Young Women of Color Symposium 2022

Young Women of Color Symposium sponsored by Loyola Academy and Francis W. Parker School

2nd Annual Symposium Saturday, March 5, 2022 Loyola Academy The Young Women of Color Symposium is a leadership conference for 6th-12th grade, self-identified young women of color in the Chicagoland area. There are far too many spaces where women of color are not as celebrated or respected as they deserve.

In order to protect, support, and empower young women of color, Loyola Academy and Francis W. Parker School have partnered together to create a space for conversation, connection, and community. This symposium is one step on the path to changing the narrative and encouraging the resilience of our voices.

Symposium Schedule

8:30 am

Saturday, March 5

Check-In Light Breakfast 9:00 am Welcome Purpose Video Performance by Ballet Folklorico de Chicago 9:20 am Keynote Address | Rosetta Lee 10:00 am Q & A break 10:30am Affinity Groups | Session 1 11:15 am Lunch 12:00 pm Workshops 12:50 pm Affinity Groups | Session 2 break 1:45 pm Closing Performances by Loyola Step Team and Francis W. Parker Slam Poetry

Piazza East Gym East Gym East Gym Classrooms Cafeteria Classrooms Classrooms East Gym

Registration information and links can be found at goramblers.org/ywoc.

Questions regarding the Symposium can be emailed to ywocis@gmail.com.

Keynote Speaker Rosetta Lee Rosetta Lee serves Seattle Girls’ School in dual roles.

SGS is an innovative school for Junior High School girls, aiming to empower women leaders and change agents and dedicating its energies to a diverse community of students and faculty, an anti-bias mission, and an integrated curriculum. As a faculty member, Rosetta teaches subjects such as science, math, technology, art, ethics, social justice, and more. As a professional outreach specialist, she designs and delivers trainings for all constituencies of the school community, as well as the local and national educational and nonprofit sectors.

Since 2004, Rosetta has been a diversity speaker and trainer on a variety of topics, including cross cultural communication, identity development,implicit and unconscious bias, gender and sexuality diversity, facilitation skills, and bullying in schools. Rosetta has presented at numerous conferences and nonprofit organizations such as the White Privilege Conference, Junior League, and City Year. She has also worked with over 200 K-12 public and independent schools throughout the country, as well as a number of colleges and universities. She has served several years on the faculty of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Diversity Leadership Institute, as well as NAIS’ diversity think-tank cadre, Call to Action.

Rosetta has served as President on the Board of Directors of SMARTgirls, a Director on the Board of the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research (NWABR), Chair of the 2006 Seattle Expanding Your Horizons Conference, Co-Chair of the 2006 NAIS People of Color Conference, Think Tank Member of the 2012 NAIS Annual Conference, and as a trainer/facilitator with the National Coalition Building Institute. Rosetta is the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Partner in Education Award from the Northwest Association for Biomedical Research and recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Teacher Award for the Washington Federation of Independent Schools.

Middle School Workshops Naming Ourselves Asha Ntim, The Chrysalis Program In this workshop, participants will discover ways to manifest the life and future they deserve.

Understanding Your Identities Christian Brown and Miles Dunna, Beacon Academy Explore your intersecting identities and the power, privilege, and assumptions others make. By the end of the workshop, the goal is that each participant has a better sense of who she is and feels comfortable leaning into the unique space that she occupies in the world.

Am I the Only One? Andrea Fitzpatrick, Carmel Catholic High School As a graduate of a predominantly white institution (PWI) and mother of children who attend PWIs, I will share tools and tips that help students of color achieve a successful experience.

High School Workshops Daughterhood through a Feminist Lens Alexandra Cruz, Loyola Academy This workshop is aimed at analyzing the role of daughters and the many contradictions that tell young women of color to push beyond the boundaries society sets for them, while also and simultaneously living out their intersectional identities (racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, etc.) that often have conflicting expectations set by the very people who want us to be and do more. As women of color, we often hear, “Do not be subservient to men, but did you serve your brother dinner?” “Make sure to speak your mind, but don’t be too loud or you’ll be seen as an “angry Black woman.” The goal and intention of this workshop is to explore contradictions young women experience while working to break out of societal norms and the ways daughterhood works against feminist struggles for change. Within this interactive workshop, participants will have the opportunity to write, discuss, and read feminist authors who envision a different future for our daughters, women, and what it means to navigate these contradictions.

Financial Literacy: A Different Type of Education that Unlocks Freedom Terri S. Jackson, Loyola Academy We are told that education is our key to freedom. It is important that as women of color, we aren’t walking around illiterate when it comes to our finances. Let’s talk about credit scores, student loans, credit card debt, and investments and how having an understanding of them all can significantly alter your life trajectory. In this workshop, we will discuss how crucial financial literacy is to young women of color by looking at current trends that affect women of color the most.

