Campbell and the other cochairs\u2014University Trustee Emerson Fullwood and Gina Cuyler \u201992M (MD), \u201995M (Res)<\/a>\u2014collaboratively lead the network. They work closely with the network\u2019s leadership volunteers across three committees and the Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement. Together, they create pro-grams designed specifically for the University\u2019s Black community; develop mentoring and career networking opportunities; and encourage philanthropic support of key equity, diversity, and inclusion goals.<\/p>\n Cuyler, a practicing physician and founder of Comprehension Internal Medicine, says that for many Black alumni, the experience at Rochester was not always what it could and should have been.<\/p>\n \u201cWe recognize that and are working with each other and with the University to identify ways to improve what and how we do things, celebrate successes, and truly live the values that this<\/p>\n institution and all of us so fervently believe in,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are dedicated to supporting each other, advancing professional opportunities, and accelerating change where it is needed, especially around inequities and racism.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”] One example of how the network has influenced programming for alumni and friends occurred during the summer of 2020 when the University held its first-ever event to honor Juneteenth, the nationally celebrated day that marks the full emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The inaugural event brought more than 100 Black alumni, students, faculty, and staff together at a pivotal time of racial reckoning. The event resulted in a written report, summarizing the attendees\u2019 equity, diversity, and inclusion recommendations that was shared with University leadership to help influence positive change. The program also paved the way for an annual Juneteenth Celebration to take place, with 2021 offering a monthlong suite of programs for support and reflection and to celebrate Black excellence.<\/p>\n The \u201cKeep on Pushin\u2019: Juneteenth and the Evolution of Emancipation\u201d REAL Conversations event held on June 18 kicked off the second annual celebration. President Sarah Mangelsdorf welcomed attendees; Wade Norwood \u201985 offered an invocation; Jazmine Saunders \u201922E gave a vocal performance; and Scot Brown \u201989, an associate professor of African American studies and history at UCLA, presented the keynote address and guided the audience through a tradition of African heritage, the Nguzo Saba.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough the Juneteenth programming, we built community and gained healing\u2014all of this solidified a real family feeling among the University\u2019s Black community,\u201d adds Campbell. \u201cThis underscored for us that we aren\u2019t alone, that we are all in this together, and that we have much to honor and be proud of. And even though we might not have all gone to college together at the same time, we share a common connection with this University, and we share a common history associated with our Blackness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Black Alumni Network provides such an important re-source to the University,\u201d says Fullwood, a retired senior executive from Xerox and parent of a Rochester medical school graduate. \u201cThose in the network have a long connection with the University\u2014for many, it\u2019s where they started their journey into higher education and it\u2019s where they continue to learn, grow, and have a chance to support students and alumni of color, perhaps in ways that have never existed before. This is a formative time for the network, and I am honored to be a part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n People can get involved in the network through regional professional and social activities and by mentoring students and hosting and attending virtual and in-person (in adherence with the University\u2019s COVID-19 guidelines) programs.<\/p>\n All members of the University community are encouraged to volunteer, mentor, and connect with others on The Meliora Collective and through the University\u2019s Black Alumni Network Facebook page.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_empty_space height=”16px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Ashley Campbell, PhD, \u201909, \u201910W (MS) [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Emerson Fullwood, University Trustee<\/p><\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”10px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Gina Cuyler \u201992M (MD), \u201995M (Res)<\/p><\/div>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e9e5d7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”16px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Introducing some of the key leaders of the Black Alumni Network.<\/p>\n Global Cochairs<\/b> Philanthropy Committee Cochairs<\/b> Mentoring & Career Networking Committee Cochairs<\/b> Program Committee Cochairs \/ Regional Leaders<\/b> \u2014 Kristine Kappel Thompson, November 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In December, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Black Alumni Net-work will celebrate its first anniversary as an official affinity net-work. Its mission is to unite, engage, and empower Black alumni, students, staff, parents, and friends and to foster and promote an inclusive community where those of the African diaspora know that they belong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":42032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[272,732,62,52],"class_list":["post-40442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-memories","tag-alumni","tag-black-alumni-network","tag-diversity-and-inclusion","tag-volunteers"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/i><\/span>
\u201cWe are no longer an unofficial group that\u2019s blended in with one of the multicultural groups. We are the Black Alumni Network and it\u2019s meaningful to articulate that.\u201d \u2014Ashley Campbell \u201909, \u201910W (MS)<\/span><\/h6><\/blockquote>[vc_empty_space height=”10px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]Network members facilitate candid conversations that address social justice issues within the context of the University\u2019s mission. Specifically, the network has played a key role in developing and leading some of the University\u2019s programs centered on equity, diversity, and inclusion, such as the virtual monthly series, REAL\u2014Rochester\u2019s Equity and Access Leadership\u2014Conversations.<\/p>\n
![\"Ashley](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Jenny-Berliner-Photography-RGG-Ashley-Campbell-600x713-1-252x300.jpg\")
photo: Jenny Berliner Photography<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Emerson](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Fullwood-243x300.jpeg\")
![\"Gina](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Gina-Cuyler-Headshot-scaled-1-232x300.jpeg\")
A Network of Support<\/h3>\n
\nAshley Campbell \u201909, \u201910W (MS)
\nGina Cuyler \u201992M (MD), \u201995M (Res)
\nEmerson Fullwood, University Trustee<\/p>\n
\nNila Bragg \u201988
\nLance Drummond \u201985S (MBA), University Trustee
\nMario Simpson \u201999<\/p>\n
\nSean Allen \u201911S (MS)
\nAnansa Benbow \u201915
\nMarilynn Patterson Grant \u201975, \u201982W (MS)
\nMarquis Harrison \u201907
\nCurtis Johnson \u201988, University Trustee<\/p>\n
\nMetro NYC<\/b>
\nGuirlaine Belizaire \u201991
\nRochester<\/b>
\nYvette Conyers \u201907N
\nAnika Simone Johnson \u201918W (EdD)
\nWashington, DC<\/b>
\nJermell Powell \u201907 (MS)
\nPhiladelphia<\/b>
\nSanul Corrielus \u201998M (MD)<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”16px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e9e5d7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]![\"Black](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/BAN_TaglineBurstLockup2-300x93.png\")
[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″][vc_empty_space height=”30px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]Learn more about the Black Alumni Network<\/a> or contact Amari Tevell Simpson<\/a>, associate director of Affinity Networks and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1635880421601{border-top-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;border-top-color: #999999 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”]This article originally appeared in the fall 2021 issue of <\/em>Rochester Review.<\/p>\n