Leadership Team
Director of the Anselmian Network for Racial Justice:
- Ande Diaz, Director of the Office for Diversity & Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer
Leadership Team:
- Wayne Currie (Father Jonathan Center for Intercultural Learning & Inclusion)
- Bekah Dreyer-Rowe (Geisel Library)
- Paddy Favazza (Office for Diversity & Inclusion and the Academic Resource Center)
- Susan Gabert (Campus Ministry)
- Christine Gustafson (Politics Department and Office of the Dean of the College)
- Nickie Lora (Meelia Center for Community Engagement)
- Kat O’Laughlin (Campus Ministry)
- Liana Pennington (Criminal Justice Department)
- Sara Smits Keeney (Core Curriculum, Peace & Justice Studies, and Sociology & Social Work Department)
- Aubrey Scheopner Torres (Education Department)
- Tauna Sisco (Sociology & Social Work Department)
Areas of Focus
Acknowledgment
The Anselmian Network for Racial Justice’s Working Group on Acknowledgement will assist the college community in first grounding our work within our Catholic and Benedictine identity by engaging the treasury of knowledge offered within our Catholic Intellectual Tradition, which condemns racism. This will then guide our work as we acknowledge as an institution the reality and sin of racism in all its forms. The college will also conduct a review of our institutional policies, procedures, and practices to ensure that these policies, procedures, and practices are both just and equitable, as well as promote a community environment that does not tolerate racism.
Contact: Sue Gabert at sgabert@anselm.edu or Ande Diaz at adiaz@anselm.edu.
Parenting
Anselmians Raising Children for Social Justice is working to collate resources that parents, guardians, and family members can use to mentor children of all ages on issues of racial and social justice. In addition, we host events to help bring members of the Anselm community together, including staff, faculty, and alumni, to engage in important conversations and support one another in advocating for racial and social justice.
Contacts for the Anselmians Raising Children for Social Justice group: Aubrey Scheopner Torres at ascheopnertorres@anselm.edu, Sara Smits Keeney at ssmits@anselm.edu, or Cassandra McCue at cmccue@anselm.edu
Curricular
The Anselmian Network for Racial Justice’s Curricular Group commits to actively working towards the dismantling of white supremacy and systemic racism through teaching, scholarship, advocacy, mentorship and practices at Saint Anselm College. The group sees its role as identifying opportunities and providing resources that enable individual faculty members, academic departments, and the college community as a whole to enrich their curricula, policies, and pedagogical practices with racial and social justice principles, thus promoting anti-racist thinking and action. To that end, and honoring the excellent work that has already been taking place for many years, the group has thus far focused on four areas: 1) a conceptual framework that can serve as a reflection, revitalization, and/or potential planning tool, 2) an updated list of courses, starting with fall 2020, that contain significant racial and social justice content, 3) an anti-racism resource page for faculty and community members to find teaching-focused advice, support, and resources, and 4) a directory of anti-racism and social justice initiatives that departments and individual faculty members are pursuing or planning to pursue.
Contacts for the Curricular Group: Liana Pennington at lpennington@anselm.edu and Christine Gustafson at cgustafson@anselm.edu.
Additional members of the ANRJ Curricular Group currently include:
- Kelly Demers, Education Department
- Ian Durham, Physics Department
- Nicole Gugliucci, Physics Department
- Nicole Lora, Meelia Center and Sociology & Social Work Department
- Carrie MacLeod, Nursing Department
- Deborah McCarter, Nursing Department
- Sean Parr, Fine Arts Department
- Joanna Poulin, Nursing Department
- Tauna Sisco, Sociology & Social Work Department
- Sara Smits Keeney, Core Curriculum, Peace & Justice Studies, and Sociology & Social Work Department
- Jane Vendituoli, Humanities Program
- Derk A. Wierda, Conversatio and Chemistry Department
Co-Curricular
The Anselmian Network for Racial Justice’s Co-Curricular Working Group is active in anti-racism education and programming on campus. This group works hand-in-hand with students on campus. We will be focusing on providing in-depth, substantial educational programming focused on student needs. Students on the committee will work with their peers to identify wants and needs, as well as assist in planning and executing the programming. Programs will include a film discussion series based around racial justice topics, bringing speakers to campus (virtually), examining how we as individuals can partake in activism and social movements, and much more. We will ensure that the student voices and experiences are being centered, lifted, and celebrated.
Contacts for the Co-Curricular Group: Kat O’Loughlin at koloughlin@anselm.edu and Wayne Currie at wcurrie@anselm.edu
Dialogue
The Anselmian Network for Racial Justice’s Dialogue Group will pilot a 9 week antiracist dialogue initiative using peer facilitators for intra and interracial dialogues.
Participants will spend the first 7 weeks in intra-racial groups (also referred to as affinity groups) then come together for a larger inter-racial community dialogue during week 8. Affinity groups will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about and explore their racial experiences and understanding of race and racism with individuals from similar backgrounds. These smaller affinity groups will be structured around each racial group's unique needs and experiences, while allowing opportunities for inter-racial dialogue. During the final week the original affinity groups will come back together to provide space for participants to reflect on the inter-racial dialogue and develop a personal action plan. There will be opportunities for participants to attend other inter-racial groups throughout the academic year.
Contacts for the Dialogue Group: Nickie Lora at nlora@anselm.edu and Wayne Currie at wcurrie@anselm.edu.