Creative Expressions: Intersection of Arts, Culture and Activism in #BLM and #NativeLivesMatter Movements

Creative Expressions: Intersection of Arts, Culture and Activism in #BLM and #NativeLivesMatter Movements

Thursday, July 30, 2020 - 5-6pm

The SUNY Empire community has a rich and varied artist community. Join us each week to meet our faculty, staff, student, and alumni artists to learn a little about their creative expressions, their process, and them. Our artists hold a Q&A session following their presentations/performances. Creative Expressions happen every Thursday at 5pm in Zoom at this link.

On Thursday, July 30th will be a panel of presenters (Rhianna Rogers, Roberto Borrero, Vera Sheehan, Menoukha Case, and Dan Nyaronga ) discussing the intersection of #BLM and #NativeLivesMatter movements as represented through varied experiences of indigenous peoples (e.g., via art, culture, and activism, and advocacy across groups). There will also be a discussion of the forthcoming Global Indigenous Knowledge Certificate. 

Note: If you missed our previous sessions or cannot make it this week, all of the sessions are recorded. Check them out at this link, or check out previous sessions and plans for future sessions on the Creative Expressions website

Weekly Host: Lisa D’Adamo-Weinstein

Presenters' Full Bios:

Roberto Borrero (Class of 2017) - Presenter

Roberto Mukaro Borrero is a cultural consultant, advisor, human rights advocate, writer, historian, artist, and musician. He offers particular expertise in Caribbean and other Indigenous Peoples issues. His unique perspective draws from multiple sources including his indigenous Taíno heritage, mentorship from indigenous leaders and elders from around the world, and real-time experience in the arts, as well as human rights and environmental advocacy. With over twenty years experience in the non-profit/non-governmental sector, over a decade of experience as Senior Programs Coordinator for Public Programs in the Education Department of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and as a former radio host and producer for WBAI Pacifica Radio’s “Circle of Red Nations,” Mr. Borrero maintains a diverse resource network locally, nationally, and internationally in the civil, business, and governmental sectors.

A cultural consultant and or advisor, Mr. Borrero has shared his expertise in various capacities within the United Nations system, as well as with non-profit and for-profit entities such as PBS, BBC, the Institute for American Indian Studies, El Museo de Barrio, Tribal Link Foundation, the International Indian Treaty Council, Aveda Corporation, Natural Resources Stewardship Circle, and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, among others. (www.Mukaro.net )

Vera Longtoe Sheehan (Class of 2020) - Presenter

Abenaki culture bearer, master artist, educator, and activist Vera Longtoe Sheehan is a museum educator and serves her community as Director of the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association, a multi-arts services organization. Her combined experience and education allow her to bridge the gap between the Abenaki community and the mainstream world in creating museum exhibitions, educational programs, and events that promote the vibrant culture of her people.

Her extensive research of archaeology and other primary resources relating to Abenaki textiles and clothing in Wabanaki territory informs her textile-making process. She is an MA candidate in Heritage Preservation at SUNY Empire State College, and holds an Advanced Certificate in Public History, as well as a BA in Museum Studies and Native American Studies also from SUNY Empire State College.

Website - http://abenakiart.org/ 

Facebook page - Vermont Abenaki Artists Association or VT Abenaki Art on Twitter.

Dr. Menoukha Case - Presenter

Menoukha Robin Case is an alumna and Professor Emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies at SUNY Empire State College. Books: with Stephanie Sellers: Weaving the Legacy: Remembering Paula Gunn Allen (West End Press); with Allison V. Craig: Introduction to Feminist Thought and Action (Routledge).

Dr. Dan Nyaronga - presenter

Dr. Nyaronga is an Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY Empire State College.  His community work focuses on refugees and Immigrant challenges & women’s empowerment in the developing countries. Dr. Nyaronga is also a visiting faculty at SUNY University at Buffalo, where he teaches Summer Study Abroad Program to Africa “Community Development in Context: Mara Region, Tanzania.” An interdisciplinary program with a focus on community development that offers innovative Experiential Learning for undergraduate and graduate students from SUNY Institutions in New York. He previously worked as: a project manager for Africare Tanzania at Mlali Child Survival Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), assistant to the director of Multicultural Program at Valparaiso University, Senior Research Associate at Military Research Institute (MFRI) at Purdue University, and Associate Research Scientist at Public Health Institute, Oakland California. Dr. Nyaronga holds a Ph.D. and Masters degree in Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) from Iowa State University. His Bachelor’s degree in Community Development is from Daystar University, Nairobi. His research focuses on students’ experiential learning, minority groups (e.g., wounded worriers, women empowerment, and refugees and Immigrant families) and physical and mental health outcomes.  Dr. Nyaronga is a passionate writer and a staunch advocate for policy change on issues that affect women and refugees and immigrant families. He is affiliated with community organizations such as Flower Garden Childcare International (current president), HEAL International (past board Member), Buffalo Tanzania Education Project (Member) and Girls Education Collaborative (past board member).  He has published in numerous scholarly journals and edited books. He is also a member of several professional organizations including National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), Council of College and Military Educators (CCME), International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), and American Psychological Association (APA).

Dr. Rhianna C. Rogers - Moderator/Presenter

Dr. Rogers is an expert on cultural and ethnic studies, intercultural competencies and diversity education, cultural mediation, and virtual exchange programmatic development and implementation. Rogers is currently the inaugural Rockefeller Institute of Government-Ernest Boyer Presidential Fellow in the Center for Law and Policy Solutions (2019-present) and was the college-wide Coordinator of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies (2017-2019.) Rogers has won multiple awards for her innovative approach to teaching and learning, including, most recently, the 2020-2021 & 2019-2020 SUNY Empire Provost/Associate Dean Innovation Award, the 2018-2019 Explorations in Diversity & Academic Excellence Award (EDAE), and the 2017-2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Faculty Web Site | Twitter| Rockefeller Institute/Buffalo Project