DCS Celebrates Black History Month! |
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We in the Department of Community Service celebrate Black History month as not just a single month, but as a lifelong commitment to the work of anti-racism and Black Lives Matter. We invite our community to center Black and marginalized voices whenever we can, and unite on our shared values and visions of justice. This is the essence of what community engagement is all about. We stand in solidarity with our Black students, faculty, staff, alumni, Waltham community partners, friends, family and community members, and with all those fighting for racial and social justice. Our team commits to continuing this important work through practicing and promoting cultural humility, self and community care, education, and direct action. As a team, we are also releasing a Spring 2021 update to our Black Action Plan and response to anti-racism. Click here to read more about our progress and continued work for challenging anti-racism in our work and our lives.
In today’s newsletter, we celebrate and spotlight some of our community partners, students, and alumni. Take a moment to read about their community engagement work, stories and how the Brandeis community can support.
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Name: Hirvelt Megie
Current/Past Profession and/or Volunteer Work: High School Teacher & America Needs You Mentor Coach
I am a first generation graduate from Brandeis University. I originally went to Brandeis to pursue a career in Medicine, but discovered my passion for education after taking a course during my junior year. I am now a proud teacher, in my sixth year of teaching, at a high school in Brooklyn, New York. Without a doubt, I have fully indulged in the famous quote by Confucius, “Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.”
When I was younger, I always idolized the courage, tenacity, and will of Black leaders; like Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, Booker T. Washington and Toussaint L'Ouverture. They identified issues that they could not keep quiet about and despite popular opinions, they challenged the norms. They paved the way for others to follow, including myself. They will forever influence my way of thinking as I try to follow in their footsteps. As we engage in Black History Month, it is important to remember that Black history is made everyday, all around the World. It is important that we take their lessons and use them to find our truths and pay it forward for future generations. I choose to do that by teaching our leaders of tomorrow.
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Community Partner Spotlights |
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Name: Juliet Najjumba
Juliet Najjumba founded Africano Waltham in 2010 whose goal was, and is, to improve the lives of families of African descent, with a particular focus on children. For years, Waltham has been the primary destination of Ugandan immigrants to the U.S. because they can find connections here that lead to paths for successful settlement in the region. Africano helps children, who often struggle academically and face barriers due to economics, culture, racism, and low self-esteem. Africano provides a safe, nurturing and educational space for youth to gather, learn, grow, and take pride in their African heritage. The families Africano serves are some of the community’s most vulnerable members. Africano provides a variety of programs for people of all ages, from after school programs, enrichment opportunities, support groups, college and job readiness programs, and workshops in traditional African arts and crafts. Africano youth are ambassadors to the larger community through their dance and musical performances in schools, festivals, civic groups and faith communities. Since COVID hit Africano serves the community with daily necessities, a food pantry every Saturday and all programs are now via zoom.
How can the Brandeis community offer support (time, donations, etc.) to support your organization?
We welcome donation drives for toiletries , culturally appropriate foods (matooke, sweet potato, plantain, fish, ginger) shelf stable foods (rice, milk, beans, oatmeal, juice), cleaning supplies and/or raising funds for purchases that we give to families as needed. After the pandemic, we look forward to welcoming Brandeis students back to the center.
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Name: Gabriel M. Vonleh
Gabriel M. Vonleh has over 25 years of experience within the healthcare industry. He has served within MA state government and several community health centers in senior leadership roles. Mr. Vonleh has an affinity for serving individuals within underserved communities. He currently serves as the CEO of Opportunities for Inclusion, an organization that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who reside in Waltham and surrounding communities. He holds a Master's degree in healthcare administration from Suffolk University in Boston.
How can the Brandeis community offer support (time, donations, etc.) to support your organization?
