Baratunde Thurston AB '99 and Candice Hoyes AB '99 discuss their experiences as black artists at a recent Harvard Alumni Association event co-sponsored by HBAS in New York.
Photo courtesy of The Harvard Gazette.
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HBAS Holiday Parties; West Returns to Harvard; HBAS Board Openings; Steve Fund Seeks Exec Dir
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Highlights:
- Leadership: 2016 Holiday Parties
- Leadership: Join the HBAS Board and Regional Chapters!
- Health and Wellness: Updates
- Health and Wellness: The Steve Fund News and Resources; The Steve Fund Seeks Executive Director
- Health and Wellness Essay: Self-Care for the Holidays 2016
- Notable News: Cornel West AB '74 to return to Harvard; Judge Robert Leon Wilkins JD '89 chronicles making of NMAAHC; Diversifying the Arts: Alumni, faculty describe efforts on and off campus at event co-sponsored by HBAS; Danielle Allen Ph.D. '01 first black woman honored as James Bryant Conant University Professor; HKS panel considers race and justice in Obama era.
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Share Your Stories in the HBAS Newsletter!
The HBAS publishes this newsletter, including announcements regarding events, programs, and initiatives; developments in the news; and other information relevant to the Harvard black community, on a monthly basis.
If you have any announcements that might be of interest to the membership, please send them to
[email protected].
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HBAS Chicago: Gift Drive & Toast to the New Year
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Looking for a way to give back
AND have fun this holiday season?
Ugly Sweater Holiday Gift Drive and Happy Hour
When: Thursday, December 8,2016
Where: Vice Brewery, 1454 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
6-9pm
Vice Brewery is a black-owned brewery located right in the south loop. Ugly Sweaters are encouraged but not required.
We'll be collecting the items listed below to give to children in partnership with One Hope United. Hope to see you there!
Lego sets
Leap Frog reading toys
Baby Alive Dolls
Game Stop Gift Cards
Burlington Gift Cards
BasketBall or Football
Size 10 Clothes
Noisemakers for infants
If you'd like to donate any of these items but can't make it to the Holiday Happy Hour, please contact Chelsea Celistan [email protected]
TOAST TO THE NEW YEAR!
HBAS Chicago will host a Toast to the New Year Party in collaboration with Stanford, Yale, Princeton and other alumni chapters in the
Chicago area. Food, fun, and music will be provided!
When: Thursday,
January 12, 2017
Where:
Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., C
hicago
, IL 60642
6-9pm
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Leadership: Join the HBAS National Board or Regional Chapters
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Get Involved!
National Board
The HBAS national board has openings for the following positions:
TREASURER
DEVELOPMENT CHAIR
2018/2019 HARVARD BLACK ALUMNI CHAIR
DIVERSITY CO-CHAIR (2)
ALUMNI AFFAIRS CHAIR
Regional Chapters
If you are interested in getting involved with an HBAS regional chapter, please contact B.J. Merriewether at [email protected] If you are in another major city and would like to start a regional chapter, feel free to reach out to him as well
ATLANTA
BOSTON
CHICAGO
WASHINGTON, D.C.
NEW YORK
MIAMI
HOUSTON
LOS ANGELES
SAN FRANCISCO
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2017 HBAS Health & Wellness Groups
Do you have some health and wellness goals for a new year or just want to enjoy fun activities with another HBAS member?
In January, HBAS will launch monthly Health & Wellness initiatives to promote well-being.
Please
sign-up
to join a group by Friday, December 30, 2016.
2016 HBAS Health & Wellness Survey
Let us know how we can help you achieve your 2017 health and wellness goals and how the Steve Fund can provide more resources for alumni and students on campus. Please complete the HBAS health & wellness survey by Friday, December 30, 2016.
Join the HBAS Health & Wellness Committee
Want to serve as a volunteer for the HBAS Health & Wellness Committee?
Then, complete this form by Friday, December 30, 2016.
There will be a volunteer orientation call in February. This role should require at most about 4-5 hours per month.
We are seeking a Communications/Public Relations Manager, who will manage the health directory, health listserv (platform to share information about jobs, resources, and conferences), and HBAS health social media accounts.
Contact the HBAS Health & Wellness Committee at
[email protected] for more information.
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Health and Wellness: The Steve Fund
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The Steve Fund Is Seeking Its First Executive Director!
The nation's only organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of college students of color is seeking its first Executive Director.
We are looking for a charismatic, seasoned leader with a deep commitment to promoting the mental health and emotional well-being of young people of color, along with an understanding of the population- specific/unique challenges that students of color face in receiving support for their mental health and emotional well-being.
