In an Oct. 6 panel discussion, four members of the Fordham community explored this answer and the evolution of their own ethnic identities. 

“We’re trying to fit a square into a round hole peg. We’re trying to find a word to name X amount of countries that have different cultures in a United States context,” said Juan Carlos Matos, assistant vice president for student affairs for diversity and inclusion, addressing an in-person audience and guests on Zoom at the Lincoln Center campus. “Folks sometimes get caught up in, well, what’s the right way? In many ways, we haven’t figured out the right way.”

Matos was joined by Tanya K. Hernández, Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law at the School of Law; Miguel García, Ph.D., assistant professor of Spanish at Fordham College at Rose Hill; and Bethany Fernández, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill and member of the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project.  

The panel began with an overview of today’s Latinx population in the U.S. According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, Hispanics now make up more than 60 million people in the U.S.—roughly 20% of the population, said the panel moderator and Fordham’s chief diversity officer, Rafael Zapata. But it’s still difficult to pinpoint a name that describes their collective identity. 

“This has continued to evolve as American society figures out how to look at us and as we see ourselves and are changed by our migration, assimilation, integration, exclusion, and marginalization from the broader United States society and culture,” said Zapata, whose office co-hosted the panel with the Office of Multicultural Affairs. 

No ‘Win-Win’ Situation

There are many different names to describe themselves, said the panelists. In 1980, the census started using the term “Hispanic”; a decade later, the term “Latino” began to become popular, said Zapata. The two terms, which refer to descendants of Spain and its former colonies in Central and South America and the Caribbean, continue to be used interchangeably. Other terms have sprung up since then, including “Latinx,” which was designed to be a gender nonconforming word. 

But the term has received backlash because it is difficult to pronounce in Spanish and indigenous languages, said the panelists. 

“When we’re dealing with what to call ourselves, we are navigating a very complicated question,” said Fernández. “If we try to define it in terms of English or Spanish, we are dealing with languages that have been involved in the colonization of our people. In that sense, there’s not really a win-win [situation]… If that’s how someone identifies and it makes sense and it’s not harmful to anyone else who is within our realm of Latinidad, that’s fine. Because ultimately, we want people to embrace who they are.”

Fernández, who identifies as Afro Latiné, said she was more familiar with her Black roots because of her mother, who introduced her to documentaries and museums focused on their culture. But she was able to bond with her Puerto Rican heritage on car drives with her father, where they often jammed out to their favorite salsa songs. 

“He would enjoy the music and tap [the steering wheel]a little bit while we’re at the stoplight. But in those moments, while he was vibing, I was sitting down and listening to the songs and trying to figure out what they were saying, what songs I liked, and their message,” Fernández said. 

Matos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Brooklyn, said he struggled to fully embrace his Afro-Latinidad heritage when he was younger. In elementary school, he said he felt ashamed of speaking Spanish after a classmate told him, “This is America—speak American.” His parents, a Black Dominican father and a fair-skinned, biracial mother, also disapproved of his afro. 

“I definitely don’t think there was much acceptance of Blackness in my family, to this day,” Matos said. 

Authenticity & ‘Complicating the Narrative’

What’s especially problematic is when people proclaim that they are Latinx, but are clearly not, said the panelists, citing the case of Jessica Krug, a white historian who pretended to be Black and Latina for years. García said that in one of his classes, his students discussed whether or not they should police people’s identities. 

“They were very divided on the issue,” said García, who is Mexican American. “I am more interested in … What’s the political motivations that they are using to identify as Afro Latinx, Mexican American, Puerto Rican? Are they doing that to benefit themselves somehow?” 

This year, the Census Bureau showed that the number of non-Hispanic Americans who identify as multiracial jumped by 127% over the past decade. But these results don’t really show a growth in the multiracial population, said Hernández. This increase in numbers is largely facilitated by people who, in light of George Floyd’s death and the Black Lives Matter movement, don’t want to be implicated in white supremacy, she said. 

One stark example can be found in Puerto Rico, she said, where people’s selections for racial heritage drastically changed from 2010 to 2020. 

