Diversity and Inclusion Week: Moments in History
St. Lawrence University’s Diversity and Inclusion Week Committee is excited to celebrate our sixth Diversity & Inclusion week beginning Monday, March 4 –Friday, March 8.
Our theme this year is Connecting Across Difference programs and events will:
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Foster conversations
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Encourage individual contemplation and reflection on identity
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Encourage celebration across many aspects of intersectionality and diversity
2024 Diversity & Inclusion Week Historical Snippets
Monday March 4th
Dr. Micere Mugo, Kenyan Visiting Professor in 1982-1984
Welcome to St. Lawrence’s annual Diversity & Inclusion Week! I’m excited to continue the tradition of providing a daily historical “snippet” that highlights an aspect of diversity, inclusion and belonging for SLU.
Did you ever wonder when SLU hired our first international faculty member? I posed that very question to our friendly neighborhood archivist, Paul Doty, a month or so ago. And while we may not have succeeded in identifying SLU’s very first international scholar (at least not yet), we did manage to unearth a fascinating story.
Dr. Micere Mugo a scholar from Kenya, taught at SLU from 1982 through 1984. Mugo’s story is one of courage and conviction, and the fact that SLU was fortunate enough to have attracted her to our campus is remarkable.
Mugo attended the University of New Brunswick for masters’ and doctoral study. She completed her PhD in literature in 1973 and then immediately returned to Kenya to teach at the University of Nairobi. In 1978, Mugo was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, making her the very first female faculty dean, not just at the University of Nairobi but in all of Kenya. For four years she led the faculty there. But in 1982, political unrest in Kenya forced Mugo to flee to the United States. It was then that St. Lawrence University offered her a position as a lecturer. From 1982 to 1984, Mugo taught at SLU and while here she traveled across the United States to raise awareness of the political turmoil in Kenya.
SLU’s Kenya Program apparently had a major role in helping Dr. Mugo feel welcomed. In her first semester at SLU, on September 23rd, 1982, Hill News writer Christopher Williams published a story about Mugo entitled, Interview with Dr. Micere Mugo, Professor from Nairobi. Williams wrote:
“The prospect of being in the presence of a woman of her extraordinary intelligence and social prominence would quicken the heartbeat of many an extrovert. However, her extreme politeness and gracious manner made one feel comfortable immediately. Frequent smiles reveal a warm and very sensitive personality. … [Mugo] was first asked how she was making the adjustment to St. Lawrence and the town of Canton. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘it has been very helpful to meet familiar faces. There are quite a few people from Kenya and other (SLU students) who participated in the Nairobi program. This,’ Professor Mugo feels, ‘helps you settle down much more.’ As to Canton? ‘Quite friendly’, she responded, then smiled.” During interview Mugo referred to the “tremendous affinity between [people of African descent] all over the world.” In speaking of the experience of Africans, African Americans, and Caribbeans studying at predominantly white institutions, she advised that Black students “spend time discovering themselves. Otherwise it becomes very easy to imitate and become that which they are not.”
Mugo taught at SLU for two years. Shortly after her tenure at SLU ended, she returned to Africa and taught in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A decade later, in 1992, Mugo returned to the United States as a visiting professor at Cornell University. In 1993, she joined the faculty of African American Studies at Syracuse University, where she taught for the next 22 years until her retirement in 2015. In 2002, the newspaper The East African Standard named Mugo as one of the 100 most influential people. Mugo died 8 years later, in 2023, at the age of 80.
What an exciting and wonderful time those few years must have been, graced by the amazing Dr. Mugo’s energy, intelligence, and presence!
Tuesday March 5th
Recycling a snippet from 2020 – Amin Beder. 1875-1955
A stroll through the University Archives never fails to impress, and sometimes it’s interesting to review a snippet from a few years ago to see what more information might be out there. In 2020, we shared some fascinating information about SLU’s first student of Middle Eastern descent, Amin Beder. I want to share that snippet again and include some updated information about Beder.
