Spring 2023
Intergroup dialogue is "a facilitated, face-to-face encounter that strives to create new levels of understanding, relating and action between two or more social identity groups who have a history of conflict or potential conflict" (Zúñiga & Nagda, 2003).
In collaboration with the Social Justice Education program, Advocacy, Inclusion & Support programs sponsor dialogue coursework opportunities for undergraduate students, including:
EDUC 202: Social Issues in Intergroup Dialogue
-
In small and diverse groups, students will engage in facilitated conversations across differences of race/ethnicity, gender, and other social identities. They will explore differences and commonalities as well as examine contentious issues and opportunities for intergroup collaboration using dialogic methods.
- 4 credits, offered Spring semester
- General Education/Diversity (SB) (DU), open to all majors/concentrations
- For more information or questions, please contact dialogue@sacl.umass.edu
EDUC 395Z: Issues in Intergroup Relations
-
In small and diverse groups, students from a similar social context (e.g. student leaders), students will engage in facilitated conversations across differences of race/ethnicity, class, and other social identities. They will examine issues and opportunities to collaborate with other students as well as explore how identities shape their experiences. This course is intended to develop dialogic skills to address conflict and relationships within and across student communities.
- 1 credit, weekend-long (Saturday and Sunday); offered Fall and Spring semesters
- Open to all majors/concentrations
-
For more information or questions, please contact dialogue@sacl.umass.eduIntergroup dialogue is "a facilitated, face-to-face encounter that strives to create new levels of understanding, relating and action between two or more social identity groups who have a history of conflict or potential conflict" (Zúñiga & Nagda, 2003).
In collaboration with the Social Justice Education program, Advocacy, Inclusion & Support programs sponsor dialogue coursework opportunities for undergraduate students, including:
EDUC 202: Social Issues in Intergroup Dialogue
-
In small and diverse groups, students will engage in facilitated conversations across differences of race/ethnicity, gender, and other social identities. They will explore differences and commonalities as well as examine contentious issues and opportunities for intergroup collaboration using dialogic methods.
- 4 credits, offered Spring semester
- General Education/Diversity (SB) (DU), open to all majors/concentrations
- For more information or questions, please contact dialogue@sacl.umass.edu
EDUC 395Z: Issues in Intergroup Relations
-
In small and diverse groups, students from a similar social context (e.g. student leaders), students will engage in facilitated conversations across differences of race/ethnicity, class, and other social identities. They will examine issues and opportunities to collaborate with other students as well as explore how identities shape their experiences. This course is intended to develop dialogic skills to address conflict and relationships within and across student communities.
- 1 credit, weekend-long (Saturday and Sunday); offered Fall and Spring semesters
- Open to all majors/concentrations
- For more information or questions, please contact dialogue@sacl.umass.edu
-
In small and diverse groups, students will engage in facilitated conversations across differences of race/ethnicity, gender, and other social identities. They will explore differences and commonalities as well as examine contentious issues and opportunities for intergroup collaboration using dialogic methods.
Fall 2022
Congratulations, Elle Whitehead!
SAVE THE DATE! Attention Graduating CMASS Seniors!!!
The annual Senior Recognition Celebration is our way to celebrate and congratulate seniors on the momentous achievement of graduation. Seniors are presented with a commemorative stole, which they can wear to Commencement.
This day also affords seniors the opportunity to recognize peers, faculty and staff for their commitment to student success, diversity and social justice.
We require that you attend the Senior ceremony to receive the stole.
Senior Recognition Celebration (RSVPs) are required! Graduating seniors who wish to attend should fill out the Google Form here: tinyurl.com/5n8s3jw4. Deadline to complete and submit this form is March 10, 2023.
For questions, contact: cmass@umass.edu.
Are you curious about a career in the law or need free, confidential legal advice? Please drop in and join Attorney Bernie Stark from the Student Legal Services Office.
Drop-In Hours
Tuesday's from 12PM to 1PM
CMASS, Wilder Hall, Room 102
September 20
October 25
November 14
December 13
Please email Pamela Dutta at dutta@umass.edu for additional information or visit the SLSO website.
Join this fall workshop series to cultivate self-efficacy skills that support your success and belonging.
It takes courage to stretch our learning edge and support peers in doing the same.
November Theme: Get Ready to Stay Ready
Monday, Nov. 7 - 2:30pm
Thursday, Nov. 10- 5:30pm
Monday, Nov. 14 - 2:30pm
Tuesday, Nov. 15 - 5:30pm
Monday, Nov. 28 - 2:30pm
Thursday, Dec. 1 - 5:30 pm
Attend a session to learn and share how you navigate campus as a student of color. Drop ins welcome!
Wednesday, April 19, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
more info here: fac.umass.edu
Austin-based singer-songwriter Gina Chavez blends the sounds of the Americas with tension and grace. Only the second Austinite and the third Latina born in the continental U.S. to receive a Latin Grammy nomination in the history of the awards, this queer, bilingual, genre-bending musician is a force to be reckoned with.
