Categories
Announcements

The 2020 Election

As we prepare for this upcoming election, the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment acknowledges the high emotion and critical stakes for our interconnected communities. As a staff team, we have sat with our own uneasiness, nervousness, and exhaustion as we engage in conversations and collective action that center our lives and futures. Voting is a powerful tool for civic engagement and change. If you have the privilege to vote, we ask that you go to the polls. There are people and communities that do not have such privileges, and it is on US to move in solidarity with these communities by utilizing our privilege.  

Remember, there are three ways you can vote this year! 

  • Vote by Mail or Drop Box 
  • In-Person During Early Voting 
  • In-Person on Election Day 

For more information on ways to vote on or around campus visit https://go.gmu.edu/MasonVotes. Voting out-ofstate? Check out vote.org for your state’s voting details. 

Take time to review candidates and ballot issues: 

Understanding the issues on your ballot may be confusing or overwhelming. Plan to spend at least 30 minutes looking up candidates online, reviewing ballot issues or locating a sample ballot for your political party. Remember, elections are about more than just the President, but also connect with issues in our local and state communities! 

Our full-time staff team is available to meet with students one-on-one for processing and support. Staff availability is as follows:  

Amber Holton-Thomas (she/her/ella)

  • November 4th-7th (Anytime for 15 minute blocks. If you need more time, choose 2 blocks that are back to back)
  • Schedule a meeting here.

Lex Lewis-Semien (she/her) 

  • November 4th (12 – 6pm ) 
  • Schedule a meeting here.  

Brandi Blake (She/her)

  • November 4th (open 12 – 5pm for 20 min blocks)
  • Schedule a meeting here. 

Crystal Davidson (She/her)

  • November 4th and 5th (open 48pm for after-hour availability – 30 min blocks) 
  • Schedule a meeting here.

Josh Kinchen (he/him) 

  • November 4th-24th 2020 (open select times for 30 min blocks) 
  • Schedule a meeting here.

LuLu Gezá Kelemen  (they/them) 

  • November 4th & November 5th 1-6pm (20 minute blocks each)
  • Schedule a meeting here.

Dr. Van Bailey (he/they)

  • November 4th (open 10:30am-12:00pm – 30 min blocks)  
  • Schedule a meeting here.

David Corwin, Women and Gender Studies, (they/them)

  • November 4th from 3-4pm, November 5th from 1-4pm (All appointments can be in person or via Zoom; 30 minute blocks
  • Schedule a meeting by emailing dcorwin@gmu.edu.  

Student Group Meetings

As a community, we will offer post-election holding spaces for dialogue and gathering for students. The following spaces and times available are:  

FirstGen Students

  • November 6th | 2-4pm via Zoom and 5-7pm via Zoom

LGBTQ+ Students

  • November 5th | 3–4pm via Zoom
  • November 9th | 5–6pm via Zoom
  • November 16th | 7–8pm via Zoom

Coalition groups and student organizations affiliated with our department (QSLC, BLACC, APAC, HLLA, UndocuMason, NAIA, STEP and SWANA affiliated student organizations), will be directly contacted by our team with upcoming meeting dates and times.

 

Categories
Uncategorized

JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR

Justice for Breonna Taylor

[Statement Made: Sept 25, 2020]

Greetings Patriot Family,

196 days ago, on March 13, 2020, our national and global community, learned of the murder of Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky native serving the community as a first responder; her life was snatched away in a “botched police raid”.  Months passed before any internal investigation of wrongdoing by the officers involved was completed, or job sanctions enacted. Continual injustice unfolded upon our nation as we heard on September 23, that only one of the three police officers involved in her murder was indicted on a lesser charge of putting other surrounding lives in danger and not for the life that they extinguished without cause.

This week, the system chose to look the other way. But we will not!

University Life’s Office for Coalition Building and Diversity Education (CBDE) and Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment (CCEE) at George Mason University, contends acts of social injustices through police involved violence must be called out as destructive, and bear the consequences of that destruction in our courts of law. We acknowledge these acts of injustice are emblematic of systemic racism that has existed for generations. These are deep-rooted national issues; We know that these realities affect our campus community, as well.

We recognized that the outcome of the indictment in Breonna Taylor’s murder is disappointing and some you may be experiencing a range of emotions. We encourage you to center your mental and spiritual well-being in this moment and seek assistance, if needed. Students we encourage you to connect with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) if you need someone to speak and process your thoughts.

Together, we will #SayHerName and acknowledge that Breonna Taylor’s life matters and the other lives of those who identify as Black and have been unjustly taken matter. We are also committed to you, your well-being, and the mission to actively address racism and anti-blackness through collaborative efforts and activism. In the coming days, our units will work with others to address the well-being of our students and campus community as we work through the range of emotions that we may be experiencing during this time.