Amin Beder graduated from SLU in 1899 with a BS degree. Beder was Lebanese – he immigrated to the US at the age of 14 and worked his way through school as a lace peddler (Arabic lace being quite a luxury commodity at the time). In 1945, Beder’s translation of the Rubyiat of Abu-Tayb-Al-Mutanabi (ca. 915-965), a collection of poetry about topics such as courage, philosophy, and descriptions of battles. Al-Mutanbi is lauded as one of the Arab world's most influential poets, and it’s no wonder that Beder admired his work. In the words of archivist Paul Haggett: “So a young man from Syria (Lebanon) somehow found his way to St. Lawrence in the mid 1890s (there is no indication he was either an exchange student or a U.S. citizen), and eventually becomes a women’s clothing designer who writes poetry and translates Islamic verse on the side.”
As I wondered what more we might know about Beder, I came across an emotional poem – a tribute/eulogy for Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese American artist, writer, and poet. Gibran’s book, The Prophet, is a collection of poetry and prose fables. It’s hailed as one of the best-selling books of all time, having been translated into more than 100 languages. Beder published his eulogy for Gibran just a few weeks after Gibran’s death.
Beder passed away in 1955 at the age of 78. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here is his moving tribute to Kahlil Gibran:
The Spirit of Gibran by Amin Beder
Where is your Soul, Gibran, where has it fled?
Why silently you rest – What pales your head?
There is no sign of fear or anguish on your brow;
What hast thou found beyond – what hast thou read?
I wonder if you trembled at the sight
Of Father Death whose hand he lays so light,
To honour thee and crown thee with his bliss;
Why fear his hand – where is our Prophet’s Might?
Your pen and brush are left without a seer,
Are stilled, and who will the despondent cheer?
What brush will paint the boundless shoreless sea?
What hand so strong, the ship of life to steer?
Gibran’s Answer
And as I pass into the darkest sea,
Beyond the gates of Night where none are free,
My eyes, though turned away, behold thee still;
My heart when cold in death will beat for thee.
Wednesday March 6th
SLU’s Rare Books and the Piskor collection
Good morning everyone!
There are many wonderful gems in the University Archives, and we’re so very fortunate to have archivist Paul Doty help us unearth some astounding treasures! Paul shared this interesting snippet about the university’s rare books collection, particularly the collection of President Frank Piskor, St. Lawrence’s thirteenth president.
Dr. Frank Piskor served as President of St. Lawrence from 1969 to 1981 – until right before Dr. Micere Mugo joined our campus. Piskor had a fascinating library collection that he donated to SLU after he retired. The content of the collection is what’s remarkable for us today.
When Paul was reviewing Piskor’s collection, he came across two titles by poet, author, and educator Gwendolyn Brooks. In 1950, Brooks was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Richard Wright felt strongly about the authenticity of Brooks’ poetry:
“They are hard and real, right out of the central core of Black Belt Negro life in urban areas. ... There is no self-pity here, not a striving for effect. She takes hold of reality as it is and renders it faithfully. There is not so much an exhibiting of Negro life to whites in these poems as there is an honest human reaction to the pain that lurks so colorfully in the Black Belt. ... She easily catches the pathos of petty destinies; the whimper of the wounded; the tiny incidents that plague the lives of the desperately poor, and the problem of color prejudice among [Black people]. ... Only one who has actually lived and suffered in a kitchenette could render the feeling of lonely frustration as well as she does: — of how dreams are drowned out by the noises, smells, and the frantic desire to grab one’s chance to get a bath when the bathroom is empty. Miss Brooks is real and so are her poems.”
