Learn About Becoming a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow

Learn About Becoming a Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellow

MCF’s Ron McKinley Philanthropy Fellowship, which we opened applications for earlier this month, will prepare individuals from underrepresented communities for careers in philanthropy. But the fellowship is about more than changing the face of leadership in philanthropy; it’s about infusing new ideas and viewpoints into the field.

Are you interested in applying to be a Ron McKinley Philanthropy fellow? Do you have questions about the application process?
Join Alfonso Wenker, MCF director of diversity, equity and inclusion, for a short informational webinar about the process and the program on Thursday, August 7, at 3 p.m. Alfonso will provide a high-level overview of the program and take questions from participants.

And for a look at what the 2014 Philanthropy Fellows are up to, don’t miss MCF’s new issue of Giving Forum, online and in your mailbox now.We caught up with Venessa Fuentes and Dameun Strange and asked them about their responsibilities and how they’re helping effect positive community change. Read about their experiences, then join our webinar to see what the fellowship would mean for you!

[Job Posting] TRIO UB College Access Advisor & Residential Coordinator

The TRIO Upward Bound program at the University of Minnesota is seeking a College Access Advisory & Residential Program Coordinator. See below for more details about the position and to apply.

The Student Services unit at the College of Education and Human Development is excited to announce that we are accepting applications for a College Access Advisor & Residential Coordinator to assist in the execution of our long-standing federal grant program -- TRIO Upward Bound (TRIO UB).

TRIO Upward Bound is a college preparatory program for low-income and educationally disadvantaged high school students. TRIO UB works with students, parents, schools and communities, on a long-term and intensive basis to help generate both individual and systemic change. Services are designed to help participants build the skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education. TRIO UB currently serves 118 low-income and first-generation students from Minneapolis Public High Schools annually and continuously serving Minneapolis youth since 1966.

TRIO Upward Bound College Access Advisor & Residential Program Coordinator (Requisition #192485)

This position is responsible for academic advising and student caseload management to achieve student development in all facets including academic, personal, social, and cultural.  Includes program operation including developing, implementing and managing program initiatives, projects and events. Also includes serving as an instructor in post-secondary education, the Residential Coordinator, and the school and community liaison. This position contributes to the professional growth of students through programs, courses, and events. 

​To learn more about and/or apply to the TRIO UB College Access Advisor & Residential Coordinator position, click on the link above or go to employment.umn.edu and search Requisition #192485. 

--

Minerva S. Muñoz, M.P.P.

Director | TRIO UPWARD BOUND

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION + HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK 

C/P Warp and Weft: "What did you just call me?"

My besty's (Sara) cousin (Lydia) recently wrote an insightful post on her Warp and Weft blog, entitled "What did you just call me?" on identity and the critical importance of self-identification. Picking up on themes from our "Affirming Authenticity: Identity-Driven Leadership" series, Lydia stresses the need for each of us to create and define our own identities and to likewise respect and honor those of others. Read on for more after the jump!

June 21, 2014

What did you just call me?

Dedicated to my cousin Sara for tirelessly contesting my identities (in some
great ways) and supplying me with many terrible pictures of myself.

Me, my cousin Sara and some little cousins in Taiwan engaging in our favorite
past time (eating ice cream sandwiches). 

Over the years my answers to the question “What’s your ethnicity?” have varied a lot.
To give you a sense of the full range, I went from “My mom is Chinese and my dad is 
normal” to “My mom is Chinese and my dad is white” to  “My mom is from Taiwan. 
My dad is from Pennsylvania.” My answer still varies these days. I used to think that
all this variation in the way I explain my identity was a result of identity confusion on
my part. But I’ve come around to the idea that it is actually a pretty normal and
widespread phenomenon to have different ways of making your identity depending
on who you’re talking with, how you think they will understand the terms you are using
and what you want to emphasize about yourself.

A lot of anthropologists and some sociolinguistics have started saying that identity 
isn’t a thing that you just have. Instead an identity is something that you actually
create, for yourself or for someone else – and one of the ways you create those
identities is through language, by the terms you use. Take for example “My mom 
is from Taiwan. vs. My mom is Chinese.” In choosing one over the other I am
making a statement that Taiwan is distinct enough from China to merit a separate
designation and I am also claiming that I am the kind of person to whom this
distinction between Taiwan and China is important. But this claim on my part is
only meaningful because there is a history of contesting whether or not these are
two separate entities or whether one subsumes the other.

But really, there are no “neutral” or “matter of fact” terms to identify people. 
There are just more or less contested terms. This is what we are missing in 
conversations about “political correctness”. I came across an email this week
detailing Internal Guidelines for Policy writing in a U.S. based non-profit. The
line that stood out to me was found under the guidelines for using Hispanic vs.
Latino/a.

“Respect personal preferences whenever possible. For example,
Justice Sotamayor uses ‘Latina’ to describe herself, and we should
respect that”.

 It’s presented in the way politically correct language is usually presented. You 
should use this word because people want you to, or because other people 
use it. Without any explanation of why it really matters.

Here’s why it really matters. If the terms that we use for ourselves create identities 
for us, then the terms that we use for other people create identities for them. 
If we are creating identities for people that are in opposition to the identities 
they are creating for themselves we are engaging them in a battle for their identity. 
It isn’t always wrong to challenge someone on their identity – but you should know 
what you’re getting yourself into and evaluate whether or not you are the right 
person to do the challenging (who the right person is - that's another issue that 
is really contested). 

One last note. The meanings of these identity terms are not unchanging. Words 
get their meanings from their histories, so as history shifts the connotations
these words have also shifts. According to this article by Pew Research Center
(and this post by NPR’s Code Switch blog), the difference between “Latin@”
and “Hispanic” may be less salient now than it was previously. On the other hand,
the recent tensions between Taiwan and China over a Trade Pact agreement
(see here for details) is likely to make Taiwanese identity and the term
"Taiwanese" more contested and more salient to those on both sides of the issue.

I’m curious about you guys. What are the words you use to describe yourself? 
Are there some terms that you care more about and others that you are more 
ambivalent about? Who would you allow/not allow to challenge you on the 
terms you use to describe yourself?