• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Parenting Today
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Notices
      • Legals
      • Announcements
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

​College ‘answers the call’ with new racial justice program

by Jennifer Cherrier
April 15, 2022
30
SHARES
594
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
silver ipad on white book page
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

North Hennepin Community College (NHCC) began exclusively offering a Racial Justice and Social Transformation certificate this past fall as part of the school’s commitment to racial equity, according to college officials.

Kathy Hendrickson, dean of Fine and Applied Arts, Global, and Cultural Studies, stated that  faculty, administration, staff members, and employees from the City of Brooklyn Park participated in a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation workshop in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta. The Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on campus was also involved. 

That experience, input from staff members of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with student survey results led to the curriculum’s development and approval. Hendrickson stated that the program was really “an answer to a call” after the murder of George Floyd and civil unrest throughout the world. 

Hendrickson also noted that the population of NHCC mirrors the demographics of the population of Brooklyn Park. NHCC works with the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth of Minnesota, an organization created by the cities of Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center to advance positive youth development. Hendrickson hopes the alliance will have their youth leaders go through the program. 

According to NHCC’s website, the Racial Justice and Social Transformation Certificate is designed to build a cultural skill set relevant to every career and complements anyone in or pursuing a leadership role. After completing the program, students are better prepared for work in community organizing, management, and cultural fluency education. 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

Through their studies, students learn to:

  • apply anti-racist approaches to personal and real-world problems to model racial justice advocacy; 
  • explain the social construction of race and systems of oppression in the U.S; 
  • analyze structural racism and the perpetuation of social inequities; 
  • learn aspects of Critical Race Theory within U.S. political, social, cultural, and economic institutions; and 
  • explain how one’s racial and social identities can dismantle systemic injustices or uphold oppressive practices.

The 15-credit certificate starts with two courses (although the coursework can be completed in any order). Students continue their coursework with six credits of coursework on cultures, relationships, economics, the arts, and more. Two required leadership capstone courses round out the certificate. 

Belinda Gardener, ​Foundation of ​Racial justice instructor
Submitted photo

Hendrickson stated that due to low enrollment, the Foundations of Racial Justice class was not offered during the 2021-2022 school year. But the class will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday evenings this fall.

 No hard data on enrollment numbers exist at this time. Individuals interested in taking the Foundations of Racial Justice class do not have to be enrolled at NHCC.  

The enrolled student population at NHCC is 46% White, 23% Black or African American, 14% Asian, 8% Hispanic or Latino, and 5% mixed race, according to the school’s 2021 figures.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

NHCC’s BIPOC graduation rates have increased over the past five years. 2020 saw a rate of 48.23% for BIPOC students and 51.77% for Non-BIPOC.  2021 saw a slight decrease with 46.32% of BIPOC students graduating and 53.68% of Non-BIPOC students.

In regards to coursework, “We want to make sure we are doing it right,” Hendrickson said. She added that NHCC will continue to examine and re-examine the coursework to make sure it benefits students and the community. 

The certificate can be packaged for a business or group of individuals and can be customized to fit within a group’s desired timeframe. A scholarship that aligns with the certificate has been established, with assistance from the NHCC Foundation. Four scholarships for $1,000 have been awarded so far to help students with their college finances.

Charlie Oribamise, scholarship recipient ​
Submitted photo

Charlie Oribamise, a 62-year-old non-traditional student studying criminal justice at NHCC, was the first scholarship recipient. According to NHCC’s website, Oribamise arrived in the U.S.  in 1981 when he was 22 years old. 

After arriving here, he quickly learned about America’s racial divide. As a result, he developed a passion for justice. He said in a statement, “If we see people as human beings and go beyond categorizing, we’ll discover we’re not all that different.” 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

He moved to Dallas where he started his studies. “There was a racial issue that was going on at that time that kind of woke me up. There was a Black engineer, who was accused of a robbery. 

“The people he worked with said he didn’t do anything, but the cops picked him up anyway,” Oribamise said. “I was watching this and hearing about it and I said, ‘Is this the activity that belongs in America? Is this the life that I’ve obtained here?’