A 12-time Austin Music Award winner — her honors include Female Vocalist of the Year in 2019, and Austin Musician of the Year in 2015 — Chavez explores the true meaning of “Americana" as she and her band take audiences on a high-energy journey through Latin America and beyond.
Chavez’s music is deeply personal. Her passionate collection of bilingual songs traversing Cumbia, rumba, and soul take audiences on a journey of discovery of her Latin roots. Her bilingual album, Up.Rooted, topped the Amazon and Latin iTunes charts following a feature on NPR's All Things Considered. And her Tiny Desk concert, in which she all but reaches through the screen and grabs you by the ears, has attracted more than 1.3 million views.
“Chavez’s voice is perfectly suited to reflect all of those experiences and to take us to places where we dare to let our emotional guards down.” — NPR, Felix Contreras
“Most striking is Chavez’s ease as she moves between social and love songs, between North American and Latin genres, and even between languages: When she passes mid-song from English to Spanish and back, it’s the most natural thing in the world.“ — The Boston Globe
Virtual Sessions
https://umass.campus.eab.com/pal/RNLfaZXGXj
Thursday, November 10th, 2:00-3:00 pm
Tuesday, November 15th, 2:00-3:00 p
m
Monday, November 21st, 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2:00-3:00 pm
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2:00- 3:00 pm
Monday, November 28th, 10:00 -11:00 am
Thursday, December 1st, 2:00-3:00 pm
Friday, December 2nd, 2:00-3:00 pm
Looking for a place to study? Join us at the Malcolm X Cultural Center from December 13-20, come in at 4:00-10:00 pm. Study and learn with friends and peers!
SUBMIT YOUR DESIGN ENTRY NOW! Deadline for submission is Monday, December 5! You might win the cash prize!
Tap your inner creativity and win the cash prize!
CMASS is seeking creative students to design a graduation stole to be gifted to CMASS graduating seniors.
Meaning of the stole:
- The stole symbolizes active membership in CMASS.
- It acknowledges the diverse cultures of the student body.
- It celebrates graduating students’ hard work and achievement.
- The design should display the words CMASS and UMASS on it.
Who can join?
The contest is open to all CMASS affiliated students. No fee required to participate
What are things that cannot be included in the design?
UMass seal, CMASS old logo and year of graduation. The Cultural Center logo can be included in the design. If you need the logo, please email chonal@umass.edu so you can get a copy.
How to join:
Students must submit their design (art/photo) via email to cmass@umass.edu during the entry period-October 11- December 5 2022.
Deadline of submission: December 5, 2022@ 11:59pm
Winner selection: Judging criteria will be based on most culturally inspired design that represents the meaning of the stole. CMASS and student staff will select the winning design!
PRIZE: The winning design will stand to receive $300.00.
Announcement of Winner: The winning design and the designer will be featured in the CMASS webpage and in the Weekly Bulletin.
Please note: : All entries submitted become the property of CMASS/UMass Amherst and by participating you agree that CMASS/UMass may use your submitted graduation stole design for marketing and advertising purpose.Questions and more info: cmass@umass.edu.
CMASS Grad School Appointment
Get more tips and support on mechanics of applying to a graduate school program in Spring 2023 with Shamo Thar on December 5, 7 and 12 from 12:00-3:00pm. Book your appointment on Navigate.
If you have questions, contact Shamo at xmaotai-sa@umass.edu.
It's time for some rich, hot drink a to keep warm in this cold wether. Join us for some coccoa at the YKCC and lean how to hand knit a blanket or scrf.
Location: Goodell 306
December 8 | 6:00pm
CMASS is accepting applications for Programming Assistants for the cultural centers for Spring 2023. Applicants must be enrolled full-time and in good academic standing. Application materials for submission are as follows:
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Contact information for two references
Email application materials by December 16, 2022 to youngblood@umass.edu.
The Programming Assistant works under the supervision of the Assistant Program Coordinators with dotted lines to the Assistant Director for Academic Support and Director of CMASS to design and facilitate culturally enrichng programs, assist with daily operations, and network with faculty, staff, students and community leaders while promoting and upholding the dignity and reputation of the cultural centers and CMASS. This position offers opportunities to apply knowledge of cultural wealth and gain practical experience in project management, event production and evaluation.
This position will be eligible for intent to return each semester upon review of academic standing, professional performance evaluation and funding availability. Work-study is preferred bu not needed to apply. Hours range from 8-10 hours/week and 2-3 weekends per semester.
Film, Discussion and Dinner with Producer and Director Ivey Camille
December 1 | 5:00-7:00pm
Carney family Auditorium
UMass College of Education
A young Navajo filmmaker investigates displacement of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies that have exploited the land where she was born. On this personal and political journey she learns from Indigenous activists across three continents.
