linguistic abilities can manifest itself in many ways around us but it is most prominent in spaces not created for us. For some, higher education is a time when even our most basic aspect of identity, such as language, is questioned. The attack on our language can often lead to linguistic insecurity, and it is important to be able to recognize when it happens. In these moments our language has the power to address this and is a tool that can combat it.
BE WELL: Cultivating Space in Wellness for Women and LGBTQ Identities is a self care workshop around using art & wellness to create intersectional spaces for folks of color. Led by artist & wellness advocate Tobi Ewing, you will be guided through basics of restorative yoga, breath work for meditation & creating an alter space for self-reflection. In this space we will discuss intersectional theory, identity politics, community building, creative energy and the unique ways this connects to our wellness journey. Wellness should be accessible, black, brown and communal. Kale smoothies and Acai bowls aren't the barometer to holistic health. Tobi is a queer Black woman and founder of Beyond the Clouds, a wellness and creative community cultivating space for women and people of color to Be Well.
Black and Brown Faces in Public Spaces: Reclaiming Historical Narratives of Place, Dr. Amber Wiley (American Studies)
This interactive workshop focuses on the civic engagement piece of liberation. As a scholar of the built environment, Professor Wiley focuses on both urban history and African American cultural studies. As a preservationist, she has worked extensively to advocate for the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of historic sites related to contributions of underrepresented peoples in the United States and abroad. Historic preservation as a field, city planning, public art, and museums have traditionally been exclusionary spaces that do not allow for counter-narratives to the story of American exceptionalism. In this workshop she will present on the idea of re-creating and reclaiming historical narratives of place through official and un-official tactics, and challenge attendees to think of places in the United States that are overdue for an updated public interpretation of their history - even if that updated history is confrontational or unpleasant. Case studies presented will include work done in San Diego, New Orleans, and Charlottesville.
Black Panther and the Quest for Healing, Candace Hairston (Associate Director of OSDP)
The film Black Panther brought to light pressing issues facing Black people today. One of those issues is the dissonance and tension amongst the African Diaspora. Where does this tension stem from? How can we move to a space of healing and love?
Bollywood Dance Workshop, Stuti Bhagri '21, Urvi Kalra '18, Arpa Paul '19 and Aarushi Jain '21
Join us for a quick morning dance routine on a great, lively Bollywood song! We will take less than an hour of your time and teach you some easy moves that you can perform on your own or with a partner! You can brag about knowing Indian dance moves to your friends while losing the extra calories! Get jumping, Get BOLLYWOOD!
Creating Community: The Journey from Skidmore to the World, Angela Botiba ’15, Chloe Chang ’13, Jasmilca Martinez ’15, Malcolm Perry ’14, Tiffany Watson '11 and Patrick Pierre Victor ’14
Skidmore alumni share their stories about their experiences at Skidmore as students of color and their journey beyond into their professional careers. Along with a larger group of alumni, these six professionals seek to create a grass roots effort at Skidmore to establish stronger connections between current students of color and alumni. Recognizing the importance and impact of building relationships outside of Skidmore, these talented and engaged professionals will change the way you think about the power and strength of the Skidmore network, and how you can build your own personal network as you travel from Skidmore and beyond.
Enhancing the College Environment: A Conversation with Skidmore Staff & Faculty, Leya Moore Ph.D., Dr. Xiaoshuo Hou (Sociology), Dr. Leigh Wilton (Psychology) and Shenette Scille Psy.D.
Join a panel of Skidmore staff and faculty as we discuss factors that have been shown to threaten the academic persistence and wellness of college students of color and students of marginalized identities. We will examine the competing demands, cultural values, and stereotype threats experienced in the college setting. We will also explore what can help to enhance rather than threaten students’ wellness when facing these issues.
From Solidarity to Liberation: Organizing for Social Change, Silvena Chan (Former Director of OSDP)
In this people of color-centered workshop, we'll confront the clash between organizing strategies used by communities of color. How does our willful ignorance of division and conflict between our communities challenge solidarity? What kind of organizing do we need to go beyond assimilation into white supremacy toward collective liberation, domestically and globally?
Healing and Wellness: An Experiential Path to Liberation, Leya Moore Ph.D. and Shenette Scille Psy.D.
Taking care of yourself and making time for “just being”, rather than “doing”, is an act of liberation. What does stress look and feel like for you? Have you ever wondered how to improve your stress? How does your body and mind respond to stress? How can you be aware of those responses in order to intervene earlier on? In this workshop, participants will learn how to identify their own body’s unique cues and responses to stress. Additionally, participants will engage in experiential activities designed to enhance the mind-body connection and improve adaptive and optimal well-being.
How Do We Write About Ourselves Without Selling Our Trauma?, Alyssa Morales '18 and Ashley Polanco '18
From college, job, scholarship, and grant applications to interviews, we are conditioned to speak of our trauma as a way to legitimatize why we, people of color and other intersecting marginalized identities, deserve to be in privileged spaces. In this interactive workshop we will explore the ways in which this operates as a survival tactic to compliment the white gaze. Through dialogue, we will reimagine alternative narratives in which our worthiness is not based on our trauma. We will unpack the wealth that exists within our communities and our identities. We have a lot to celebrate.
Making Weaknesses Collaborative for Effective Positive Change, Jamerly De La Cruz '18
This workshop is meant to understand our own individual weaknesses as a point of access, networking, and collaboration with others. I believe that by knowing each others' strengths and weaknesses, we can become more realistic about possibilities to create effective positive change. Participants should expect to embrace vulnerability, storytelling, and creating in a collaborative force that will not only allow us to learn how to work together but also learn from each other.
