This month’s theme is financial health and wellness. The financial health of the BIPOC community is a concern that’s been at top of mind for VT PoC since our inception. Our mission is to advance the prosperity of all BIPOC individuals in Vermont…yet this is a challenging topic because we, as a group, have been […]
Our member spotlight this month is on Gamal Alsalahi. Gamal has lived in Vermont for nine years and worked in education and management before leaving his home in Yemen for the US. Since then, he completed a master’s program and began a career in banking. He learned a lot over his time in the financial […]
Name: Monika Ganguly-Kiefner Pronouns: she/her Current Town: Clarendon Years in VT: 18 years total (not consecutively) Industry: Public Health Profession: Chronic Disease Prevention Specialist for the Vermont Department of Health Tell us a bit about your background before arriving in VT. Well, before ‘arriving’ in Vermont I was a twinkle in my parent’s eyes—I was […]
BIPOC in the Outdoors Our home state of “Vermont” is known nationally for winter sports, activities, and recreation. However, it’s important to recognize that we enjoy these activities on unceded Abenaki land. These outdoor spaces, used for recreational hiking, skiing, and other winter sports, have been dominated throughout history by notions of white supremacy. This month’s […]
Name: Hana Saydek Pronouns: they/them/han/hana Current Town: So-called Cavendish, VT, occupied Abenaki land Cavendish is along Mkazatekw (the Black River), which heads east to the Kwenitekw (the Connecticut River) and is surrounded by Kaskadenak (‘a rocky place,’ Ascutney Mountain), Hawks Mountain, and the Okemo Valley. Years in VT: My whole life, from being carried in […]
This month, we have selected to highlight the new cohort of Vermont Legislators, who have just started the new 2023 session. Scroll to learn more about each person! Legislature biographies were obtained from the Vermont Legislature website except Rep. Lamont who provided her own biography to VT PoC in December 2022. Rep. Sarah “Sarita” Austin […]
This month, we are focused on voting in preparation for the March elections. Not registered to vote? Scroll to the end of the article for voter registration resources! Vermont as a whole has a unique and special relationship to democracy compared to other states. For starters, the state has the fifth highest voter turnout rate […]
Pronouns: she/her/hers Current Town: Middlebury Years in VT: 2 Industry: Social and Racial Justice Advocate and Consultant Business name: Spreading Justice, LLC Business contact: Email Justice by clicking here Tell us a bit about your background before arriving in VT. I am originally from Bainbridge, GA. I graduated from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA, […]
Happy New Year, fam! This month, we are focused on housing. The following article is by Dylan Rhymaun, who will be contributing to our newsletter moving forward. Every year, the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission releases a “scorecard” that gives insight into many aspects of the county, including demographics, employment, immigration, housing, and so on. […]
Community leadership prioritizes the greater good for the community over our own personal objectives. Community leaders provide support and build influence to empower others to participate in the process intentionally, and to dismantle traditional toxic leadership methods. As we enter the holiday season, it is important that we remember ways to be of service […]
Pronouns: She/Her Current Town: Rutland Years in VT: 7.5 Industry: Hair Business Name: Euphoric Hair Experience, LLC Business email and/or website: ehellc2023@gmail.com Tell us a bit about your background. Born and raised in Chicago, IL. During high school worked at Galter Life Center a rehabilitation center in their nursery for the children of the patients […]
The numbers of BIPOC races and ethnicities are increasing due to immigration and reproduction in the United States. The growing numbers of people correlate with the rising numbers of voices that are not accounted for when voting. According to Dayanna Ramirez at the RISE Center at UCLA, historically, election season has played a monumental role […]