Sponsors:
College of Engineering
College of Education
College of Natural Sciences
Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies
UMass Amherst Libraries's Sustainabiltity Fund
Department of History
Center for Multicultural Advnacement and Student Success
The Energy Transition Institute
2023 CMASS Annual Senior Recognition Ceremony
April 20, 2023 | 5:30-7:30pm
Bromery Center for the Arts
The annual Senior Recognition Reception is our way to celebrate and congratulate seniors on the momentous achievement of graduation. Seniors are presented with a commemorative stole, which they can wear to Commencement.
This day also affords seniors the opportunity to recognize peers, faculty and staff for their commitment to student success, diversity and social justice.
Senior Recognition Reception reservations (RSVPs) are required! Graduating seniors who wish to attend should fill out the form here: tinyurl.com/5n8s3jw4. Deadline to complete and submit this form is March 10. 2023.
BEADING WORKSHOP
DO NOT FORGET! Tomorrow night - November 29th is the last Beading Workshop!
Come out and learn different beading techniques with UMass Native American Alumni Angelina LaRotonda. Angie is a skilled beader who travels the powwow trail selling her beadwork.
We are excited to have her back and share part of her culture with our current students.
Join us at 6:00-8:00pm in JWECC, Chadbourne Hall, B-3.
All are welcome!
COOKIES AND CONVERSATIONS
Tuesday, November 29
Student Union - Rm. 305 - SGA Office
Come join the SGA and CMASS for Cookies and Conversations on November 29th at 5pm in the SGA Office. Meet with members of the Social Justice and Empowerment Committee to talk about the SGA and the different social justice initiatives they are involved in.
COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS SERIES
Join this fall workshop series to cultivate self-efficacy skills that support your success and belonging.
It takes courage to stretch our learning edge and support peers in doing the same.
November Theme: Get Ready to Stay Ready
Attend a session to learn and share how you navigate campus as a student of color. Drop ins welcome!
UNIV203 ONE CREDIT| SEMINAR
Day and Time: Tuesdays | 2:30-3:45pm
Skinner Hall room 201
GRAD SCHOOL PREP PERSONAL STATEMENT WRITING WORKSHOP
Join us for a writing session!
The Graduate school admissions committee members are looking for interesting, completing, original, and insightful essays. No two personal statement essays are the same. Avoiding writing a generic essay can indicate to the committee members that you have spent some time assessing your interests, values, skills, and goals.
So do you want to start drafting your statement for your graduate school application? This workshop is for you! Bring your laptop. We will begin writing with some essential writing prompts for this critical essay.
Register here: https://forms.gle/i1TBb7vVdRB92tfB7
UMASS ULTIMATE RACE FALL 2022
It was an evening of teamwork, bonding, laughter, competition, and interaction with CMASS and UMPD. Historically, the Ultimate Race, held twice each academic year, is an event by CMASS and the UMass Police Department's Community Outreach Unit. This semester's team registration was capped at 45. The event promotes connection to UMPD and CMASS through a safe, fun, and educational night out and encourages a stronger connection to the campus and surrounding communities. At each "pit stop," groups can engage with the location. Whether learning more about the services offered there or forming meaningful connections with staff, it is something that we might not be able to do in our daily routines.
At the end of the night, the main takeaway is to have fun and know that CMASS, UMPD, and all other organizations and departments who sponsored the "pit stops" are resources for all students.
The race concluded with music breaking the silence of the night courtesy of DJ Boogie. Teams were treated to wings and pizza and taking photos in the photo booth. Prizes were awarded to the top three qualifying teams.
We will back in the Spring!
MOCCASINS WORKSHOP
Learn how to create your own pair of moccasins to wear on Rock Your Mocks Day on November 15. No experience required. Guided instruction provided. Space is limited so register to join here: youngblood@umass.edu.
Refreshments provided.
COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS SERIES FALL 2022
Join this fall workshop series to cultivate self-efficacy skills that support your success and belonging.
It takes courage to stretch our learning edge and support peers in doing the same.
November Theme: Get Ready to Stay Ready
Attend a session to learn and share how you navigate campus as a student of color. Drop ins welcome!
GRAD SCHOOL PREP PROGRAM: A STRONG PERSONAL STATEMENT FOR GRAD SCHOOL
A Strong Personal Statement for Grad School
Sign up now! bit.ly/3TTfGnU
Students typically will have to write personal statements to include with their graduate school application. The personal statement is a significant element of the grad school application. Getting familiar with this essay’s structures, key points, tips and tricks is a step moving forward to your ideal graduate programs. Come and learn from our professional speakers at the comfort of your own homes or dorms.
GRAD SCHOOL PREP PROGRAM
Each One, Reach One
The Graduate School Prep Program at CMASS is committed to preparing underrepresented undergraduate students for the graduate school education of their dreams. Graduate school can be a great experience and a way to advance your career and knowledge. Yet, grad school also can be intimidating for some of us.
CMASS staff is here to support you in your planning for graduate school through our workshops, mentorship initiatives, and resources. Regardless of when or where you decide to go for graduate school, the process of graduate school application requires the support of others. Check out more from our blog: https://cmassgrad.wordpress.com..
