Our mission is to spread knowledge of cultural competency through workshops and presentation facilitation around diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks. We aim to do this by engaging in intergroup dialogue and educating participants to become change agents while centering the experiences of marginalized communities.
Mission
Vision
We envision a world where people respect, honor, and value one another's experience by dismantling all systems of oppression.
Who We Are
Maricella Reyes
Hello! I am Maricella Reyes (she/hers/ella) hailing from Midland, Michigan. I began my higher education journey at Central Michigan University earning my Bachelor of Applied Arts in Recreation and Event Management in 2016, and Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration in 2018.
My work on college campuses has focused on better serving and supporting marginalized communities through cultural education, engagement and development opportunities. Currently, I serve as a Program Manager for the Trotter Multicultural Center at the University of Michigan.
I strive to be an ally and an advocate to all marginalized groups that need support. Working towards being the person I needed in college. The representation, the mentor, the hope. My values of family, education, and social justice are what guide my work. With a passion for initiatives that allow my Latinx community to build collectively and better understand our collective and individual worth!
Chinyere Turner
Hey yall! I’m Chinyere Turner (she/her) all the way from Okinawa, Japan – Kadena Air Force Base. Moving from Okinawa to St. Louis, I attended Maryville University, graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in History and English and a minor in Secondary Education. I continued my education by receiving a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri, St. Louis. As many higher education professionals deem themselves, I too am a “life-long learner” and have started the journey of pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of West Georgia.
Having now served at multiple institutions, my previous roles have allowed me to focus on the retention of students of color through assessment and data collection, plan programs that cultivate student identities, and teach courses that assist with students' knowledge of social justice issues. Currently, I serve as the Associate Director of the Cultural & Community Centers at Kennesaw State University.
While navigating the higher education space, I have always had black women support me in my educational goals, and therefore I want to reach back and do the same for the next generation. As Issa Rae once stated, “I’m rooting for everybody black”.
I work in the DEI field because this work is important for the empowerment of marginalized communities and I understand that all of our liberations is tied together. My personal mission is to strive to always be a source of support for people of color and all underrepresented populations.
How We Met…
We first met when we became co-workers at a higher education institution in our Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Through our time together we connected through our passion for social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. After completing a community based social justice training together we found we had a similar lens on our view of the world and how we want the world to be. We have built a genuine connection as colleagues, friends, and now Partners in Justice. Even though we have great fulfillment in supporting marginalized students at institutions of higher education we realized a need for social justice education in and outside of university spaces. From that awareness we decided to create a business that would assist with furthering peoples cultural competency.