This moment – and others — will continue to impact us months from now, and we challenge our campus community to confront bias, prejudice, discrimination, racism and other forms of systematic injustices in your world and area of influence, e.g., Facebook, chatrooms, Instagram, classrooms, departments, and in your local community. It is important above all things to acknowledge one another and take action when needed; there is no liberation without accountability! There is no liberation without collective community care.

If we all dedicate ourselves to the principles of truth, racial healing and transformation, we can collectively bring about the necessary changes in thinking and behavior that will propel our country forward as a unified force where racial biases and violent police interaction will become a distant voice in the past.

Please know the staff in CBDE and CCEE are here for you and if you need to talk to us, or share ideas, don’t hesitate to email us at cbde@gmu.edu and ccee@gmu.edu.

 

In Solidary,

Van Bailey, EdD (he/they).,
Assistant Dean/Director| Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment

Hamal D. Strayhorn, M.Div (he/him/his).,
Director | Coalition Building and Diversity Education

Categories
Announcements

Introducing CCEE

We are incredibly excited to announce that the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Multicultural Education & LGBTQ+ Resources is now the Center for Culture, Equity, and Empowerment! This change in direction helps us better reflect the populations we serve and missions we hold as a department.

Why the name change?

The diversity portfolio was growing in University Life and we knew an organizational re-shaping was necessary. We wanted to be clear in centering the student experience. Our department centers the student experience through cultural-celebrations, ally-ship and identity development, and culturally-specific leadership development. While, confronting bias and diversity education are important aspects of equity work, we were learning student needs were greater than our current capacity and organizational structure.

As we continue to move the needle towards inclusive excellence, we are working hard towards creating equitable access to resources for all students. Celebrating students’ cultural heritages is also a vital aspect of our work, and we felt strongly it should have representation in our name. Engaging in cultural equity enables us to make space for people to see the multitude of cultural heritages across campus. Working alongside and in community with students, our goal is to continue to improve their quality of life and experiences. A major aspect of social empowerment is working within communities, doing one’s own self-work in understanding identity and privilege, and then utilizing aspects of privilege to create change. Self-efficacy and the ability to realize ones’ own cultural wealth is directly tied to student success and empowerment.

What else has changed?

Along with our name, we updated our office’s structure to include 3 service areas:

  • Student Access and Equity (SAE): Supports campus and student engagement for students who are historically underrepresented in higher education and their allies while specifically centering college students who identify as first generation and students, students who are undocumented, and students who are protected by Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
  • Student Engagement for Racial Justice (SERJ): Supports and serves communities of color who have been historically marginalized in higher education. SERJ is charged with raising awareness and visibility of racial and ethnic identity through educational programs, cultural celebration and ceremonies, and promoting equitable practices in the university setting.
  • LGBTQ+ Resources: Support to LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff; including advising, advocacy, referral, education and training, group and workshop facilitation, and leadership development.

These areas serve as resources to those in the Mason Community who seek to meaningfully engage and interact with people of different identities and intersections to co-create an equitable campus environment.

What’s next?

Stating October 5th, you’ll start to see changes to our identity system, website, and social media profiles.

Categories
Coronavirus

3/10 Update From Executive Directors

Categories
Coronavirus

Update on Mason’s Response to Coronavirus Outbreak

Categories
Uncategorized

Black African Heritage Month 2020

Black/African Heritage Month

George Mason University is celebrating Black/African Heritage month with a host of events all throughout the month of February.

This month’s theme is “Lucid Dreams of Our Ancestors.”  In recent years, the quote “We are our Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams” became very popular and was seen and adopted by peoples of many cultures and backgrounds.This year, our students honor the rich, regal, wonderfully powerful, and deeply moving LUCID DREAMS OF OUR ANCESTORS; by being visible, taking up space, producing programs, exercising artistic self-expression, all while collectively working towards excellence and oneness.

The History of Black History Month
Founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the United States began its recognition of black history in 1926 with the celebration of “Negro History Week” The week was initially created to recognize the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of which are in February.  In 1976, the celebration was expanded to be inclusive of the entire month of February. George Mason University proudly upholds the celebration of what we call Black/African Heritage Month by hosting annual events that are educational, inspirational, and inclusive of the diversity of the George Mason University Community.
There are several events that are happening during the month of February, not just those listed on our calendar. If you would like our office to share or promote any of your already planned programs during Black/African Heritage Month, please email odime@gmu.edu with a graphic and a brief event description. We will be happy to share on our social media outlets. Please come out to support our students!

Black/African Heritage Month Calendar