UNIV 203=0NE CREDIT SEMINAR - THE SCIENCE OF THRIVING
Day and Time: Tuesdays | 2:30-3:45pm
Skinner Hall room 201
Join this class to learn behaviors and skills to help you build self-confidence, resilience, positive thinking and connect with a support network. Registration requires instructor approval – so email Willie Pope at wjp@umass.edu
DIA LOS MUERTOS
Quiero Volver: A Xingonx Ritual Opera
In acknowledgement of Day of the Dead, this multimedia performance altar by opera singer Diana Alvarez invites us to cultivate creativity, community and healing.
Don't miss this unique and engaging performance!
Monday, October 31 at 5:30pm in room 804 of the Campus Center
GRAD SCHOOL PREP PROGRAM
Join us for a writing session!
The Graduate school admissions committee members are looking for interesting, completing, original, and insightful essays. No two personal statement essays are the same. Avoiding writing a generic essay can indicate to the committee members that you have spent some time assessing your interests, values, skills, and goals.
So do you want to start drafting your statement for your graduate school application? This workshop is for you! Bring your laptop. We will begin writing with some essential writing prompts for this critical essay.
Register here: https://forms.gle/i1TBb7vVdRB92tfB7
__________________________________________________________
The Ultimate Race is back. This event is a bi-annual event held in collaboration with UMass Amherst Police Department: This highly interactive event provides an excellent opportunity for team building, engage in healthy competition, as well as interact with members of the UMass Police and CMASS.
SIGN UP NOW - Registration deadline: October 18, 2022 @ 11:59pm
Register Here: tinyurl.com/2s3rs6a7
Prizes - Surprises - Pizza - Wings -Fun
How to Join:
1. Form your team of 3 people
2. Register your team of 3 with these vital info: team name, full name, phone number, email address and TEE-SHIRT sizes of each member.
3. You will receive a confrirmation email from CMASS that your team is a participant in the competition.
Register here.
Start of Registration: Friday, September 30, 2022 - Deadline: October 18, 2022 @ 11:59pm
Questions? Contact chonal@umass.edu
Monday, October 24 | 6:30pm
Location: via Zoom
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Missing White Women Syndrome are two related epidemics with very different outcomes. One is not talked about outside of Indian Country. The other is highly visible in national media. Let’s talk about history and actions in and out of Indian Country to make sure that our sisters, mothers, daughters, wives, girlfriends, women, are protected.
Speaker is Heather Bruegl, M.A. (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee), Independent Indigenous Consultant and Historian.
Register to join: :https://bit.ly/3BRpozW
Wednesday, October 12 | 5:00 PM | Room 201, Wilder Hall
Please join us for the Graduate School Preparation Workshop hosted by CMASS on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. This will be an in-person workshop to be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is a fun and engaging workshop where participants will receive full information about the importance of graduate school, mechanics of successful graduate applications, and how to find financial support for your graduate studies. In addition, students will have opportunities to be connected with graduate students as mentors and receive on-going mentorships on graduate school applications.
Led by Professor and associate dean Wilmore Webley of the Office of Inclusion and Engagement, you don’t wanna miss this opportunity.
CONTRACT TO RESERVE FACILITY AT CMASs
I agree to be present during the event and maintain use of only the space that our group has requested and no other space within the Center, except for the restrooms. I understand that I’m responsible for set-up of the room and that the furniture must be placed in the original arrangement as detailed in the diagram located on the back of the room door. I also agree to be responsible for making sure that the room is left clean by placing ALL trash from the event including recyclable items into the main trash/recycling bins located in the entrance hallways as well as wiping down all tables. I agree to pay for any damages created in the space that our group has requested by those attending and provide compensation for repairs to CMASS within 30 days.
Please keep in mind that CMASS will not be able to supply paper goods. If your group is bringing in refreshments, you will need to bring paper goods and other supplies that are needed for your event.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ABOUT CMASS
The Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success (CMASS) opened doors in 2011 to support the student success and sense of belonging of firstgeneration, students of color, multiracial students, and low income students. Check out Your CMASS and the Cultural Centers to learn how you can benefit from our programs and services, or the Calendar to find out what is happening in our locations. Our programs and services are open to anyone. If you are not receiving our weekly bulletin yet we encourage you to join CMASS.
JWECC PAINT NIGHT
The JWECC crafts and paint night was such a great success that paint night is making a comeback - sooner than expected! We are inviting you - creative souls - to join us for another night of music and painting. So good for the soul. Come to relax, destress and enjoy enacks and drinks and great company!
It's a date: Wednesday, October 12 - 6-8pm!
NATIVE HERITAGE MONTH PROGRAMS
Film, Discussion and Dinner with Producer and Director Ivey Camille
December 1 | 5:00-7:00pm
Carney family Auditorium
UMass College of Education
A young Navajo filmmaker investigates displacement of Indigenous people and devastation of the environment caused by the same chemical companies that have exploited the land where she was born. On this personal and political journey she learns from Indigenous activists across three continents.