“White alone went from 75% to 17%. Demographers will let you know that is not physically possible unless you’re talking about a mass genocide. The overall number of Puerto Ricans on the island has not changed, so this shift is one of social identity construction,” said Hernández,. “The fluctuation is less about an embrace of multiraciality and much more about a mad escape from any sense of implication in whiteness as a privilege.” 

There is no checklist that defines someone as Latinx, said Matos. But if you start judging people by specific characteristics—like whether or not they speak Spanish or an indigenous language, said Matos—then you risk demoralizing people. 

“I think it’s more about being authentic, being able to complicate the narrative, and us being open to that while checking people [like Jessica Krugg],” Matos said.

On that sunny autumn day, a crane lifted into place the final steel beam that forms the frame of the 71,000 square foot, three-story addition in front of the McGinley Center that will be part of Fordham’s new campus center.

It was unlike any of the 499 beams installed before it; before it was hoisted up and welded in place, students were invited to grab a Sharpie and adorn it with their signatures.

It was fitting that students should make their mark, as the student body will be at the heart of the new center. Opening in three phases beginning in September 2021, the center will feature several amenities-filled spaces that will work together to enhance the overall student experience on campus.

A Place to Get in Shape

The addition will be the first section to open. The first floor of that building will feature a state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot fitness center open to all students, faculty, and staff, while the ground floor will feature a 9,500 square foot student lounge.

The second floor will be home to the offices of campus ministries and community-engaged learning, while the third floor will feature a special events space that can be used for large meetings and events, along with an 80-seat multi-purpose conference room.

After the new building addition is connected to McGinley by a Gallery in the first phase of construction, a second phase will commence by building an Arcade that will connect the Rose Hill Gym, Lombardi and McGinley Center together.

During the third phase of construction, the new fitness center will be connected with the adjacent space in the lower level of the McGinley. That area will be the home of a separate new strength and conditioning center dedicated to Fordham Athletics, which will not be completed until 2023 when the current McGinley center is fully renovated. But until then, athletes can take advantage of the new fitness center that will be open to all.

A Sleek Fitness Facility with Yoga, Spin Classes, and More

At 20,000 square feet, the new fitness center will be double the size of the current space, and a second studio space will accommodate groups interested in activities such as yoga or spin classes. Sleek finishes and exposed ceilings will give the space an urban, minimalist feel and call to mind exercise chains such as Equinox.

Ed Kull, interim director of athletics, said that since the expanded fitness area will be open to everyone on campus, “it will benefit the hundreds of students who play in club and intramural sports.” And he looks forward to the next-phase opening of the new varsity strength and conditioning area, which will support and train all 535 students participating in varsity team sports.

“It’s exciting because the varsity center will benefit all varsity female and male programs and athletes, and focus on their physical development, health, and wellness,” he said.

Zachary Davis, a senior history major at Fordham College at Rose Hill and a running back for the football team, thinks both the fitness center and the strengthening and conditioning center will have a big impact on student-athletes. The fitness center, he said, will be a place to get extra workouts in on top of regular practices. And although he will have graduated by the time the strengthening and conditioning area is open, he said the extra space will make a significant difference for future teams. Before the pandemic altered practice schedules, the team had to do its weightlifting in two shifts.

“Instead of having to be broken into different groups, the team will be able to lift and train as one unit, which I think would be revolutionary for the program. It’s always good to be with the guys and have the whole team in one setting,” he said.

“We currently have conditioning outside on the field with the whole group, and that’s always high energy. Guys are just pushing each other, and there’s a whole-team vibe in a way that is second to none.”

A Career Center with Cura Personalis Built In

When career services director Annette McLaughlin learned that her office would be getting a new space in the first phase of the campus center expansion, she was well-prepared to make design suggestions. Seven years ago, she started visiting college campuses with her son and daughter; she estimated she’s seen career service centers at 40 campuses since then. The trend, she noticed, was space that was open, airy, light, inviting, welcoming, and educational, and that’s what Fordham is embracing as well.