Mental Health Diagnosis: Disparities in the African Diaspora Jahaan Abdullah Research demonstrates disproportionate diagnoses of psychiatric disorders and mental health diagnoses for African American people. African Americans are three to four times more likely to receive a psychotic disorder diagnosis than white Americans (Schwartz & Blankenship, 2014). In this session, we will discuss the disparities in diagnoses for African American people and the paucities in research for the African diaspora. The presenter will also discuss data associated with this research topic, the corresponding increased trauma associated with more stigmatizing diagnoses and the paucity in counseling research regarding this disparity.

Navigating Microaggressions Rosetta Lee, Seattle Girls School (Keynote Speaker) Marillac Room How do you navigate microaggressions - those words and actions that offend or hurt, even though they may be unintended? Learn some of the obstacles of authentic conversations, as well as practical strategies for what to do or say when you are the target of, witness to, and agents of microaggressions.

High School Workshops Self Care, Love, and Joy as Resistance Priyanka Rupani, Francis W. Parker School Albert Nascimento, Francis W. Parker School “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare” - Audre Lorde. In this session, you will explore how self care, self love, and joy are important and powerful tools for affirmation, activism, and revolution. Explore how to hold on to your joy in oppressive times, how to focus on love as a revolutionary act, and how to practice self care while fighting for social justice.

Sisterhood Self-Care: From Me to We to Community Kendall Mallette, DePaul College Prep A Sisterhood can help personal well-being through female connections that have been scientifically supported to help individuals thrive. Young Women of Color in predominantly white private schools need to firmly understand who they are, both as individuals and as a collective. Helping our students of color, who identify as female, recognize what is unique about each of their lives and creating awareness about how to honor and respect these distinctions among their peers is essential to understanding the importance of Sisterhood at an early age. Conflict kills culture, but self-love and communal care helps everyone achieve. In this workshop, we will create a Code of Community Honor where everyone matters.

We Wear the Mask: Self-Love and Sisterhood 101 April Greer, DePaul College Prep This workshop will focus on the importance of self-love & sisterhood as a source of resistance and empowerment given the mask we wear and the colorism, intra-racial discrimination, sexualization, body-shaming young women of color face at PWIs. Come prepared to create.

Presenters Jahaan Abdullah (she/her/hers) Dr. Jahaan Abdullah is an Assistant Professor, board certified and licensed counselor, social and restorative justice advocate and a morally and ethically engaged researcher. She has a BA in Psychology, MA in Community Counseling & Ed.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Abdullah is an associate in private practice, and she is the Chair of the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) Minority Fellowship: Clinical Mental Health Council. Additionally, she sits on the advisory board for the American Psychological Association (APA) Interdisciplinary Minority Fellowship Program. In 2020, Dr. Abdullah was recognized with the Illinois Association for Multicultural Counseling Excellence in Multicultural Leadership award. Her service and scholarship focuses on social justice, restorative justice, multicultural counseling, women’s issues, advocacy, and issues impacting race, ethnic equality, gender equality and other vulnerable groups.

Christian Brown (she/her/hers) Christian Brown is the Associate Director of College Counseling at Beacon Academy (Evanston, IL) who discovered her passion shortly after completing undergrad. At that point, she decided to become an advocate for access to higher education for all who desire it. Christian has spent a decade carrying out this passion. Christian received both her bachelor and master degrees from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Alexandra Cruz (she/her/hers) Dr. Alexandra Cruz received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeastern Illinois University where she double majored in Psychology and Anthropology. While at Northeastern, she studied abroad in Mexico, Belize, Spain, and China through their International Programs. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she attended National-Louis University where she received her Master of Arts in Teaching in Secondary Education with a focus in Social Studies. She also earned her Doctorate in Education in Curriculum Studies at DePaul University.

Professionally, she taught for 12 years, was the Social Studies Department Chair at Wolcott College Prep, and is now the Dean of Students at Loyola Academy.

Miles Dunna (he/him/his) Miles Dunna was born in West Africa and raised in Saint Paul, MN. He serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Beacon Academy. Dunna earned a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law. His work in college admissions and legal services sparked his passion for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. He looks for ways to infuse these values into schools, local communities, and the criminal justice system. In his spare time, he enjoys the performing arts, staying up-to-date with pop culture, listening to podcasts, and exercising.