 “I could be picked up too, just like that, because I’m Black,” he continued. “At first, I was just curious, but then it started getting to me. I learned that I have to be very careful where I go, what I say, because you never know. I wasn’t thinking this was the American society I’d be coming into.” 

His experience ignited his passion for criminal justice and finding solutions to big questions. “I want fairness. I want justice. I want people to be treated equally.”

Phaedra Goff is the most recent recipient of the scholarship. She started at NHCC in 2017 as a junior in high school through the Post Secondary Education Option (PSEO) program. 

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The scholarship application asks applicants to write about a social issue they believe in. Goff was able to write about the abuse she suffered that led to her mental illness and how it affects her now. “I got to write about an issue I’m passionate about… I find that social awareness is one of my passions.” 

Goff has experience as an early childhood education teacher. This experience included teaching diversity to 2, 3, and 5-year-olds. “I found I had to learn a whole new set of language and practice it for the benefit of the kids…That language…made an invaluable difference in how the kids—and how I—looked at things.” 

Winning the scholarship helped inspire Goff to apply to the pre-counseling bachelor’s program at Capella University, where has been accepted. She plans to continue her education there in September after graduating from NHCC this summer. 

Trung Le and Abshir Mohamed were also recipients of the scholarship. Currently, students do not have to be enrolled in the Racial Justice and Social Transformation certificate to be eligible for the scholarship.

For more information about the Racial & Social Justice certificate visit bit.ly/NHCCRSJcert

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

Designate Hiawatha Golf Course a historic landmark today

Next Post

Ten practical ways to relieve insomnia 

Jennifer Cherrier

You Might Also Like

NAACP issues travel warning for Florida in response to governor’s ‘hostility’ toward minorities
Featured

NAACP issues travel warning for Florida in response to governor’s ‘hostility’ toward minorities

White man arrested in shooting of Black teen who rang the wrong doorbell
National

White man arrested in shooting of Black teen who rang the wrong doorbell

book banning
Opinion

The national assault on a Black curriculum

Disenfranchising Black voters 
Opinion

Disenfranchising Black voters 

American democracy in peril as Tennessee GOP expels two Black lawmakers over gun control protests
National

American democracy in peril as Tennessee GOP expels two Black lawmakers over gun control protests

Black history, Black print and you 
Opinion

Academic curriculum is a racial battlefield

Next Post
Ten practical ways to relieve insomnia 

Ten practical ways to relieve insomnia 

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

The Latest News

Summer Guide: June 1-7 events

2023 Summer Guide: June 8-14

Outspoken public defender faces ‘star chamber’ reappointment (updated)

The case for juvenile justice reform 

A Night With The River marks the end of annual all-night arts festival

A Night With The River marks the end of annual all-night arts festival

7 ways to celebrate Prince’s enduring legacy 

7 ways to celebrate Prince’s enduring legacy 

Congratulations! Kylee J. Jackman: Class of 2023-Bloomington Kennedy Senior High School

Congratulations! Kylee J. Jackman: Class of 2023-Bloomington Kennedy Senior High School

Metro Transit looks to improve safety and conditions on light rail system

Metro Transit looks to improve safety and conditions on light rail system

Minneapolis
◉
77°
Fair
5:26 am8:56 pm CDT
ThuFriSatSunMon
82/59°F
86/64°F
79/57°F
73/54°F
79/61°F
Weather forecast Minneapolis, Minnesota ▸
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Apr 13
April 13 @ 7:30 pm-June 10 @ 9:00 pm Recurring

Wit by Margaret Edson

Apr 14
April 14 @ 9:00 am-August 12 @ 5:00 pm

Paper Is People: Decolonizing Global Paper Cultures

Jun 8
10:00 am-4:00 pm Recurring

Preserving Nature Photos by Walter Griffin: REFLECTIONS

Jun 8
2:00 pm-6:00 pm

Juneteenth Business Forum

View Calendar

Read our latest e-Edition!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

 

Loading Comments...