Me Gritaron Negra: On Blackness, Latinidad, and their Intersections, Kleaver Cruz (The Black Joy Project)
Join writer and activist, Kleaver Cruz, for a conversation about Blackness and Latinidad. Kleaver writes, “Latino is often defined as someone who isn’t perceived to be Black and that is easily evident in novelas, magazines and the rest of the ways we as a people are popularly represented. I’ve been on the search for language that indicates we are Latinos of African descent and are also the face of Latinidad, not a special category within it.”
M.I.X.E.D. (Multiracial Individuals eXchanging Encouragement and Dialogue): An Affinity Space, Morgan Dagnicourt '18, Jane Moretta-Miller '18 and Keara Sternberg '18
“[Insert demographics question here]: please select one.” Do you identify as multiracial, multi-ethnic or transracial? Have you ever felt like you occupy a racial middle-ground? Do people often expect you to choose racial “sides?” What are the differences between identifying as monoracial versus multiracial? Where do multiracial folks fit into conversations about racial solidarity and how can we affirm the complexities of our identities among friends, with family and within our local and global communities of color? In this workshop, we will explore themes of authenticity and racial invisibility in POC conversations about race and racism through interactive dialogue. We hope this space will create opportunities for participants to find community with other multiracial/multi-ethnic/transracial folks and share their narratives in an affinity space that is often lacking on campus.
People of Color in the Workplace, Jane Moretta-Miller '18 and Morgan Dagnicourt '18
Navigating through the professional world can be an exciting yet intimidating, challenging, and frustrating process. Through the lens of being a person of color, additional issues may arise––power dynamics in majority White spaces, oppressive regulations, perceptions of professionalism––that may limit our autonomy and sense of well being in a work environment. This particular workshop offers students the space to share and unpack some of the aforementioned topics in addition to exploring potential strengths-based solutions to maintain energy and ambition as we venture towards one of the biggest trajectories of our adulthood.
Power Mapping: A Guide to Utilizing Networks and Relationships, Elesa Davis '19 and Keara Sternberg '18
When trying to create change and organize in communities of color, it is important to understand how your network works. What resources are available to help communities of color at Skidmore, in the local area, or beyond? Who do you need to ally with? Who do you need to convince? Who has the power? In this workshop, we will address these questions and dialogue around ways in which we can share resources and create more effective campaigns for change.
The Shades of Our Network: Colorism in Communities of Color, DyAnna Washington '18, Ashley Polanco '18, Kali Villarosa '18 and Keara Sternberg '18
Colorism, or anti-blackness, impacts all communities, especially communities of color. To what extent has anti-blackness created intra-racial conflict within communities of color? To what extent has anti-blackness reinforced barriers between communities of color? This workshop is a space for people of color to dialogue with one another about the lasting impacts of colorism between and among them. In our attempts to engage solidarity in communities of color, we often overlook how our actions and visions are informed by frameworks of anti-blackness, racial oppression “Olympics” or colorblind racism. In this space, we seek to acknowledge and resist these frameworks through critical dialogue and reflection.
Unapologetic Self-Care, Everyday, Altagracia Montilla '12
Founded on white supremacy and designed to exclude students of color, the traditional academic space is a danger to the well-being of students of color. As we climb the academic ladder the pressure to obey norms and practices that challenge our identities increases, putting our wellness at risk and increasing the need for self-care. Students of color must be unapologetic about self-care and should engage in self-care as a form of resistance. During this workshop participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their individual academic experiences, explore self-care as resistance, and practice self-care techniques that can be applied to our everyday routines.
“We Gon’ be Alright”: Mental Health and the Blues in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Sayeed Joseph '18
During the era of the Black Lives Matter movement, which strives to combat and expose the structural and personal oppressions of racism that impact the mental health of people of color, Kendrick Lamar released his message of self-love in his 2015 album, To Pimp A Butterfly (henceforth TPAB). In keeping with the Black Lives Matter movement, the album strives to combat issues plaguing the mental health of people of color, specifically Black men, regarding the cycle of gang violence and the power of self-actualization as exhibited in the rural and classic blues era. According to the blues tradition, the personal testimony of heroic tragedy is used to find a sense of belonging or, as noted Black novelist Ralph Ellison explained, it is “an autobiographical chronicle of personal catastrophe expressed lyrically” (Ellison 1992 [1945]:62). In a country that exploits, ostracizes, and oppresses people of color through systemic racism, Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical expression of personal heroic tragedy is an inspiration to process self-love while combating larger racial issues in order to truly belong in America. In my presentation of this paper, I argue that the blues tradition is the primary entity that catered to Black people’s mental health and ability to survive the oppression that they faced in post-slavery America.
You Speak, I Speak, We Speak, Jamerly De La Cruz '18
In this workshop, students will spend time discussing, debriefing, and analyzing the ways in which pop culture has been tied to racial tension. Students will then collaboratively curate a creative response and have a finished product by the end of the workshop.
You’re So Well Spoken, Samantha Velez '20 and Daisy Rodriguez '20
“If you’re _____, why do you sound like that?” ”Where did you learn to speak English so well?” “Is English your first language?” The questioning of our linguistic abilities can manifest itself in many ways around us but it is most prominent in spaces not created for us. For some, higher education is a time when even our most basic aspect of identity, such as language, is questioned. The attack on our language can often lead to linguistic insecurity, and it is important to be able to recognize when it happens. In these moments our language has the power to address this and is a tool that can combat it.