We welcome student volunteers to support our programs and appreciate our long history of student involvement! Pre-pandemic, Brandeis students volunteered weekly in our adult day programs, working with individuals on arts, crafts and other projects, or just having one-on-one conversations. Many students also participated in our Recreation programs, especially our evening dance events. Brandeis Buddies, run by students and held on campus for individuals employed on campus and others in the community, is an important and much-anticipated program for many individuals we serve. Currently our programs are primarily virtual and Brandeis Buddies student volunteers are joining our virtual day program one morning a week and running meetings on eight Thursday afternoons for the Spring semester. We are also beginning a Virtual Buddy program, for students to regularly connect one-on-one with an individual in our programs. Please contact Brandeis Buddies for more information! We also appreciate financial donations and support for our fundraisers--visit our website oppsforinclusion.org for more information.
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The Rich/Collins Community Leadership & Impact Fellowship Program is a one-of-a-kind, prestigious leadership opportunity where undergraduate students can apply for grant funding (between $500-$4,000) to implement a community impact project during the Spring semester, while receiving a $600 personal stipend and engaging in a close-knit cohort leadership development series. Due to challenges related to COVID-19, we pivoted the program this year requiring all projects to be implemented virtually. This shift allowed students to be eligible to participate in this fellowship no matter where they were geographically located and for students to support communities outside of the Greater Boston Area. Students are able to support any cause that aligns with a community need through their project, however, as a result of our current climate, this year we intentionally encouraged projects that support COVID-19 relief efforts and racial justice work. We have 12 incredible fellows this semester, implementing 9 community impact projects across the country. In honor of Black History Month, please take a moment to review the projects below working to advance racial justice in our nation.
Annie Wong ‘22 & Jacob Krah ‘23/ Colorism Healing- Link to Mindfulness
“Mental health is oftentimes seen as taboo within marginalized communities. This stigma is further strained when campuses fail to provide adequate mental health, wellness, and holistic health support to their students. College students’ mental health is vulnerable, especially those that move away from home. Colleges should provide coherent and culturally conscious support to their students, especially students of disadvantaged backgrounds. Link to Mindfulness wants to give Black college students an opportunity to be able to explore more accessible forms of healing. In addition, we would like to destigmatize, demystify, and start conversations surrounding mental health within marginalized communities. We will accomplish this through curating a database of Black mental health and wellness practitioners ranging from psychotherapists, holistic healers, spiritual practitioners, and life coaches, hosting and facilitating community sessions centered on community building, community healing, and leaving individuals with tangible wellness practices, and creating a model of what campus support and centering mental health of students from disadvantaged backgrounds would look like”. One of their various events funded by R/C CLIF is the Black Mental Health and Wellness panel on Friday February 26th from 7 PM - 9 PM EST that is going to destigmatize and provide insight about mental health and healing in the Black community. This is open to Black undergraduate students and the registration link is here.
Kyra Frazier ‘21 & Shanice Jackman ‘22/Waltham Black Future Fund- Dream Big Waltham
“It is necessary to create a space where Black students can re-imagine and decide how they see themselves in the world despite societal pressures. Dream Big Waltham’s mission is to empower Black students to take control of their narrative. We will be hosting a series of workshops and panels featuring successful Black professionals who have taken non-traditional routes to success. These events will push Black students to dream beyond what they are told their paths should look like. The end goal is to build a “dream wall” for students to creatively express the vision they have for their future”.
Logan Shanks ‘24/Community Teen Coalition- The Sesa Wo Suban Project
“The educational system is dominated by white hegemonic narratives. It has been weaponized by white supremacy to reinforce white superiority. It is important to reimagine the classroom as a space of liberation as it has left many traumatic first impressions of “education” on the lives of Black students. The Sesa Wo Suban Project brings college mentoring and culturally relevant pedagogy to Black students in Metro Atlanta by transforming at-risk students into agents of change who push for liberation in their communities. We will be engaging in workshops two times a week, one centering college mentoring and the other black history and culture to shift Black student’s perception of education and learning and prepare them for secondary level education, so they can implement and advocate for their community in any and all spaces. By the end of the program, they will feel prepared for the college admission process and comfortable with articulating their lived experiences and historical and contemporary societal issues plaguing their communities”.
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Department of Community Service
Shapiro Campus Center, Room 203
P: 781-736-3237
Want to submit your event or volunteer request in an upcoming This Week in Service email? Fill out this submission form to request support.
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