June 7: International Studies to be Highlighted in a Book of Essays

International Studies to be Highlighted in a Book of Essays

The Gordon-Zeto Center for Global Education is calling for submissions for a new book of essays on international studies at Spelman College.

"Spelman Going Global!: Cross-Cultural Reflections of Students, Faculty and Staff," will include 30 essays focused on moments, encounters and experiences that shaped and impacted the study abroad or international excursion experiences of the College’s faculty, staff and students.

‘Dimeji Togunde, Ph.D., vice provost for global education and professor of international studies at Spelman, will edit the collection along with Krishna Bista, Ph.D., professor of higher education at Morgan State University and founding editor of the "Journal of International Students."

"COVID-19 temporarily halted the momentum of our ascension in global education at Spelman, and has tested our resilience in so many ways," said Dr. Togunde. "We remain, however, undaunted in our pursuit of academic excellence. As we embrace the rays of hope in reclaiming our lives from the disastrous impacts of the pandemic, it is important that we produce a book that captures the stories and involvement in global studies of those at Spelman prior to the pandemic."

International and domestic faculty and staff who have led students abroad, as well as faculty, staff, current students and alumnae who have lived or studied abroad, are eligible to submit 1,000 to 1,500-word essays online by 11:59 p.m. EST, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021.

Course Investigates COVID-19, Systemic Inequalities and the History of Black Women Worker Resistance

During the spring 2021 semester, two Spelman alumnae offered a course centering on the systemic inequalities prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the historic impact on Black workers.

The 14-week course, "COVID-19 & Black Workers: Race, Gender and Labor," was taught virtually as a Comparative Women’s Studies special topics course, and was co-sponsored by the Social Justice Fellows Program.

Sheri Davis-Faulkner, Ph.D., C’97, co-director of WILL Empower and senior program director with the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University, co-taught the course alongside Danielle Phillips-Cunningham, Ph.D., C’2004, program director and associate professor of multicultural women’s and gender studies at Texas Woman’s University.

The curriculum delved into a historical analysis of systemic inequalities in relation to Black labor. By the end of the course, students were able to connect the lineage of Black labor resistance movements to the historical roots of systemic inequality.

"This course was a labor of love with a lot of institutional and organizational support," said Dr. Phillips-Cunningham. "As the pandemic has revealed, Black women have been disproportionately affected by added responsibilities, stresses and health conditions that they often experience because of structural racism, sexism and classism. This course centralized Black women’s lives and experiences to raise awareness in hopes that students would become interested in working toward effecting change for Black women in the labor economy."

Recent Graduate to Highlight Black Womanhood in New Creative Work

In honor of Juneteenth, Aquilah Ohemeng, C'2021, will present a special screening of "The Flowers That Grew From Our Tears," a short film produced for her senior capstone project.

The film, which uses dance, fashion, visual arts, instrumentation, and more to examine and confront transgenerational identity and trauma, will be presented on June 5-6 and 12-13, 2021, as part of "HomeTraining," an experiential gallery show featuring the work of 17 women and female-identifying artists working in a diverse range of mediums.

Artistically known as "KHILA," Ohemeng is an emerging multidimensional artist with a creative background that expands beyond movement into other disciplines such as vocal performance, musicianship and creative direction.

The Philadelphia native majored in Dance Performance and Choreography with a minor in Spanish. A Bonner Scholar, Ohemeng graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Golden Key International Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.

Alumna Named First Black Woman CEO of National STEM Non-Profit

Danielle Rose, C’98, is the new chief executive officer of SMASH, making her the first Black woman CEO in the organization's 19-year history.

SMASH weaves together STEM education, mentorship, identity development and social justice to help build confidence, networks and life skills for high achieving, yet underrepresented, students of color.

"As a product of East Oakland, I know firsthand the value of STEM programs and the need for a holistic and deep investment in the education of our most underserved and under-resourced students of color," said Rose. "After completing degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering at Spelman and Georgia Tech, respectively, working in the aerospace, automotive and energy industries, I have the lived experience to inform what our youth will need to persist and succeed along their STEM journey."

In her new role, Rose will expand the SMASH program to prepare students of color for future careers in STEM, while also working to deepen the organization's national footprint with a prioritized focus on the Northeast and Southeast regions.