“We want it to be a destination, not a checklist for students,” she said. “I want to create a career center for cura personalis. This is all about mind, body, and spirit as it relates to how you find your pathway in the world.”

The new center will feature a spacious lounge, McLaughlin said. Everything is being designed to be flexible and adaptable to different uses, from meet and greets to interviews and meetings. Adjoining interview rooms had been designed to accommodate virtual interviews even before the pandemic made them a must.

The design of the lounge is being driven not only by what McLaughlin’s seen at other colleges but also from the needs of corporations that hire Fordham students.

“Employers want to get to know students on a real level. They’re doing a lot more informal kinds of events, so this lounge area will allow for them to collaborate and talk, and it’ll also be a great place for alumni or employers to have casual conversations,” she said.

A Focal Point for Diversity

When big things happen in the world, New Yorkers know where to go to be together, whether it’s Union Square or a plaza in a well-trafficked section of their neighborhood. Juan Carlos-Matos, assistant vice president for student affairs for diversity and inclusion, hopes the new Office for Multicultural Affairs space will provide that kind of safe, affirming focal point on campus—particularly for students who feel marginalized. The space is designed to hold intimate meetings as well as medium-sized gatherings. It’s set to open in the third phase of the campus center redevelopment.

“Just getting people into the habit of knowing that programming is happening in that dedicated space changes the game,” said Matos. “There are many times where things happen in the country and the world, and … being able to just tell people, ‘Hey, we’re having a healing circle because of XYZ tragedy that happened, in this space,’ will make a big difference.”

Christine Ibrahim Puri, a senior majoring in economics and international, political, and economic development who is the founder and president of the Caribbean and African Student Association, said she was very excited at the prospect of a space set aside just for diversity. Even though she’ll graduate before it opens, she plans to come back and visit.

“I would come over from wherever I was in the world, because it’s something I really have faith in, and it’s something that my friends who have already graduated have advocated for,” she said.

Puri came to Fordham from Nigeria and commuted to campus her first year. The transition was not easy, she said, and in fact, three of her Black friends left Fordham that year. A space like this will go a long way toward retaining students of color, she said.

“The Office of Multicultural Affairs was the first place I visited when I arrived and was the place that really got me acclimated. It’s not just a professional thing or an academic thing. While they’re keeping you on track and making you do events and programs, they’re also there for you personally. They’re like your friends, always checking in on you,” she said.

She also said a new, larger, dedicated space will allow for collaborations between cultural groups, and ultimately, more inclusive events.

“It would be so much easier, and I think more students would be open to going,” she said.

A Modern Space for All to Gather

Larry Peifer, a designer for the HLW architecture firm, said he felt like a kid in a candy store when he was tasked with laying out the new center, because it has everything from office space, to lounge space, to fitness, to dining areas.

Few places best better illustrate how the University is thinking about students in an all-encompassing way than the first floor, which, when complete, will feature the student lounge, the gallery, and the reimagined Marketplace.

The lounge, which at 9,500 square feet will be double the size of the current student lounge, will benefit from its proximity to the gallery, which will have the capacity to accommodate screenings of films and sporting events. It will also be right near the dining area, known as the Marketplace, which will be designed to evoke the vibrancy of a farmer’s market. A new Grab n Go kiosk will be accessible from the Gallery for those who wish to grab snacks or enjoy a freshly brewed coffee.

Pool Anyone?

The lounge will be divided into several “sub-environments”: an area for active socializing featuring a pool table, vending machine, and soft seating; a section with tables that you could saddle up to with your laptop and a cup of coffee, Peifer said, and a quieter, den-like area with a lower ceiling that’s more conducive to reading or studying. Two AV-equipped meeting rooms that can be combined into one larger room will also provide space for collaborating and group study.

“I think it’ll be a really transformative project. The University has been really extremely progressive and has pushed the envelope with the design and programmatic strategy of the facility,” he said, noting that he felt it would be a case study for other universities.