Sponsors:
College of Engineering
College of Education
College of Natural Sciences
Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies
UMass Amherst Libraries's Sustainabiltity Fund
Department of History
Center for Multicultural Advnacement and Student Success
The Energy Transition Institute
Talk: Native American Sovereignty via Tribal Stories and Drumming
Thursday, November 17 | 5-7pm, Fine Arts Atrium
Larry Spotted Crow Mann is a nationally acclaimed author and citizen of the Nipmuc Tribe of Massachusetts. He is an award-winning writer, poet, cultural educator, traditional storyteller, and tribal musician centered around the intersection of cultural and environmental awareness, spirituality, and youth sobriety in the Indigenous community. Mann is co-director of the Ohketeau Cultural Center, an organization that allows for the opportunity for interdisciplinary education through cultural workshops, dance, music, and art. Mann also serves as a Review Committee Member for the Native American Poets Project at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University
Learn how to create your own pair of moccasins to wear on Rock Your Mocks Day on November 15. No experience required. Guided instruction provided. Space is limited so register to join here: youngblood@umass.edu.
Refreshments provided.
Orange Shirt Day is on September 30th
Every Child Matters
You are invited to observe #OrangeShirtDay on September 30th - an annual day to remember the Native Residential school experience, witness and honor the healing journey of survivors and their families, remember the lives of Native children lost, create awareness of the history of forced assimilationist policies and residential boarding schools, and provide pathways for commitment to the ongoing process of reconciliation.
Learn more at boardingschoolhealing.org.
Beading Workshop @ JWECC
Movember 1, 15, and 29
6:00-8:00pm
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center
Chadbourne Hall B-03
Come out and learn different beading techniques with UMass Native American Alumni Angelina LaRotonda. Angie is a skilled beader who travels the powwow trail selling her beadwork. We are excited to have her back and share part of her culture with our current students. All are welcome!
Heritage Talk
Thursday, November 2 | 6:00-8:00pm | JWECC, Chadbourne Hall, B-3
Are there times when you feel like a little detached or disconnected from someone or something or simply feeling alone? Come to the JWECC and let us discuss feelings of disconnect from your roots or connect with who you are over coffee and sweeets.
Everyone's welcome!
Spirit Day
Thursday, October 20 | 7-9pm
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center
Chadbourne Hall - B3
You are invited to join us in viewing the documentary, My Name is Pauli Murray and discuss ways of creating inclu
sive spaces, on and off campus, and how to best support our LGBTQ youth as well as learn about the history of LGBTQ identities and the Two Spirit tradition in Native American culture.
October 20th is an international campaign for recognizing the issue of bullying LBGTQ youth which results in hundreds of suicides each year. On this day, we encourage everyone to wear a purple shirt to show their support for LGBTQ youth and stand against bullying and discrimination.
NOTE: Call 413-545-4932 to be let in the building*
JWECC Kickoff Party: Arts and Crafts Night
JWECC Kickoff Party: Arts and Crafts Night
Come and create some art with beads and paint! No experience needed! Join us in our Kickoff night, meet new people and tap your creative inner you! All are welcome! Materials provided!
Be there! Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center - Chadbourne Hall B-3 | Wednesday, September 28 | 6:00-8:00pm
It’s Latinx Heritage Month: a time to engage with music, history, healing and community building. Note some activities require reservation. Sign up now!
LACC Reggaeton Party
Enjoy your 3rd week by joining us at the LACC Reggaeton Party! Enjoy sumptous cultural dinner, test your skills in playing games, and gather info on Greek life from the fraternity and sorority informational tables.
It is a night to remember: Saturday, September 17 | 6-8pm | Amherst Room - 10th Flr, Campus Center
Monday, October 3 | 6:30 PM | Hadley Room, 10th Floor, Campus Center
The rhythmic and interactive relationship between dancer, drummer and singer cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Dance workshop led by cultural practitioner Jorge Arce and UMass alumna Charmaine Santiago.
You are invited to celebrate el Día de la Raza at our annual CLACLS Reception Dinner, which will be held on Monday, October 10th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (Amherst Room, Campus Center, 10th floor).
We are excited to have nuestros queridos colegas Agustín Lao-Montes and Dinah Orozco Herrera who will speak on "The Politics of Love and the New Colombian Presidency"!
Partners, parents, and children are welcome!
RSVP: https://forms.gle/onQEJodM95d1biZp7
Thursday, October 13 | 6:30 PM | Room 1920 (19th Floor) W.E.B. Du Bois Library
Discover the power of writing from cultural/historical memory and define your true story. Start or continue the journey of healing and empowerment through connection to self, ancestry, and the environment. Lead by psychologist and writer Marianela Medrano.
Great News: We are serving pupusas!
