BB&N Alumni/ae of Color Network Makes Strides in Supporting Diversity
Founded in September 2019, BB&N's Alumni/ae of Color Network (AC) was formed in order to create a space where alumni/ae of color can build community through networking opportunities. The Bulletin recently caught up with the Founding Director of the AoC, Milyna Phillips '99, to learn more about this exciting program as it begins to establish itself in the school community.
HOW DID THE AOC COME TO EXIST?
My relationship with BB&N has not been linear. I had been disengaged with the community for many years. I knew that there were other alums who had similar experiences-feeling as though the institution's outreach never was aimed toward them, and could benefit from an affinity type of network that highlighted them and their experiences.
People who come from families of privilege often have the ability to leverage their networks for internship and job opportunities references, and general life hacks. First-generation college graduates, children of immigrants, and those that don't occupy the upper echelons of socioeconomic status often do not have access to built-in, well-connected social networks. I thought it would be fun to create one. Now we have a community of interconnected folks who are willing to volunteer their time and to make a positive difference with the BB&N community and support it in becoming an antiracist institution.
HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE AOC HELPING THE BB&N COMMUNITY?
A0C works to re-engage and establish relationships with alumni/ae who haven't traditionally felt welcomed within the greater alumni/ae community. One of our goals is to let folks know that regardless of their experience while attending BB&N, they have a home within AoC where they still have access to a brilliant network of alumni/ae of color. Another pillar of AC is to support current BIPOC students and faculty through a myriad of methods including: mentoring current BIPOC students, community outreach and partnering with faculty for professional development opportunities, and other community-wide events.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN SO INTEGRAL TO GETTING THE AOC UP AND
RUNNING? ARE THERE SPECIFIC PIECES OF IT THAT YOU ARE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF OR EXCITED ABOUT?
As the Founding Director of the AC, it has been an exhilarating experience to witness a passion project metamorphose into an organization that is focused on building community and advocating for sustainable antiracist change within the institution.
More specifically, I am proud of all of the work AC's steering committee has accomplished in such a short amount of time and their commitment to ensuring that current and future students and alumni/ae all feel heard and experience a more equitable, less traumatic, and antiracist version of BB&N.
We are in the process of establishing an internet work that will create a mentorshin mechanism within Ao as well as a wav to seek internships and job opportunities across the country. Every month we feature an AC Spotlight on our website, highlighting the powerful impact alums are having in their own communities-we are able to amplify these narratives
throughout our presence on social media platforms. We are working with the Advancement Office and the DEIG Office to establish a fund that supports students of color programming Finally.
We are in constant outreach mode-most recently learning about the exciting work that the DEIG ad hoc committee is accomplishing at the Board of Trustees level. We also have monthly check-ins with the chairs of the Parents of Black Students affinity group. Growing our membership and building authentic relationships with other alumni/ae of color has been such a rewarding experience for all involved-we look forward to welcoming the Class of 2021 members into the community in June!
I REALIZE IT'S A NEW PROGRAM, BUT HAVE YOU SEEN ANY PROGRESS ALREADY? ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF THE
NETWORK WORKING IN WAYS THAT YOU HAD HOPED?
Our growth in membership has provided us with so many insights on where to focus our attention and how to drive the network forward. We've connected people with their classmates and friends who they may have lost touch with or only have a social media connection with.
There are professionals joining the mentorship program that can help guide students of color in new and exciting ways that they may not have thought about or had the confidence to pursue We're also seeing a lot of alumni/ae foster friendships with people in other class ears who they mav never have had occasion to get to know in the past.
The AC Spotlight has given us an opportunity to highlight our members and provide them with a platform to share their work. Some of them have published books during the pandemic, and another created an app with a fellow BB&N alum that is available on the iOS app store. Some of us are mentors to current students others have volunteered for the
alumni/ae of color speaker series, held listening sessions as the country was reeling from the murders of so many Black people over the summer, and held space for each other to be in community with one another; we even include Lewis Bryant, recently retired Director of Multicultural Services, in our events as an honorary member. The pandemic forced us to be more creative in developing these spaces and hosting events.
But the challenge has had its benefits. The most exciting Is relationships we have established with faculty members; these have resulted in some exciting collaborative events, which we'll be announcing soon!
I REALIZE IT'S A NEW PROGRAM, BUT HAVE YOU SEEN ANY PROGRESS ALREADY? ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF THE
NETWORK WORKING IN WAYS THAT YOU HAD HOPED?
We hope to partner with broader constituencies within the BB&N community and be more Involved in Improving the everyday lives
experience of current and future students and faculty members Being in alignment with BB&N's strategic plan, we look forward to
partnering with the Admission Office to broaden outreach to future BB&N families and with the senior leadership to help with the
recruitment and retention of faculty of color.
As far as long-term goals, the AC has endless possibilities. We want to harness the alumni/ae voice as a powerful conduit
in connecting the administration and the board to the lived experiences of students, and give alumni/ae of color a seat at
the table. We have a wealth of knowledge that can produce meaningful, sustainable changes that will benefit not only students,
faculty, and alumni/ae of color, but will enrich the experiences of the entire community.
