Two staff members and two students represented 91短视频 at the in Atlanta in February 2023. Shannon Dycus, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, and Jackie Font-Guzm谩n, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), joined sophomore engineering major Mana Acosta and junior music major Thaddeus Jackson at the annual gathering of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) leaders from Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) conferences, congregations, agencies, constituency groups, affiliated schools, and ministry partners.
The conference 鈥減rovides a safe setting to assess the present reality and experiences of BIPOC leaders within Mennonite Church USA and to address ways to grow in solidarity across cultural, racial and intergenerational lines for systemic transformation.鈥� This year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淭he Book of Esther, Such a Time as This: Collective Trauma and Hope,鈥欌�� was selected to provide 鈥渁 prompt for discussion on how to find hope in troubled times,鈥� specifically from college students who were invited to attend the conference for the first time.
鈥淢ana and Thad are making an impact on campus, and we thought they could be enhanced by this experience and share their learnings with the 91短视频 community over the next year or two,鈥� said Dycus, who was a
For Font-Guzm谩n, the priority of intergenerational relationship building was clear. 鈥淭here was a nice holding of that space between honoring those who had built this conference, and at the same time, looking at the future generations.鈥�
Both Acosta and Jackson felt a sense of belonging at the conference. 鈥淚t was nice to be in a space where everyone was Mennonite and no one was white. Not that white Mennonite spaces are bad, but it was comfortable, more comfortable than I expected鈥� said Jackson.
鈥淚t would be great if 91短视频 and the Mennonite Church in general became a place where it felt like everyone鈥檚 space instead of BIPOC people coming to a white person鈥檚 space,鈥� added Acosta.
Acosta cited building a network and connecting with others who shared her experiences as a highlight from the conference.
Font-Guzm谩n liked that the conference was organized 鈥渨ith the intentionality of being able to tap into groups that have historically not been at the table.鈥� Font-Guzm谩n added that 91短视频 needs to be more intentional about diversity, which is essential to connecting across differences and planting seeds of change. 鈥�91短视频 students are diverse, but our faculty and staff are not鈥� not only across race, but across religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.鈥�
Two workshops Dycus attended focused on how to continue to engage DEI priorities across Mennonite institutions. 鈥淒EIJ (justice) is a priority for 91短视频, and it is helpful to think with other leaders to discuss resources, strategies and challenges,鈥� said Dycus.
All four attendees enjoyed honoring the elders at the Evening Gala where music played and everyone danced. 鈥淏ecause dance is so central to many of our cultures, it was another way to embrace and celebrate our identities,鈥� Dycus exclaimed. 鈥淛oy is also an act of resistance, and we used our bodies to exhibit this joy.鈥�
Hope for the Future was co-sponsored by MC USA Executive Board and MC USA agencies Everence, Mennonite Education Agency and Mennonite Mission Network. Everence and the Schowalter Foundation provided funding to sponsor Acosta and Jackson.