Hampshire’s Community Orientation Day Focuses on Reaffirming Commitment to Anti-Racism

As part of the College’s community orientation on August 31, which kicked off the fall semester, students, faculty, and staff came together for a panel discussion, “Becoming an Anti-Racist Institution: Knowledge, Action, and Commitment.” The session reaffirmed the College’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution and exploring restorative practices.

The event, held via Zoom, featured panelists Annie Rodriguez, founder and senior consultant and manager of Equity Consulting Network; Keisha-Khan Y. Perry, Presidential Penn Compact associate professor of Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania; and kara lynch, artist and associate professor emerita of video and critical studies at Hampshire College. The panelists shared the joys and challenges of incorporating anti-racist strategies and practices into their professional and activist work.

The panel included a dialogue between the three panelists that highlighted their anti-racist work as well as the ways in which their strategies develop in response to contemporary struggles. Rodriguez also provided a glimpse into plans for conducting anti-racism workshops at Hampshire College during the fall 2021 semester.

The program was brought to a close by Maria Cartagena, director of the office of community advocacy, and Will Severino, coordinator for restorative practice, who provided a brief introduction to restorative justice work at Hampshire College.