Greetings,

 

This is a reminder about an upcoming application deadline for an undergraduate student opportunity. The African American Studies Department at The University of Maryland African/Black Diaspora Seminar Project is happy to announce an opportunity for undergraduate student participation in its Mellon Foundation seminar series, “African/Black Diaspora Academic and Public Discourse.”  We welcome undergraduate student applications from your academic institution. Applications for this seminar series are due by June 16, 2020.

The seminar welcomes undergraduate students with academic interests in African/ black identity(ies) and the relationship between and among members of first and second-generation African immigrants and US-born African Americans. Undergraduate students in their junior or senior year who major in the humanities and the humanistic social sciences specializing in African, Africana and/or African American Studies and are leaders in related campus student organizations are encouraged to apply.  

 

Undergraduate students will participate in student panel discussions about their research and share personal reflections, ideas, and experiences around the key identity issues and themes of the project. How did these topics personally affect them and their collective experiences on these and other campuses?  Undergraduate participants will be selected from the regions where the seminars will be held namely:  Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia.  Four seminar meetings are planned to begin in October 2020 and conclude in September 2021. 

Please see the attached document for more details about the seminar and application process. Applications are due by June 16, 2020 and should be sent directly to the Sarah Scriven, Project Coordinator – sscriven@umd.edu. 

The aftermath of George Floyd’s murder has left many of us feeling shocked and angry at the officers and the racist system as a whole. For many of you, utilizing the Black Lives Matter hashtag on Instagram and Twitter is a proclamation of your outrage at the injustices that continue to affect the Black community. But simply posting a photo of multicolored fists in the air with the hashtag isn’t enough, and here’s why.

Misconceptions surrounding allyship can make well-intentioned people feel that posting a photo with a dignified caption is sufficient. But an Instagram post or a tweet isn’t actually benefiting anyone. It’s a performative act that floods timelines with useless information and blocks access to resources that could otherwise advance the movement. 

It can be difficult to understand what to say or how to help when you don’t know where to start, and that’s okay. The most important thing is that you sincerely want to help. 

You don’t have to get sprayed by tear gas or lead a protest to be an ally, nor do you need to throw yourself into dangerous situations to prove your support for the Black community. But being an ally does mean that you are informed, supportive and are willing to educate those around you. 

Being an ally is not only understanding the space you are occupying, and the privilege that accompanies it, but also using your privilege to speak for others. Being an ally is listening first and speaking second. It’s allowing yourself to be corrected, realizing you don’t know everything and being ready to learn. 

Allyship starts with acceptance. It’s about accepting that you need to step back and evaluate your preconceived notions about activism and accepting that you have to put in more effort to be effective and informative. 

Acceptance is followed by listening. It means taking a break from the hashtags and Twitter activism threads to conduct some research on your own. Start by reading Black authors to learn more about white privilege, racism and discrimination. Some helpful texts include 8 Books on Race and Privilege to Learn How to be a Better Ally, James Baldwin’s “Notes of a Native Son,” Danez Smith’s “dear white america” and spoken words such as “Letter to Your Flag.”

You don’t need to become an expert in racism or systematic oppression. You do, however, need to educate yourself by listening to Black voices and their stories to help you better understand issues faced by the Black community. 

Understand that educating yourself isn’t a one-time action, but an ongoing process. 

Instead of posting hashtags, it’s about taking your activism further by providing resources and other forms of information for your followers. It’s about informing others by using your platform and privilege to promote information and Black voices, rather than speaking for them.

Beyond social media, it’s necessary to include activism in your daily life. This is the part of allyship that is looked over and feared the most. It can be scary to do, and not everyone is secure in calling out those around them or holding others accountable for their words and actions. However, it’s also the most important part. 

Examine who you follow and who you surround yourself with. Are they allies as well? Is their speech harmful? Could you inform or correct them? It’s difficult to call out your peers and family on topics like this, but it’s a tough conversation that must be had, again and again. 

When you share your knowledge and assist others, you are fulfilling what it means to be supportive of the Black Lives Matter movement. It isn’t always about being on the front lines or being the loudest in the room. It’s about your sincerity and willingness to inform yourself and to take action where and how you can.

Written by Nailah-Benā Chambers, Global Studies major and Chinese minor, Class of 2022

The post How to be a better ally appeared first on The Retriever.

The plan began percolating in early 2017, when Gib Mason ’95, economics, presented a challenge to his Innovation, Creative Problem-Solving, and the Socialpreneur class: create a way to better connect UMBC to the community surrounding it. 

Two and half years and a lot of lattes later, in fall 2019, OCA Mocha opened its doors on East Drive in neighboring Arbutus. What started as an empty shell full of potential became a warm, welcoming student-run space with a coffee bar, community meeting room, entertainment stage, and gallery wall featuring works by local artists. 

As students, Michael Berardi ’19, media and communication studies, and Deep Patel ’19, biological sciences and financial economics, were in the class that created the concept; as alumni, Patel is a co-owner of the coffee shop, and Berardi is the general manager. 

Since running with the idea born in Mason’s class, the OCA Mocha team has learned firsthand about planning, construction, relationship-building, and the ups and downs of starting a business from scratch. And the learning didn’t stop when OCA Mocha opened its doors; in addition to the financial and organizational aspects of making the project a reality, Patel says he has learned “how to work with a team to accomplish a goal.” Berardi adds that he is now “more comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity” and has learned “the power of positivity—people notice it and want to be part of it.”

In their opening months, the place buzzed with activity from morning to night, with students studying, groups playing board games, impromptu meetings in the booths, friends and families gathering for coffee and conversation, and people running into old friends—or making new ones—over the signature OCA Mocha or frozen hot chocolate. 

And even after temporarily closing its physical location due to COVID-19, the OCA Mocha team has continued its community-focused work. A virtual open mic night drew ten performers and more than 600 views on social media. In partnership with the UMBC Office of Sustainability, the team took a planned OCA Mocha Kids Club event online with video tutorials on how to make Earth Day–themed crafts from on-hand items otherwise destined for the landfill. 

Building on OCA Mocha’s existing partnership with Retriever Essentials, UMBC’s food pantry, the team offered a one-time no-cost lunch delivery to local kids in need. As a result, Patel and Berardi made and delivered 35 lunches and Kids Club activity packs. 

Berardi said it was eye-opening to see how many people, including in his own neighborhood, needed help. A mom posted her thanks on social media, saying this gesture “brought so much joy” to her three kids. The team continues to partner with Retriever Essentials to serve UMBC’s food insecure community. 

Bettina Tebo, president of the Greater Arbutus Business Association, is one of the project’s earliest supporters. At the grand opening, she called OCA Mocha “ just the beginning of the amazing things that can happen from this relationship…and from the connections that we’re building.” 

Along East Drive, other businesses noticed an uptick in foot traffic after OCA Mocha opened. A new bus route from campus to East Drive certainly helped. Sheena Herron, owner of Finders Keepers Thrift Store and Consignment Store, says, “We’ve gained so many new and loyal customers…simply because they were at OCA Mocha and noticed we were next door.“ 

When OCA Mocha eventually reopens, Berardi and Patel look forward to the familiar buzz of activity. They already have plans to expand the coffee shop’s menu and live entertainment offerings, enhance their community-focused programming, and “serve the community in ways we haven’t even thought of yet.” 

— Mary Ann Richmond ’93

Update: OCA Mocha is now open for curbside pick-up and delivery.

*****

Header image by Marlayna Demond ’11.