Jeff Gray, senior vice president of student affairs, agreed.

“We hope the new student lounge space, and all of the expanded spaces within the new campus center that will be dedicated to our students, will provide much-needed spaces for student gathering, socializing, and programming, all of which will foster student engagement and a sense of community,” he said.

On December 14, Mark Valera, vice president for facilities management, and John Spacarelli, director of special projects and facilities gave a “Behind-the-Beams” tour of the construction of the new Rose Hill Campus Center. Watch below:

From Oct. 1 to 4, hundreds of alumni, family, and friends—from as far as Germany—tuned in for an expanded series of virtual events that drew on some of the best-loved Homecoming traditions, like the 5K Ram Run and tailgate parties, and included a “pub” trivia competition, updates on academic and student life amid COVID-19, and a tribute to the 50th anniversary of a Fordham football milestone.

In addition to joining panels and discussions sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, Fordham graduates took to social media, where thousands viewed Homecoming Instagram stories and tweets shared via the @fordhamalumni accounts, and others used the #FordhamHomecoming20 hashtag to post their own messages, including pictures of pets and kids decked out in Fordham gear.

A Forum for FCLC

Things kicked off on Thursday evening with a panel discussion featuring two relative newcomers to the Fordham College at Lincoln Center community: Laura Auricchio, Ph.D., who became dean of the college in August 2019, and Tracyann Williams, Ph.D., who joined FCLC as assistant dean for student support and success last February.

Fordham University Alumni Association Advisory Board member Samara Finn Holland, FCLC ’03, moderated the discussion, during which the deans shared their observations about FCLC students.

“They are an amazing bunch of people,” Auricchio said. “These are students who are not only intelligent and motivated, but they’re really just decent, kind, wonderful human beings.” She recalled several instances of students greeting her when they saw her around the city.

Auricchio noted that political science, economics, and psychology are the three most popular majors among current FCLC students, and the fashion studies minor is growing particularly quickly. She said her office is focused on four areas: connecting to neighbors, enriching courses, enhancing research, and globalizing the curriculum.

Both she and Williams addressed the unique challenges faculty and students face during the pandemic, and Williams noted that part of her job is to help students acknowledge their feelings of disappointment that it’s not a typical academic year, and doing what she can to assist them.

“I am very much interested in always asking students what their needs are and not deciding for them,” she said.

Having worked at other New York City universities before arriving at FCLC, both Auricchio and Williams shared what they think makes Fordham so special.

“I feel as though it’s a unique place where students can come be part of a deeply caring, close-knit community that will support them and help them as they branch out into the city,” Auricchio said. “And to me, it’s just the best of both worlds.”

Pub Trivia at Home

Alumnus Tim Tubridy, FCRH ’99, and his brother, James Tubridy, co-owners of DJs @ Work, hosted a virtual pub trivia session on Friday night. Attendees were invited to answer 10 Fordham-themed questions, either individually or as teams.

The first question of the night delved into a bit of the University’s architectural history: “For what church were the stained-glass windows in the University church intended?” Father McShane delivered both the question and answer (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, when it was located on Mulberry Street), joking that he’d been imagining Jeopardy! theme music playing as he gave contestants time to respond.

Other fun facts unearthed during the Q&A included how many books are housed in the Fordham libraries (more than 2 million), how many acres the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses encompass (8 and 85, respectively), and how many live ram mascots have lived on campus (28).

At the end of the hour-long session, three teams were tied for first place with a whopping 20,000 points each.

A Virtual 5K Ram Run

While the 5K Ram Run is usually held at Rose Hill during Homecoming weekend, this year, alumni were invited to run, jog, or walk a five-kilometer trek of their own and to share photos on social media. Runners were also encouraged to share their finishing times by taking screenshots of their running apps, and the Office of Alumni Relations will be sending prizes to those who submitted their times.

Justin LaCoursiere, FCRH ’12, posted a photo from Central Park and said, “Fordham Homecoming looks a little different this year, but I’m still taking part in some fun [virtual]activities, like the Annual 5K Ram Run.”

