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Steve ScarpaDecember 13, 20234min
Willette Burnham-Williams’ goal in her new role as Wesleyan’s vice president for Equity and Inclusion is to be the best servant-leader she can be. She has recently been appointed after a nationwide search that included the input of faculty, staff, and students. Burnham-Williams will begin on March 4. “I come into this position to serve the students, but also to serve the faculty and my colleagues. For me, it’s about being someone who is there to support and advocate, and to collaborate and co-facilitate,” she said in a recent interview. Burnham-Williams comes to Wesleyan from the Medical University of South…

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Steve ScarpaFebruary 6, 20237min
On the first night that Jonathan Holloway lived in the president’s residence at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, he decided to take his dogs for a walk. He gathered the usual gear – a collar, leash, and bags. After a moment of reflection Holloway grabbed his ID as well. Even though Holloway had just been appointed president of an institution encompassing over 100,000 people, as an African American man he wasn’t certain he could get back into his home safely if confronted by security. He had not, and would not, have a problem with anyone at Rutgers, but…

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Editorial StaffJanuary 31, 20231min
For most people, microbes are something to be observed under a microscope, but for Raquel Bryant, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, they provide insight into the way that the world around us works. “Collective action is actually possible,” Bryant said, “This is something I learned from microbes.” Strength in numbers is something that Bryant, who studies deep time interactions between life, the ocean, and the climate, sees as an essential principle of both activism and science. Learn more about Bryant in Madeleine Dickman '23's profile, posted at the Inclusion in STEM blog.

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Steve ScarpaJanuary 13, 20236min
The 2023 Equity & Inclusion Week, hosted by the Office for Equity & Inclusion, will offer a series of talks, workshops and film screenings intended to foster fellowship, understanding, and collective community learning. “At Wesleyan we hold these values around celebrating and honoring that our community is as diverse as it is. I think we can live out that commitment by continuing to engage identities that are different from ours and also by creating opportunities for folks who have historically been marginalized to be able to come together and share their experience with one another, find support from one another,…

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Steve ScarpaJanuary 3, 202311min
The past year began in uncertainty due to the global pandemic and the ongoing strife happening in our country and throughout the world. However, the Wesleyan University community persevered and thrived. Faculty explored new and innovative ideas, and students grew in ways that they couldn’t have anticipated. Throughout the year the Wesleyan Connection was there to document the life of a place that is always creative, always pushing for a better and more just world. Here’s a small sampling of the stories that mattered this past year: January The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funded the Carceral Connecticut Project, a multidisciplinary…

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Steve ScarpaNovember 15, 20224min
For students who are the first in their families to go to college, the process can be daunting. The challenges, however, can make the accomplishments that much sweeter. “To come to a place like Wesleyan takes hard work and dedication. You have to be innovative and creative, and show courage to take the risk to forge your own path,” said April Ruiz, Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion, & Success. In celebration of “FGLI (first generation-low income) Appreciation Week,” about 50 students, faculty, and staff came together in the Woodhead Lounge in Exley Hall November 8 for snacks, fellowship, and the…

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Olivia DrakeJune 21, 20224min
On June 18, several members of the Wesleyan community gathered at Smith Park in Middletown to participate in City of Middletown's second annual Juneteenth Liberation celebration. Wesleyan’s Office for Equity & Inclusion was a co-sponsor of the event. "Juneteenth is a time when we can reflect on the painful mistakes of our nation’s past and work towards racial reconciliation, honoring the day as a time for healing, learning and taking action," says Alison Williams '81, vice president for equity and inclusion. "It's also a time when we celebrate the significant contributions of African Americans to every aspect of American culture."…

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Editorial StaffJune 16, 20222min
In recognition of Juneteenth, we share a message from Alison P. Williams, vice president for equity and inclusion: On Saturday, June 18, Middletown will have a Juneteenth celebration in Smith Park. Wesleyan’s Office for Equity & Inclusion is a Gold sponsor of this event. We invite everyone to come out and celebrate with us. Juneteenth is also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Juneteenth Independence Day, and Black Independence Day.  It marks the date when, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. …

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Editorial StaffApril 4, 20225min
By Maia Dawson '24 On March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility, the Resource Center hosted Kat Blaque, a transgender rights activist, for an open dialogue with students. Demetrius Colvin, the Director of the Resource Center, described the event as “dedicated to raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide as well as celebrating their contributions to society.” It’s important, too, to “make sure that we’re not just highlighting the challenges and the struggles and the violence which is very real, but also… people are thriving, people are pushing things changing things, allowing more people to be free,” Colvin…

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Olivia DrakeFebruary 4, 202216min
Following WWII, droves of veterans returned home, determined to begin living "the American dream." With help of the G.I. Bill, veterans were able to purchase new homes for only $8,000 in newly-developed, sprawling subdivisions known as "Levittowns." But when Army veteran James Ladson returned from the war in 1943, he wasn't permitted to move his family to the bustling community situated on the northeast side of Philadelphia. Although he was financially qualified, there was one problem: he was Black. According to Clause 25 in Levittown’s covenant, “The tenant agrees not to permit the premises to be used or occupied by…

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Olivia DrakeFebruary 13, 20203min
More than 85 Wesleyan students and guests attended the Pathways to Inclusive Education (PIE) professional development brunch on Feb. 8 in Beckham Hall. PIE is a collective of cohort programs whose purpose is to remove obstacles along the pathways to secondary and postsecondary education for students who come from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The program serves students in ninth grade through their senior year in college. Hosted by the Office of Equity and Inclusion, participants represented the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Program (McNair Fellows); Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows (MMUF); Wesleyan Mathematics and Science Scholars Program (WesMaSS); Upward Bound Math-Science Program (Upward…

Olivia DrakeFebruary 13, 20203min
Since the arrival of Vice President for Equity and Inclusion/Title IX Officer Alison Williams ’81 six months ago, the Office for Equity and Inclusion (OEI) has made several updates and changes and is celebrating noteworthy successes. "As we are cognizant of the many societal challenges we face, we continue to work in partnership with (other campus offices and programs) to ensure that our community strives to be free from discrimination, harassment, and obstacles that prevent everyone from being successful at Wesleyan," Williams said. Among the office's recent updates are: Pathways to Inclusive Education The Pathways to Inclusive Education (PIE) programs…