Register NOW: bit.ly/Latinx-roots-writing
More on Marianela:
Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut, USA since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her literary work has appeared in anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is a faculty mentor for the PhD program in Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership at SouthWestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Medrano’s individual publications include: Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza (Buho,1987), Regando Esencias/ The Scent of Waiting (Alcance,1998), Curada de Espantos (Torremozas, 2002), Diosas de la Yuca, (Torremozas, 2011), Prietica (Alfaguara, 2013). Rooting (Owlfeather Collective, 2017).
TEDTALK at Ursuline College: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pQeBYd2oJk
Coco the Movie @ LACC
Monday, October 17 | 7-9pm
Bartlett 202
LXCC and Stonewall will host Coco – an animated fantasy film in Bartle202 on October 17th. Find out what message the movie wants to relay. Refreshments provided!
Wednesday, October 19 | 6:30 PM | Student Union Ballroom
Have a seat at the dinner table to dialogue in community about belonging, inclusion and strengthening community.
ARTS AND CRAFTS NIGHT @ THE JWECC
Come and create some art with beads and paint! No experience needed! Join us in our Kickoff night, meet new people and tap your creative inner you! All are welcome! Materials provided!
Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center - Chadbourne Hall B-3
Wednesday, September 28 | 4-6pm
ABIGAIL CHABITNOY - ART, SUSTAINABILITY, ACTIVISM
September 29 | 6pm
Old Chapel Great Hall
Celebrating its 58th year, The Visiting Writers Series will host an in-person event featuring a reading by poet Abigail Chabitnoy, a Koniag descendant and member of the Tangirnaq Native Village in Kodiak.
This event is part of Art. Sustainability. Activism., a collaboration between the Fine Arts Center, the MFA for Poets and Writers, and the School of Earth & Sustainability.
Chabitnoy is a Koniag descendant and member of the Tangirnaq Native Village in Kodiak. She is the author of In the Current Where Drowning Is Beautiful (forthcoming, Wesleyan 2022) and How to Dress a Fish (Wesleyan 2019), shortlisted for the 2020 International Griffin Prize for Poetry, and the linocut illustrated chapbook Converging Lines of Light (Flower Press 2021). Her many accomplishments include a 2021 Peter Taylor Fellowship at Kenyon Writers Workshop, the 2020 Colorado Book Award and the 2020 Witter Bynner Native Poet Residency at Elsewhere Studios in Paonia, CO. More of her publications and events can be found on her website, salmonfisherpoet.com
The MFA for Poets and Writers hopes to amplify a diverse array of voices, and we are proud to feature Abigail Chabitnoy both as part of our Visiting Writers Series and as a new faculty member in our MFA Program. We hope you can help us share this exciting event with the members of Five Colleges’ NAIS community
|
BOBA AND PAINT: YKCC KICK OFF
Can't imagine a Boba & Paint Night without you! Join us at the YKCC and test your artistry for a night of painting and creativity with boba! Everyone's welcome!
Monday, September 26 | 6pm
YKCC - Goodell 306
TAINO HERITAGE MONTH: LATINX HERITAGE MONTH
Friday, September 23 | 9:20 AM | Amherst Room (10th floor Campus Center)
Kasike Jorge Baracutay Estevez (Taino) is a core member of the research and curatorial team that organized the exhibition Taíno: Native Heritage and Identity in the Caribbean, and published a Taino dictionary using recorded and surviving Taino words combined with cognates from related Arawak languages such as Lokono, Wayu, Baniwa, Tariana, Wapishana, and Garifuna. He will speak on his research and knowledge of the rich Taino heritage.
Make your way to the MXCC Block Party! Join in the fun enjoying food, music, performances and checking out various vendors. Meet new people, say hello to old ones and groove to Vision Entertainment's Offiicial DJ Onyx.
Sunday, September 25 | 1-4pm
Southwest Concourse
Enjoy sumptous cultural dinner, test your skills in playing games, and gather info on Greek life from the fraternity and sorority informational tables.
Saturday, September 17
6-8 pm | Amherst Room, Campus Center 10th floor
Get more tips and support on mechanics of applying to a graduate school program in Spring 2023 with Shamo Thar on December 5, 7 and 12 from 12:00-3:00pm. Book your appointment on Navigate.
If you have questions, contact Shamo at xmaotai-sa@umass.edu.
May 5, 2022
The root struggles of Native American and Black people are and always have been deeply intertwined. The very foundations of this country were built by stolen people on stolen land. At times our communities and peoples have been put in opposition to each other to serve divisive colonial interests of supremacy, domination, and extraction of ‘resources’. The Native Advisory Council unequivocally rejects this false division and pledges to continue to build relationship and solidarity with the Black Advisory Council and the UMass Black community. This does not mean that Indigenous struggles are less important, rather it is a recognition that our histories past and present are and always have been inextricably connected by centuries of continued resistance against the same forces of systemic racism, imperialism, and extractive economies. Together we work to dismantle these systems for the benefit of all our relations and the living lands and waters that sustain us.