Academic and Student Life Amid the Pandemic

On Saturday morning, a panel of Fordham administrators and faculty discussed the continued uncertainty of COVID-19, its impact on current and prospective Fordham students, and how they’re working to build and strengthen a sense of community under the circumstances. The conversation was moderated by Michael Griffin, associate vice president for alumni relations.

J. Patrick Hornbeck, professor of theology, secretary of the Faculty Senate, and special faculty advisor to the provost for strategic planning, said that soon after Fordham canceled in-person classes and shifted to a virtual format this past March, faculty began planning to avoid such abrupt disruptions for the fall semester. That’s how Fordham developed its flexible hybrid model, which mixes online and in-person learning.

“We would provide opportunities for students to learn and for faculty to teach in several different modalities,” he said. “The idea was, we did not know how things were going to go week-by-week and month-by-month. How could we deliver [a Fordham education]regardless of the way the pandemic would play out?”

During the panel, Patricia Peek, Ph.D., dean of undergraduate admission, said that some of the changes implemented this year, such as virtual guided tours and information sessions, could become permanent to help make Fordham more accessible in the long term.

“I think, even when we’re fully on the ground, we will now always have virtual events because they’re providing so many opportunities and access for students,” she said.

Clint Ramos, head of design and production for Fordham Theatre, noted that the shift “was especially challenging for theatre because our education … is really experiential and a lot of our pedagogy is founded on the ability to gather.” But he said the program has met these challenges head-on, pointing to opportunities for creativity, like a collaborative effort he initiated with theater programs at Princeton, Georgetown, SUNY Purchase, and UMass Amherst. The One Flea Spare Project allows students to virtually attend classes at other universities and collaborate with each other on projects on multiple platforms based on themes in One Flea Spare, a 1995 play by Naomi Wallace set in a plague-ravaged London during the 17th century.

Juan Carlos Matos, assistant vice president for student affairs for diversity and inclusion, spoke about creative ways in which students have tried to maintain a sense of community, whether or not they’re studying on campus. This has included hosting socially distanced outdoor events, such as a “silent disco” on the plaza at Lincoln Center or a musical performance from the Coffey Field bleachers at Rose Hill, for an online audience and a limited number of students in person.

He also said that the pandemic has sharpened students’ focus on social justice, in particular the calls for racial equality that were revitalized this summer.

“Energy that usually is exhausted on other things was nailed into Black Lives Matter in a way where folks who have privilege are just realizing, ‘Hey, these things are happening,’ whereas folks on the margins have always experienced these things.”

Matos said this has spurred action at the University, including an anti-racism plan from Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. And he said the offices of student and multicultural affairs are continuing to offer a variety of programming to keep students engaged. One of the benefits of having virtual or hybrid events is that more students can attend.

“Sometimes it’s difficult for someone to have to choose one campus or the other or we may be offering something on one campus and not the other,” he said. “But virtually, now people can attend in any capacity.”

Shakespeare and Pop Culture

Shakespearean scholar Mary Bly, Ph.D., chair of Fordham’s English department, led a mini-class titled “Pop Romeo & Juliet” on Saturday afternoon. Attendees were encouraged to watch Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film, Romeo + Juliet, prior to the class, during which Bly delved into the afterlife of the teen duo and their famous star-crossed love.

“Sociologists have made a pretty reasonable case for the argument that Romeo and Juliet actually changed the way we think about love in the Western world, which is very interesting,” Bly said.

Joined by English professor Shoshana Enelow, Bly discussed the idea of cultural capital, looking at how the characters of Romeo and Juliet have survived and how they’ve been transformed in modern adaptations, other films, music, and advertisements. She and Enelow drew parallels to West Side Story, the Beatles, and even a Taylor Swift music video, inviting attendees to write in impressions and examples of their own using Zoom’s Q&A feature.

An Afternoon with Athletics

Fordham sports fans attended two athletics-focused virtual events on Saturday afternoon, including a conversation between Ed Kull, interim director of athletics, and Head Football Coach Joe Conlin.

