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Greetings Af-Lat-FAM,
Hope this newsletter finds you doing well or managing as best as you can in these uncertain times. The last months’ events have brought many challenges from the Coronavirus pandemic which has completely transformed our lives to another reckoning of this country’s racist past and present. Although we are past an election that tested our democracy’s strength, we find ourselves struggling to move forward amid socio-political division. As a committee, we have grappled with how to best serve the ALA community amid these challenges and developed programming that provides valuable information, space for coming together, and letting you know we are here for you. We also hope to effectively advocate on your behalf as Andover contends with its current aim to build an anti-racist institution through efforts from various community members alongside the Anti-Racism Task Force.
In that spirit, this newsletter provides relevant updates, alumni profiles of Peter Sajit ’96 and Desiraé Simmons ’01 and upcoming events particularly one on wellness on Monday, December 14th entitled Af-Lat-Am Community Discussion on Wellness in 2020 and Beyond. As 2020 comes to a close, we hope that you can find solace in the resilience that generations of our communities have relied on to get through difficult times and hope for a brighter, healthier, and more inclusive future in 2021 and beyond.
Sincerely,
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Family in the news One of our biggest hopes as an Af-Lat-Am Committee is to connect alumni in our community with each other. Although the current state of global affairs makes it hard for us to connect in person, our increasingly virtual world is an accessible space that allows us to increase awareness around Af-Lat-Am alumni making waves in their respective spheres of influence. Check out just some of our Af-Lat-Am family members in the news:
Tamika Guishard '98 is the writer and director of the short film, “BLACK,” which is one of the official selections of the 2020 Female Voices Rock Film Festival. Watch the film between December 4th and December 10th, here.
Nkem Oghedo '08 is the founder of Adá Supper Club, a platform that aims to create spaces for black chefs and female chefs to tell their own stories through curated, multi-course dining experiences. Read more about her vision through this feature in Food & Wine and the recent Halloween Haitian Vodou cocktail party in this article by Grub Street.
Last month, Terri Stroud '88 met with the Washington Informer to share insight into her work as General Counsel at the D.C. Board of Elections. Watch her speak about her efforts in ensuring early voting opportunities and training poll workers to service the electorate.
Should song lyrics be used as evidence in criminal trials? Emerson Sykes '01 shares his opinion on the matter as Staff Attorney for the ACLU and counsel for an aspiring rap artist in Tennessee. Read more here.
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Magazine Features What Does Diversity Mean in Hollywood?
I started my career as a diversity hire. I’m not yet proud of that, but at least it stopped being a source of shame. Too often, we use the word “diversity” as shorthand for a sort of charity we toss at minorities assumed to be less qualified than their melanin-challenged counterparts.
READ FULL STORY.
(above) An Award-inning writer and producer, Peter Saji '96, explores his own career path and the impact of systemic racism
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Desiraé Simmons '01 takes on social and environmental justice.
If there's a progressive cause to champion, Desiraé Simmons will be there to back it with an amalgam of races, ages, cultures, and religions. As co-director of Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ), an Ann Arbor, Michigan—based activist organization emphasizing social and environmental justice, Simmons takes on a series of knotty issues; racial and economic justice, affordable housing, immigration and refugee advocacy, climate change, and bystander intervention training—and that's only scratching the surface.
READ FULL STORY.
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Andover completes $1.2 million challenge for equity and inclusion
More than 1,000 alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends recently secured the success of the Andover Challenge for Equity and Inclusion. Together they raised $1.2 million in gifts for racial and social justice initiatives across the Academy—to equal the $1.2 million invested by current and former Andover trustees. Launched this past summer, the challenge established a dollar-for-dollar match for donations benefiting widespread equity and inclusion priorities, including the Office of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD), scholarships for students of color, and the school’s four community-based outreach programs.
As the Challenge stated, Equity and Inclusion funding enables Andover to launch and sustain a wide variety of scholarly and community-based initiatives. Past support has bolstered Opening Blue Channels and the Af-Lat-Am Mentoring Program, both of which provide opportunities for students to make the most of their Andover experiences. Ongoing investments will expand this critical work and give the associate head of school for equity, inclusion, and wellness what they require to nimbly address ongoing needs. Read Full Announcement.
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Committee Work Update
As we continue to put forth our best efforts to fulfill our declared mission, we'd like to share a couple of updates regarding our operations this fiscal year and take a moment to acknowledge someone who was extremely vital to all of our efforts to date.
With respect to our operations, we've chosen to make three adjustments: 1) we’ve consolidated our mentoring/networking and events subcommittees into one because of the shift to virtual-only gatherings, 2) we’ve set out to ensure more discussion/q&a time during our upcoming events due to feedback, and 3) we’ve created a new subcommittee to specifically create our official charter (including guiding principles) to address the Alumni Council's recent vote to change the current ad-hocs to Association Committees with long-term status.
With respect to the aforementioned acknowledgment, Kassie Infante served as our primary Academy liaison in her role as Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement until her recent departure this past September. She left to pursue her Masters at Harvard's Graduate School of Education and we couldn’t be more happy and proud! Kassie worked tirelessly in support of us and the causes that are in the heart of all our communities. As the first person of color in that position, she paved a way where there was none before. We will forever be indebted to her efforts on the hill on our behalf. In her send-off, we made sure to share that she’ll always be a part of our community and Andover’s legacy. Her shoes will be hard to fill, but if anyone in our alumni body or anyone you all know might be interested, the job will be posted in the next few days. We will send along the job posting and ask to share it widely. If you're connected to Kassie, please share your thanks and well wishes!
Onward and Upward!Pa'lante, Siempre!
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Upcoming Virtual Events & Resources
December 8: A Conversation with Jonathan Alter '75 and Frank Lavin '75
December 8: At the Table with the Equity & Inclusion Committee—A Conversation Around Religious Identity
December 9: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P'24 hosted by the Southern California Regional Leadership Team
December 11: CAMD Scholar Presentation with Jerry Shu '21
December 14: -Af-Lat-Am Community Discussion on Wellness in 2020 and Beyond
December 15: Meet Our 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P'24, hosted by the Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia Regional Leadership Teams December 17: Community Celebration to Toast the Holidays
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