The Executive Director will effectively articulate The Steve Fund's vision, mission and values that stimulate investment by funders and engagement of practitioners to increase national awareness and promote/facilitate effective programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance. Additionally, The Executive Director will work in close partnership with best-in-class mental health organizations, youth-serving non-profits, and institutions of higher education engaging leaders from across sectors, college students and mental health colleagues. He/She has a notable reputation and commands respect that activates public awareness and support for addressing the mental health needs of young people of color. The Executive Director will be a person who thrives in a start-up environment.
Please pass on the information to qualified candidates. To apply or read the full job description, please click
here
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Knight Foundation Awards Grant to Steve Fund and Crisis Text Line
Crisis Text Line and the Steve Fund are expanding a joint effort to support young people of color who suffer from mental health issues with $863,000 from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The investment will help strengthen Crisis Text Line text-messaging support services in communities of color, while increasing data collection and research on the needs of this population.
In early 2016, Crisis Text Line, a free, 24/7 text-based support line for people in crisis, and the Steve Fund launched a Knight-backed collaboration to better support young people of color in crisis.
The Steve Fund and Crisis Text Line provide crisis counseling to young people of color. Text "STEVE" to 741741 to be linked with a trained crisis counselor.
5 Practical Tips: What Parents Can Do To Support the
Mental Health of Students of Color
Often when young people of color move on to college, there are significant changes not only in their lives, but in the lives of their parents as well. While they navigate new territories, parents and other family members must navigate new ways to assist them in their journey.
Having knowledge and strategies to be informed and to assist during this exciting but sometimes challenging phase in young people's lives can make a fundamental difference in this experience.
The Steve Fund offers a guide authored by the Fund's medical expert and Harvard alumna, Dr. Annelle Primm, M.D., M.P.H., with five practical tips to help parents support the mental health of students of color. The tips include what question parents can ask about mental health support when talking with university representatives, and what kind of conversations parents should have with their children to support their mental health and emotional well-being in college.
Other News
- The 3rd annual Young, Gifted, & @ Risk convening was held at Washington University in St. Louis on November 11, 2016 with a Midwest focus.
- In partnership with the Jed Foundation, the Steve Fund is working to develop a model Framework to be released February 2017 for colleges and universities to promote the mental health of young people of color on campus.
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Self-Care for the Holidays 2016
By Harvard Alumna, Annelle B. Primm, AB '76, MD, MPH
On behalf of the Steve Fund
For the Harvard Black Alumni Society
The holiday season is upon us. It is occurring in the aftermath of a tumultuous 2016 characterized by numerous instances of highly publicized police violence against black people as well as an unprecedented presidential election process fraught with ugliness and protest. Some who have kept up with current events on television and social media have been emotionally drained by the stress of the constant onslaught of negativity.
While the nation's political environment is still tense and we simultaneously contend with other pressures and adversities in our lives in both social and occupational realms, it is important for us to manage stress, prevent burnout, and take care of ourselves. Self-care can come in many forms, but is often seen as a way of maintaining a healthy mind, body, and spirit. Basic self-care includes getting enough rest, eating well, staying hydrated, engaging in regular physical activity, and avoiding excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol. Many find wholeness in spiritual and religious practice such as prayer. Other methods of self-care which people have found helpful are yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and massage.
An approach to achieving balance and calm which has been gaining popularity is mindfulness, wherein concentrating on the present moment and accepting the reality of one's thoughts and feelings are paramount. We can also promote emotional wellness in ourselves by engaging in activities that relax us and bring us joy, such as reading, sports, fishing, knitting, dance, music and other creative endeavors. Given the fact that being bombarded by repetitive stimuli from various forms of media can trigger stress, significant steps toward self-care might include periodically powering down the phone, unplugging the laptop, turning off the television, and taking a break from social media.
Being conscious, deliberate, and intentional about self-care may be more important than ever during this holiday season. Remember, if we don't take care of ourselves, we can't take care of others. Take the time to think through a self-care plan for yourself and be sure to follow through on it. Consider encouraging the people in your life to engage in their own self-care if they aren't already doing it. This is a great holiday gift that comes without a price tag and can serve as a foundation for a lifetime of well-being.
The Steve Fund is a philanthropic organization created in memory of
Stephen Rose, an HBAS member who graduated in 2007. The Steve Fund
works with colleges and universities, outstanding non-profits, researchers, practitioners, and with groups serving diverse populations to stimulate dialogue and promote effective programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance for the mental and emotional health of the nation's students of color as they enter, matriculate in, and transition from higher education.
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Cornel West AB '74.
Photo courtesy of The Boston Globe.
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Copyright ©
The Harvard Black Alumni Society, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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