Piskor’s collection contained these titles by Brooks: A Street in Bronzeville (Harper and Brothers 1945) and In the Mecca (Harper and Row 1968). Brooks inscribed both titles to Piskor and both are first editions with complete dust jackets and in near fine condition. As I held one of these treasures in my hands, my mind filled with the questions that poor Paul has become accustomed to, and for which we currently have no clear answers. How did Piskor meet Brooks? Was it a poetry reading? Did they become friends? Did their interaction influence Piskor’s support for our African American students? Did it help him understand the challenges they face? Piskor’s presidency took place during a period of significant Black activism. In the course of that activism the university dedicated $135,000 in scholarship aid to African American students in the 1971-1972 academic year. Who knows how Brooks might have inspired Piskor?
Also in the rare books collection (though not part of the Piskor collection) is The Dream Keeper by poet Langston Hughes (Alfred Knopf 1945) This book was also inscribed by Hughes in a sweeping hand to a Dorothy Cross Bailey, SLU class of 1912, who donated it to our collection. Bailey herself had an interesting life. In 1975 she was recognized by SLU as a distinguished alum in 1975 for her university teaching career, with positions in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Iowa, and finally at HBCU Central State College Wilberforce Ohio. Inserted between the pages of the edition of The Dream Keeper is a photograph of Langston Hughes reading to a small gathering of people.
The poem for which Hugh’s the collection was named, The Dream Keeper, invokes the calling of all those who dedicate their lives to supporting our amazing students:
The Dream Keeper
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies
That I may wrap them
In a blue cloud-cloth
Away from the too-rough fingers
Thursday March 7th
Joseph F. Jordan (1863-1929): More than two decades before Jeffrey Worthington Campbell matriculated at St. Lawrence in 1929, another African American graced the halls of SLU’s Theological School. Buried deep in our archives lies a tantalizing tidbit – a reference to Joseph Fletcher Jordan and his relationship with SLU. Jordan was born into slavery in North Carolina and became the third person of color to be ordained in the Universalist Church. A profile of his life and ministry can be found here.
A brief reference to Jordan appears in the 1903 Laurentian:
“J.F. Jordan, a [person of color] in the Theological School, who is taking a special course in that institution to better fit himself for his ministerial duties in the South, gave a very interesting and instructive address to the young people of the Universalist Church a few Sundays ago.”
The Laurentian continues:
“Mr. Jordan is the only [person of color] in the University, and he is highly respected by all.”
So far we haven’t been able to find any other reference to Jordan in the materials we have from the Theological School or about the 1903 academic year. 1903 would have been the year that the Universalist Church accepted Jordan as a minister, so he may have spent some time at St. Lawrence to deepen his knowledge, establish his network, and bolster his credentials. We imagine he might have been a non-degree-seeking student, perhaps taking a course or two without intending to stay. By March 1904 Jordan and his family had moved to Virginia to help support Universalist missions and schools.
Jordan passed away on May 1, 1929, just months before Jeffrey Campbell matriculated at SLU. The year 2024 year marks the 95th anniversary of both Jordan’s death and Campbell’s matriculation.
Special thanks again to archivist Paul Doty who unearthed this gem!
Friday March 8th
Kathleen Buckley
Good morning everyone,
There are so many remarkable things to say about Kathleen Buckley that it’s hard to summarize it in a “snippet” – it all really belongs in a book! But I feel an obligation to try. Of all the amazing people who’ve contributed to DEI since the founding of our august institution in 1856, Kathleen has undoubtedly been one of the most impactful.
Kathleen was a member of the SLU community between 2001 and 2020. Her exceptional contributions helped to make SLU the diverse and inclusive community that it is. Indeed, before my arrival at SLU as Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, Kathleen and her office did much of the work of trying to make SLU more inclusive, especially for members of underrepresented groups. She lived the mission of her office: All Are Welcome Here.
When Kathleen arrived on our campus, there was little to no ally training to support LGBTQIA+2S members of our community. There was no Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. But most significantly, students who were members of underrepresented groups - non-white, international, LGBTQIA+2S, non-Christian, first-generation, international, and/or from lower socioeconomic backgrounds - did not see themselves or their concerns mirrored in or addressed by the Chaplain’s office or, to a large degree, by the whole university.
