Education Commons^™

Black Is Being: A Poetry Series, Chantel J. Vereen

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Put Them In Boots: Antiblackness In Military Higher Education At The United States Military Academy West Point, Khadija Boyd

The Vermont Connection

Equality has been expounded upon by high-ranking military leaders since segregation was eliminated and the equal opportunity program was enacted ensuring that all military personnel were viewed and treated equally without prejudice. However, anti-blackness is a crisis for Black men and women who don the uniform at military academic institutions of higher education which has illustrated a sense of impartiality for Black cadets. Military colorblindness, the belief that dismisses racism in the military, is frequently used by white men in the top ranks because these leaders do not see racism as a problem. Military colorblindness only intensifies specific challenges that …

Executive Board Editor's Note, Janelle Raymundo, Jo Wilson

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Black Faces, White Spaces: Navigating A Women’S Center As Queer Black Women Leaders, Sara L. Blair-Medeiros, Cecily Nelson-Alford

The Vermont Connection

Many of the Women’s centers across the US came to life in response to the continued activism of students who held women identities and their allies. While the establishment of women’s centers changed life on college and university campuses for many who hold women identities, the racial and gender demographics of those occupying and utilizing resources and those in leadership has overwhelmingly been cis-gender and white. This does not come as a surprise, as the creation of many of these centers has historically been rooted in white feminist ideology; leaving out Black, Indigenous, Womxn of Color (BIWOC), Trans Womxn, and …

The Surface Act: Exercising Emotional Intelligence As A Filter Of Racial Awareness As A Means Of Survival At Pwis, Khadija Boyd

The Vermont Connection

With 911 emergency being used as a tool to enact prejudice and fabricate racially biased incidents, Black people should always be ready to anticipate antiblack engagements and racial profiling when white people decide that their Blackness qualifies as dangerous or out of place. Black students are criticized when they elect to challenge how racism affects them in their learning environment by being countered with the same rehearsed statement of diversity and inclusion. With white supremacy culture being at such a high threat at institutions of higher education, and with no regard to the mental health of those affected by it, …

Afro-Brazilian Cosmology As Praxis For Student Affairs, Catarina E. Campbell

The Vermont Connection

In this article, one will find a friendly introduction to several orixás, the archetypal forces of nature in Yoruban and Afro-Brazilian cosmology, in order to explore the applicability of their teachings within the realm of student affairs. With each orixá comes a teaching story, series of reflection questions, and a tangible pedagogical practice. When employed with reverence to their origin and context, these tools can catalyze self-development, sense of purpose, and breadth of perspective for both for our students and ourselves.

Am I Black Or White? A Lifelong Quest To Define Myself In The Binary Of Race, Aliandra Burgos

The Vermont Connection

In this paper, I utilize the Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) form to explore the relationship between race as a binary and anti-Blackness. I intend to specifically share my narrative with experiences of race and highlight the emerging themes that are prevalent such as whiteness as property, anti-Blackness in the Latinx community, and the Black and white binary of race. The ways in which I define my racial identity are constantly shifting throughout my higher education journey. I have received mixed messages about what it means to identify as Black or white, but these messages have never fully defined my racial …

The Burden Of Excellence: A Critical Race Theory Analysis Of Perfectionism In Black Students, Janelle Raymundo

The Vermont Connection

In this article, I interrogate the ways in which perfectionism perpetuates white supremacy, racism, and anti-Blackness specifically for Black college students. Black students who are considered “high-achieving” often face immense pressure and challenges to be perfect, and this label can feel like a burden. The push to be constantly perfect has serious implications for Black students’ development and identity. I explore how perfectionism plays a role in these issues from a critical race theory (CRT) lens. I focus on Black students in honors programs/colleges and in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors as these students grapple with a combination …

Reimagining An Antiracist Career Center Based On The Professional Identity Development Model For Black Students And Students Of Color, Jake Small

The Vermont Connection

As a Black college student studying at a predominately white-serving institution (PWI), many departments were not built for me. Learning models, development theories, and functional services were not developed with students like me in mind.

In this paper, I will start by articulating my audience and positionality in order to ground where I enter this scholarly conversation on the topic of Black student engagement with career services in the college context. I will then examine the ways professional standards have largely been exclusionary for Black students and students of color. Next, I’ll offer my own professional identity development framework …

Being Black In Education Is A Journey, Tiffanie Spencer

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Get In The Cypher And In The Groove, A Call To Action, What’S The Move, Apida For Black Power, Community Organizing, The Future Is Ours, Kirsty Nicole Bocado

The Vermont Connection

Through activism, community organizing, and investigation, I learn the Philippines' true hxstory, disrupting anti-Blackness brought into the country from colonization and researching Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) and Black unity. In college, I was in a freestyle street dancing crew and while immersed in Hip-Hop culture, I taught the elements of Hip-Hop, honoring OGs and pioneers and raising awareness about cultural appropriation. Hip-Hop culture is Black culture and roots of many cultures are from Black people. In high school, I was a musician of four instruments, playing and practizing Jazz music in Jazz band. The Jazz genre and many …

Concentrando En Las Voces Afro-Latinx: The Validation And Uplifting Of Afro-Latinx Students In Higher Education, Denis Garcia Reyes

The Vermont Connection

In an effort to center the voices of Afro-Latinx college students and their Blackness, I am centering their excellence and persistence in higher education spaces. Through using the theoretical frameworks of self-authorship and “Blackimiento”, and within a critical and cultural lens, I implore that the validation and uplifting of these students is a priority for all student affairs professionals who are looking to create inclusive environments where students are encouraged to have their identities manifest holistically during their college process.

Educational Redlining: The Disproportionate Effects Of The Student Loan Crisis On Black And Latinx Graduates, Tatiana Havens

The Vermont Connection

Racially biased funding in the United States education system has left Black and Latinx students disproportionately affected by the student debt crisis. Some educational loan lenders are using education data in the loan underwriting process, and Black and Latinx students are at risk for being wrongfully charged additional interest and fees. The United States historically excluded Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities from opportunities of social and economic mobility, and the student debt crisis perpetuates the financial disenfranchisement of BIPOC students. In this paper, I intend to discuss the racial disparities in educational loan distribution, congressional policies, alternative …

New Connections

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Acknowledgements, The Vermont Connection Executive Board 2020-2021

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.

Move: We Don't Need To Convince You That Our Oppression Is Real, Dr Frederick V. Engram Jr

The Vermont Connection

This article will address the lived experiences of Black people (faculty, staff, students, student-athletes) who navigate academia in majority white spaces. Black people have known throughout time that the Black voice is not valued. We constantly find ourselves embattled in our personal lives, at work, and on social media. The constant and incessant need for whiteness to tell us how we should feel, respond, and react to acts of white supremacy, white manning, sexism, and misogynoir are triggering. The system of higher education is a constant reminder that academia exists comfortably in a bubble. A bubble that unless you are …

I Remember Being Black, Jake Small

The Vermont Connection

This poem is modeled after Jo Brainard's "I Remember" (2001) which is a poetic prose/novel that recounts experiences the narrator encountered throughout their life. My poem, "I Remember Being Black," is poetic prose that serves to organize many of my racialized experiences inside of and expansive of formalized education.

Good Girls Make Bad Allies: How Well-Meaning White Women Perpetuate Anti-Blackness In Student Affairs, Molly Williams

The Vermont Connection

No abstract provided.