Andrea Fitzpatrick (she/her/hers) Andrea Fitzpatrick has lived all around the world. Born in Japan; raised in Missouri, Maryland, and Michigan; and living in Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Virginia, Singapore, and Illinois as an adult has truly given her a worldly view of the people that inhabit it. With degrees in child psychology, her passion has always been to help children reach their fullest potential and to be who they were meant to be. Being a mom to five children of her own has given her additional opportunities to experience the struggles that our children face. Andrea serves as Director of the Multicultural Center at Carmel Catholic High School and Director of a scholarship program aimed at supporting first generation, underrepresented students.

Presenters April Greer (she/her/hers) April Greer is a mother of four, two teens and two young adults. Greer has been in education for 30 years.

Currently, she is the freshman/sophomore Dean of Students at DePaul College Prep and is passionate about student voice and self-advocacy. April Greer is a student of life who is learning to disrupt the inequities around her but also a student at DePaul University pursuing doctoral studies in educational leadership.

Terri S. Jackson (she/her/hers) Terri S. Jackson is a progressive educator, school leader, and diversity practitioner with a deep commitment to helping students at every age to discover and develop their strengths and passions. She has held several leadership positions in the last 16 years that she’s worked in independent schools which include diversity practitioner, Middle School Director, and Assistant Head of School. She is currently the Assistant Principal for Student Services at Loyola Academy and an independent DEI consultant.

Kendall Mallette (she/her/hers) A native New Yorker, Kendall Mallette has nearly three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, senior administrator, and educational consultant. She recently joined the leadership team at DePaul College Prep as the Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, she has partnered with schools, institutions of faith, and philanthropic organizations. In this capacity, Kendall collaborates with leaders to promote empathy, cultivate cultural competency, and deepen inclusion. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she studied under great minds such as Dr. Cornel West and the late Toni Morrison. Kendall is also a professional dancer, track and field coach, a wife and the mother of four sons.

Albert D. Nascimento (he/him/his) Albert Nascimento is a teacher, and mentor who was raised in Brazil, immigrated to the U.S., and attended a New England boarding school and liberal arts college. He has taught in multiple disciplines at independent schools, and for the past 8 years has worked as both a Director of Equity and Inclusion and a Director of Multicultural Affairs, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion work with school administrations to review the systems and structures in place, and with students on personal identity development and exploration. Albert has served as a faculty member for the National Association of Independent School’s Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) since 2017.

In addition to extensive affinity group work, he also leads faculty professional development sessions and oneon-one DEI consultations. Additionally, Albert is a principal consultant with The Glasgow Group, who works on projects and plans workshops designed to develop and implement student-centered curriculum and the development of school spaces for reflection and growth.

Albert holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Middlebury College. Albert actively works toward raising awareness around issues of equity and inclusion. He believes in the power of having a growth mindset and seeks to help those who are willing to become comfortable being uncomfortable. He identifies as multiracial and uses he/him/his pronouns. Albert is currently the Intermediate and Middle School Dean of Students at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago.

Presenters Asha Ntim (she/her/hers) Asha Ntim is the director of the Chrysalis Program, an organization she founded after authoring a book series titled The Dark Brown Girl. Growing up as a black woman on Chicago’s south side, she acknowledges that she benefited from older women mentors and recognizes the gaps in understanding when and how she should use her voice and take up space. With the Chrysalis Program, she has made it her life’s mission to ensure that girls don’t wallow in self doubt, wrestle with insecurities and face childhood trauma alone. Ntim has led, fed, and mentored thousands of girls with the message of self-love and empowerment.

Priyanka Rupani (she/her/hers) Priyanka Rupani is the Assistant Head of School at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Prior to working at Parker, Priyanka served as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where she is an alum. Previously, she served as the director of diversity, equity, and social justice at the Friends School of Baltimore. Priyanka completed her B.A. from Northwestern University and her M.S.Ed from the University of Pennsylvania. She has taught math and African-American history to high schoolers and was a member of the 2010 Teach for America Corps in Philadelphia. Priyanka is also a faculty member for the National Association of Independent Schools’ annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference and a Principal Consultant for the Glasgow Group. Through this work, she consults on topics of DEI and education for organizations nationwide.

Thanks To . . .

Student Planning Committee Ava Bogan, Loyola Academy Ardyn Chin, Loyola Academy Nariya Cooke, Francis W. Parker School Inès Galiano, Loyola Academy Jaydra Hamid, Francis W. Parker School Chelsea Njei, Francis W. Parker School Milannia Martin-Hayes, Loyola Academy Noemi Ponce, Francis W. Parker School Monique Robinson, Loyola Academy Blessed Stephen, Loyola Academy Litzy Tafolla, Francis W. Parker School Guadalupe Vazquez, Loyola Academy Madelyn Young, Francis W. Parker School

A special thanks to Blessed Stephen of Loyola Academy for her symposium logo design and to Lynn Egan of Loyola Academy for the website and registration design.