This year has seen the implementation of various new projects and events by the Elizabethtown College Center of Global Understanding and Peacemaking (CGUP) in order to better align the organization with not only its values of peacekeeping, but with those of social justice. One of these new projects is a series of events, presentations and workshops that are all part of CGUP’s first annual Forum on White Supremacy and Global Colonization. 

For the fall 2021 semester, discussing and addressing issues surrounding white supremacy and antiracism are the primary focus. Next semester, the focus will turn international as conversations shift to discuss issues about colonization and others outside of the United States.

The events for this semester have included a panel in October facilitated by assistant professor of psychology Dr. Dawnielle Simmons entitled “Racetalk” in which Simmons utilized her background in Critical Race Theory (CRT) to engage students and faculty in a dialogue about race and bias. There have also been two ongoing events associated with the forum. These events are the “Me and White Supremacy” Writing Workshops hosted Chaplain and Director of Religious Life Reverend Amy Shorter-Johnson in affiliation with the Bowers Writers House and a three-session discussion of “Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America” by Ijeoma Oluo led by Simmons and Associate Director for Diversity, Equity and Belonging Ellis Bonds. 

The Forum’s flyer describes its goals as such: “This Forum is designed to promote peace with a focus on the examination of how white supremacy and colonization have functioned in various contexts across the globe and individual empowerment to circumvent cycles and systems of oppression–which is essential to the peacebuilding process.”

These sentiments are reflected by the Interim Director for CGUP Dr. Shannon Haley-Mize, who has been the guiding force behind the scenes of CGUP’s transformation into an organization prioritizing consistency and justice.

“This is my second year in the role as interim director and in the first year we really engaged in a strategic analysis and planning process for the center and in the process we were really trying to assess where we were doing well and where there were needs for growth,” Haley-Mize said. “I really wanted, in my role as director, to have more cohesive programming…so that we could move into advocacy and empowerment. 

This movement towards empowerment has occurred in large part due to Haley-Mize’s consistent willingness to collaborate with faculty and students who share interests and experiences relevant to CGUP’s goals and initiatives. For instance, Simmons has not only been involved in facilitating various panels and events for the Forum— but she was integral to the planning and construction of the Forum as well. 

In an email interview, Simmons reflected on her experiences thus far with the Forum. She noted that student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Participants have been so profoundly impacted by the content and are yearning for more programming like this. The energy is excited, activistic and curious,” Simmons said. “Appreciation and gratitude have also been an overwhelming sentiment as students genuinely tune in and want to learn about race in a way that fosters understanding and reclaims their humanity.”

In addition to these feelings of gratitude, these events have also generated a conversation about structural weaknesses and the continued failure of institutions to address topics of race in meaningful ways.

“Students have articulated never having had these discussions at home and feeling a sense of disappointment, dissonance and a wondering as to why these conversations are not being facilitated in most classrooms and on campus. Many students have asked about mandates as they believe students should be required to attend events related to white supremacy and intersected forms of oppression,” Simmons said, speaking to this gap in race-based education.

There are still opportunities for students to engage with Forum events for this semester. On Nov. 7th at 7 p.m. in the Gibble Auditorium, there will be a screening of the film “Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools” followed by panel discussion related to the themes of the film. This panel will be facilitated by Director of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Title IX Nichole Gonzalez. Simmons, Bonds, assistant professor of French Dr. Vanessa Borilot and adjunct professor of social work TaLisa Ramos will also be participating in the panel.

 “Pushout” is a film based on a book with the same title, and it details the experiences of bias and aggression endured by Black girls in the K-12 system.

“People who should be interested in this film are educators,” Haley-Mize said. “But, anybody who is interested in…unpacking implicit bias…and being better allies and being active in solutions [should watch “Pushout.”]”

 “Viewers can expect to witness the heinous nature of white supremacy against black girls and the weaponization against them in emotionally, physically and institutionally assaultive ways,” Simmons said. “The discussion will be centered on its prevalence, the consequences it has on black girls and their families, and the ways we can act against it.”

In addition to the upcoming “Pushout” screening and panel, there are still available opportunities for students to join in a book club discussing Ijeoma Oluo’s “So You Want to Talk about Race” starting in November. Interested students can register by enrolling in the Forum Canvas course, which can be accessed by following this link: https://www.etown.edu/centers/global/calendar.aspx.

Simmons was asked in an email interview to discuss the significance of such a forum, especially at Elizabethtown College. Her response was as follows:“The Forum on White Supremacy and Global Colonization can be the beginning of a revolutionary experience on a campus like Etown that is grounded in heavy and historic representations of white supremacy,” Simmons said. “Students are expecting to get a return on their investment–not just white students, but students of color who also get to have an experience that prioritizes their needs and cultivates their essence.”

“The institution would benefit greatly by getting on board with the Forum and other programming that speak[s] to the experiences of all individuals,” Simmons continued. “White supremacy is not [a] person of color problem, but a problem that we all suffer from as it seeks to keep us from our humanity.”