We acknowledge the need to confront and work to address anti-Blackness within Native communities, in our families, and within ourselves. We recognize that doing this work is a critical part of our own healing, as is embracing the ways that our histories, clans, and families are forever linked by blood, struggle, and love. We particularly recognize that love is a critical part of decolonization.
To our Black students, our message is simple because it does not take many words to speak the truth. We love you. We support you. You are precious to us. You are important to us. You matter beyond words. Many of you carry Native ancestors along with your Black ancestors. You are the living embodiment of a deep and longstanding love between our communities and we embrace you as beloved kin.
As a Council, we pray for the safety and wellbeing of the UMass Black community and beyond. With strong hearts, good minds, and collective actions, we stand for and uplift our love for you.
– The UMass Native Advisory Council
_________________________________________________
LATINX/LATINE COMMUNITY AT UMASS AMHERST
The Latinx/Latine community at UMass Amherst is a relatively small number of faculty, staff, and students This statement has been developed through an organic grassroots process and has been embraced by the members of the campus Latinx/Latine community and allies who have signed it. (Note: You can add your signature by going to this link)
We unite in condemning the attacks against our Black family at UMass Amherst - including racist emails, racist verbal assaults, and racist graffiti. We wish to emphasize our solidarity with, and love for our Black family.
The racist email sent before finals was intended to present an illusion of widespread support by the Latinx/Latine community of the messages of white supremacy and anti-Black hatred in the emails. We refuse to allow anti-Black racists to appropriate the voice of our community through yet another white supremacist practice that violently produces community effacement, silencing, and gaslighting. We, members of the Latinx community, extend our love for, and solidarity with, our Black family. We reject racist hate and white supremacy.
Many Latinx/Latine people come from communities that have Black/African heritage. Deliberate oblivion or unwitting ignorance about this fact is yet another reflection of how the U.S. and, in fact, hemispheric, racialization continues to work in this country and in Latin American nation-states through the minds and actions of white-supremacist perpetrators. African culture has been kept alive, in many Latinx/Latine communities through Cimarrones, Garifunas, and Quilombos – centuries-old communities of Black people who overthrew the bonds of slavery and established liberated African-based societies throughout the Caribbean, Central, and South America. African culture is alive, vibrant, and lovingly embraced throughout Latin America and can be found in our art, dance, food, journalism, music, literature, medicine, pedagogical practices, political organizations, science, story telling, theater, and more.
As we express our solidarity with and love for our Black family, we recognize that one of the organized manifestations of the social disease of white supremacy is to sew divisiveness across the non-white communities affected by it alike. The best way for us to eradicate white supremacy in our Latinx/Latine communities is through our own reeducation and through vocal and proud affirmation of love for the Black presence in many of us, as well as in our communities, for our Black heritage, and for the African culture infused throughout our communities. Finally, we affirm the stance and steps toward change as outlined in the statement published by our fellow community members from the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.
In Solidarity,
Alaina Macaulay, Executive Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Isenberg School of Management
Ana Muriel, Associate Professor & Associate Department Head - Mechanical Engineering
Angela D’Souza, PhD Student, College of Education
C.N Le, Director / Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate, Senior Lecturer II / Department of Sociology
Cielo Angelica Sharkus, PhD Candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering | Climate Engineer | ELEVATE Fellow
Ellen Correa, Senior Lecturer / The Boltwood Project Academic Director
Erika Lynn Dawsonm, Head, Director of the Massenberg Institute and Diversity and Inclusive Community Development Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences UMass Amherst
Felipe Salles, Professor of Jazz and African-American Music Studies
Francesca De Mora Ocaña, Associate’s Degree in Biology, Biology Student in College of Natural Sciences/ Honors College / Pre-Med Track
Jaime Davila, Senior Lecturer, Manning College of Information and Computer Science
Laura Ramos, Assistant Director of Operations for Development, College of Engineering|
Mari Castañeda, Professor of Communication
Marialuisa Di Stefano, Assistant Professor, Language, Literacy & Culture, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies, College of Education.
Martín Espada, Professor of English
Melishia Santiago, Lecturer and Director, Office of Student Success and Diversity, College of Natural Sciences
Melvin Rodriguez, Assistant Dean Undergraduate Advising Isenberg School of Management
Paola Pimentel Furlanetto, ELEVATE Fellow, PhD student in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Pedro Matos Llavona, Ph.D. Candidate in Geosciences | Coastal Scientist | ELEVATE Fellow
Rafael Burgos-Mirabal, Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Management, Isenberg School of Management
teve Fernandez, Engineering Engagement Specialist, UMass College of Engineering
Theresa Austin, Professor, Language, Literacy & Culture, Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies, College of Education
Ventura R. Pérez, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Archaeology
Maria José Botelho, Professor, Language, Literacy & Culture Concentration, Dept. of Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies, College of Education
Danielle Thomas, Spanish Undergraduate Program Director, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
Rosa Medina Riveros, UMass Amherst
Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita, Language, Literacy, and Culture; College of Education; Member, National Academy of Education
Meg Gebhard, Professor of Applied Linguistics, College of Education
Joseph Krupczynski, Professor of Architecture and Director of Civic Engagement & Service-Learning
Jennifer Cannon, Lecturer, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies
Ximena Zúñiga, Prof. College of Education
Duarji M. Rivas, MSW, LICSW, Clinical Director of the center for Women & Community
You are invited to celebrate el Día de la Raza at our annual CLACLS Reception Dinner, which will be held on Monday, October 10th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (Amherst Room, Campus Center, 10th floor).
