Multicultural Resource Center, summer 2022

Men of Color Summit 2022

The Binghamton University Men of Color Summit Planning Committee, coordinated by the Multicultural Resource Center (MRC), Office of the Dean of Students and the Men of Color Scholastic Society, in collaboration with the Student Association; Graduate Student Organization; Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Division of Academic Affairs; Residential Life; Educational Opportunity Program; and SUNY Broome Community College Men of Excellence hosted the first annual Men of Color Summit on April 2. This conference was designed to further educate, empower and motivate students on their journey of excellence in education. Throughout the day, students, faculty, staff and community members engaged in discussions around the needs and issues that men of color face, and how those issues intersect with their academic and professional career interests.

The summit hosted about 80 attendees, facilitators and speakers in the Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC). The day consisted of rotating workshops, an alumni professional panel, as well as a keynote speech from American journalist and news anchor for MSNBC and NBC News Richard Lui, the first Asian American male to anchor a daily cable news program.

Cultural Recognition Ceremony

The fourth annual Cultural Recognition Ceremony (CRC) was held Sunday, May 1, in the Mandela Room. The CRC is a culminating experience that sends off graduates of the cultural community as a family while also celebrating the excellence, dedication and contributions of students of color. The ceremony, hosted by the Student Association; Graduate Student Organization; Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and the MRC, celebrated the efforts and achievements of multicultural students during the 2022 academic year.

This year’s event was emceed by graduate student Angel Avila and included welcome remarks from Director of Intercultural Affairs Anne Guanciale. Additionally, the event featured a singing performance and DJing by talented students. In total, 80 students signed up for the event, five students received individual awards and two organizations received awards for Multicultural Organization of the Year and Program of the Year.

Next year, the Cultural Recognition Ceremony (CRC) will transition to a banquet-style event that will be part of the Cultural President’s Council (CPC). The newly envisioned CRC will be introduced at the first event of CPC, the Diversity Leadership Reception (DLR), in September.

Collaborative Mentorship

This quarter, the MRC hosted New Student of Color Mentoring Program Mixers on April 14 and May 5. The first mixer had 24 participants in attendance and the second had 25 participants. Next year, the MRC is planning monthly mixers that will continue to build on relationships developed in this semester. Furthermore, the MRC is seeking partnership with the NAACP campus chapter to include peer mentoring and inclusion for cultural organization activities.

During this quarter, the B-College Bound mentors held the last mixer for mentees on April 29. The MRC and Upward Bound were awarded a $5,000 grant from the Parent Leadership Council’s Binghamton Fund for Student Life. The funding will assist this initiative with the following: paying student mentors, increasing professional development and improving transportation for mentees.

Additional programming/partnerships

• Pathways to Inclusive Leadership: The MRC, in collaboration with the Q Center and the UDiversity Educational Institute, partnered with the Center for Civic Engagement, the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, Residential Life and the School of Management to offer the Pathways to Inclusive Leadership program throughout the spring semester. Participants were guided through a series of workshops focused on career readiness, civic engagement, leadership, and diversity and inclusion. The collaborative initiative concluded with an end of the year mixer on May 12.
• Collaboration with Harriet Tubman Center: In recognition of Harriet Tubman’s bicentennial birthday, the MRC co-sponsored a discussion workshop with the Harriet Tubman Center titled “Are Reparations Owed to People of African Descent?” This event was a facilitated discussion regarding reparations for slavery and whether they are owed. Anne Bailey, professor of history and director of the Tubman Center, organized participants to debate each position of the argument, for and against receiving reparations. There were 42 attendees. The MRC also collaborated with the Harriet Tubman Center on its speaker series featuring Omowunmi Sadik, distinguished professor of chemistry and environmental science at New Jersey Institute of Technology on March 31; Leslie Alexander, associate professor at Arizona State University on April 6; and Binghamton alumnus Henry Obispo ’02 on April 20.