Kathleen’s arrival changed all that. One of the main goals of the Chaplain’s Office under her leadership was diversity and inclusion. She instituted ally training for LGBTQIA+2S community support and coordinated it almost single-handedly for three years. Additionally, the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration was instituted by Kathleen. One of the most visibly impactful things that Kathleen created was the weekly Gospel Service (which is now known as the Chapel Service). Realizing that SLU had become more intentional in recruiting a diverse student body, Kathleen wanted to develop a service that would welcome community members from all walks of life – from various races, ethnicities, nationalities, spiritualities and faith traditions, sexual orientations and gender identities, ages, and classes. She set out to identify funding for an associate chaplain who would establish a community Gospel choir and work with the community to ensure that all voices are heard and included. Starting in 2003, she and the new Associate Chaplain (Rev. Shaun Whitehead, now the University Chaplain) launched the weekly Gospel Service, which has since become a highlight of SLU culture and inspires all who attend to build bridges and work together, valuing all community members for who they are. In fact, since the weekly service is live-streamed via Facebook, it reaches a far broader audience even outside of SLU.
Of all the things Kathleen is remembered for, it’s probably her work with students that stands out most. Here are a few of their reflections about Kathleen:
Kathleen Buckley has been a valuable resource for me here on campus. Not only has she been my friend, but she has also been a family away from my family. [One year during Thanksgiving], Kathleen invited me and other international students who stayed on campus to go dine with her. We enjoyed the delicious meals she had prepared and had a conversation about each one of us’ home country. Later on, as result of the conversation we had, she offered to drive all the way to Montreal, so that we could get the spices we needed to make our home food. This offer touched me and I will forever be grateful for her generosity.
We always started the worship [service] saying “all are welcome” and by the end of it, that is how we felt - accepted, valued and celebrated for our diversity. Her generosity and service to people stretched beyond her regular worships or office hours. … One of my favorite memories of her was when she offered to drive me to a nearby grocery store when I couldn’t find anyone to help me. I was already grateful to her for her support, but I was even more grateful when she unexpectedly paid for my groceries. I was moved by her thoughtfulness, because she understood I was a struggling student. When I insisted on paying her back, she said that instead of her, I should pay it forward by helping someone in need when I am in that position in the future.
Kathleen is an incredibly wise, compassionate, and humble soul, and is a constant source of support and guidance about life. College is not always easy for a queer person of color, but it’s encouraging to know I have someone like Kathleen in my corner.
My initial interactions with Reverend Buckley were through the various engagements that she had with Muslim students on campus observing Ramadan and celebrating Eid. Over time, as our relationship developed I found myself relying on Reverend Kathleen to help me navigate through my own uncertainties about Islam and better understand the interconnections between the various religions.
Kathleen has been a support for faculty and staff too. For example, our archivist and friend Paul Doty reminded me that it was Kathleen who officiated at his and his wife’s (Agnes Hoey) wedding ceremony in 2004.
I could say so much more about Kathleen. She touched the lives of virtually everyone who had the honor of knowing her, and that certainly includes myself. She earned the Minority Access Award for Exceptional Role Models in 2017. She was awarded the John P. “Jack” Taylor Distinguished Career Service Award in 2019. She’s featured in the Portraying St. Lawrence exhibit alongside Ernest Benedict and Margaret Bass. And Kathleen so moved our community that the Sullivan Student Center Buckley Room for Diversity and Inclusion was named in her honor.
We lost Kathleen in 2020. It's hard to believe that four years have passed. The imprint she left on our hearts, and the impression she made on our community, however, will last for generations. Why don’t you take a moment today and share a story about Kathleen? It will bring a smile to many faces!
Folks, this has been a wonderful week! Amazing events, great positive energy around inclusion. And I absolutely love learning more about the history of our community and working with Paul Doty on cool ideas for snippets – I wish I had time to do them all year! Unfortunately, though, I’m afraid that’s all for now. Until next time!