We are excited to have nuestros queridos colegas Agustín Lao-Montes and Dinah Orozco Herrera who will speak on "The Politics of Love and the New Colombian Presidency"!
Partners, parents, and children are welcome!
RSVP: https://forms.gle/onQEJodM95d1biZp7
Thursday, October 13 | 6:30 PM | Room 1920 (19th Floor) W.E.B. Du Bois Library
Discover the power of writing from cultural/historical memory and define your true story. Start or continue the journey of healing and empowerment through connection to self, ancestry, and the environment. Lead by psychologist and writer Marianela Medrano.
Great News: We are serving pupusas!
Register NOW: bit.ly/Latinx-roots-writing
More on Marianela:
Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut, USA since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her literary work has appeared in anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is a faculty mentor for the PhD program in Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership at SouthWestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Medrano’s individual publications include: Oficio de Vivir (Buho,1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza (Buho,1987), Regando Esencias/ The Scent of Waiting (Alcance,1998), Curada de Espantos (Torremozas, 2002), Diosas de la Yuca, (Torremozas, 2011), Prietica (Alfaguara, 2013). Rooting (Owlfeather Collective, 2017).
TEDTALK at Ursuline College: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pQeBYd2oJk
Coco the Movie @ LACC
Monday, October 17 | 7-9pm
Bartlett 202
LXCC and Stonewall will host Coco – an animated fantasy film in Bartle202 on October 17th. Find out what message the movie wants to relay. Refreshments provided!
Wednesday, October 19 | 6:30 PM | Student Union Ballroom
Have a seat at the dinner table to dialogue in community about belonging, inclusion and strengthening community.
It’s Latinx Heritage Month: a time to engage with music, history, healing and community building. Note some activities require reservation. Sign up now!
LACC Reggaeton Party
Enjoy your 3rd week by joining us at the LACC Reggaeton Party! Enjoy sumptous cultural dinner, test your skills in playing games, and gather info on Greek life from the fraternity and sorority informational tables.
It is a night to remember: Saturday, September 17 | 6-8pm | Amherst Room - 10th Flr, Campus Center
Monday, October 3 | 6:30 PM | Hadley Room, 10th Floor, Campus Center
The rhythmic and interactive relationship between dancer, drummer and singer cannot be explained, it can only be experienced. Dance workshop led by cultural practitioner Jorge Arce and UMass alumna Charmaine Santiago.
This annual UMass Welcome event is designed to welcome new and returning students, faculty and staff to campus. Free and open to the campus and general public, Cultural Connections is a celebration of our campus’ cultural plurality.
This year, it will be held on Wednesday, September 14 in the Campus Center Auditorium from 5:30-7:30pm.
Cultural Connections is an opportunity to connect with students, faculty and staff from across campus. Come and learn about the four Cultural Centers on campus, connect with the cultural Registered Student Organizations (RSO) and Multicultural Greek organizations. We encourage you to attend and enjoy the performances, sample diverse cultural appetizers from around the world while networking with members of our community. Cultural Connections also features diverse cultural performers who often have UMass alumni as members.
This event is a highlight of UMass Welcome and is well attended by students, faculty, staff, administrators and the local surrounding campus community.
We look forward to meeting you at the Annual CMASS Cultural Connections Showcase
dnesday, October 12 | 5:00 PM | Room 201, Wilder Hall
Please join us for the Graduate School Preparation Workshop hosted by CMASS on Wednesday, October 12, 2022. This will be an in-person workshop to be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This is a fun and engaging workshop where participants will receive full information about the importance of graduate school, mechanics of successful graduate applications, and how to find financial support for your graduate studies. In addition, students will have opportunities to be connected with graduate students as mentors and receive on-going mentorships on graduate school applications.
Led by Professor and associate dean Wilmore Webley of the Office of Inclusion and Engagement, you don’t wanna miss this opportunity.
October 24 | 6:30pm
Location: via Zoom
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Missing White Women Syndrome are two related epidemics with very different outcomes. One is not talked about outside of Indian Country. The other is highly visible in national media. Let’s talk about history and actions in and out of Indian Country to make sure that our sisters, mothers, daughters, wives, girlfriends, women, are protected.
Speaker is Heather Bruegl, M.A. (Oneida/Stockbridge-Munsee), Independent Indigenous Consultant and Historian.
Register to join: :https://bit.ly/3BRpozW