While the football season, along with those of other fall sports, has been pushed back to spring 2021, winter sports like basketball are planning to get started in late November. Kull highlighted some of the work that has been done to facilities during the pandemic, noting that not having students around for games has allowed several projects to be completed earlier than expected. Among the upgrades that players, coaches, and fans will now find are a new floor for the Frank McLaughlin Family Basketball Court in Rose Hill Gym, renovations to the strength and conditioning and team medicine spaces, and new offices for football staff.

As his team prepares to play in the spring, Conlin discussed the changes to workouts and practices they’ve had to adopt in the time of COVID-19, including health monitoring, socially distanced weight training, and wearing masks under their helmets during practice. Although he and his staff are not allowed to recruit high school players in person this year, they have been talking to recruits over Zoom and reviewing videos to assess their strength and athleticism.

“It’s been challenging at times, but it’s also been a lot of fun,” he said of this new way of doing things on and off the field. “We’ll continue to make it work for as long as we have to.”

Kull noted that out of the 44 seniors across spring sports whose final season was interrupted by cancellations last spring, 19 have decided to come back for a fifth year of eligibility.

Later that afternoon, the Tubridy brothers returned to host a virtual tailgate party that featured a welcome from Father McShane, trivia, performances by the Fordham band from the Coffey Field bleachers, and video updates from departments and groups like the Fordham University Alumni Association, the Center for Community Engaged Learning, and the Mimes and Mummers Alumni Association.

Kull and Conlin also returned for a pre-recorded video from the gravesite of Fordham graduate and NFL coaching legend Vince Lombardi, FCRH ’37, an appropriate lead-in to the tailgate’s final portion: a roundtable discussion with nine players from Fordham’s 1970 football team, which defeated Georgetown 50 years ago during that year’s homecoming game, just weeks after Lombardi’s death.

Moderated by WFUV’s Emmanuel Berbari, a Fordham College at Rose Hill senior, the players recalled the dominant ground game displayed by the Rams in their 39-17 win over the Hoyas, led by Eric Dadd’s 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Kevin Sherry, GABELLI ’70, who played offensive tackle, noted that Georgetown had beaten Fordham the previous year, and the Rams were looking for revenge.

Perhaps an even greater motivation for the team was the emotional pregame scene, when Lombardi’s widow, Marie, his brother Joseph, and the remaining members of Fordham’s “Seven Blocks of Granite” offensive line from Lombardi’s playing days honored the Fordham and NFL legend, who had died of colon cancer on September 3. The 1970 season also marked the return of varsity football to Fordham.

Peter “Pino” Carlesimo, FCRH ’71, the team’s starting quarterback, was among the panelists. “I think the importance of the game can be summed up very easily when I when I looked at that film and I saw my uncle Pete [Carlesimo, FCRH ’40, Fordham’s athletic director at the time] escorting Mrs. Lombardi off the field and tears coming down her eyes,” he said. “It was probably the biggest game I played in my career.”

Closing with Centeredness and Prayer

On Sunday morning, Carol Gibney, associate director of campus ministry for spiritual and pastoral ministries and director of spiritual life, leadership, and service, led a session focusing on “integrating Ignatian spirituality with the practice of yoga.” During the 45-minute practice, Gibney used breathwork to break down the word “grace,” infusing the ideas of gratitude, reflection, affirmation, centeredness, and enthusiasm and excitement into the yoga flow.

The virtual—but still communal—Homecoming weekend came to a close with a livestream of Mass from University Church, concelebrated by Father McShane and Damian O’Connell, S.J., alumni chaplain.

—Additional reporting by Kelly Kultys and Sierra McCleary-Harris

In the University’s first-ever celebration of Native American History Month, the Office of Multicultural Affairs invited tribes from around the nation to share their heritage with the neighborhood and the Fordham community.

Among the many performers were the SilverCloud Singers, who brought drums and ancient chants to the McGinley Center on the Rose Hill campus. Tribes from as far away as the Dakotas and as close to home as Long Island were represented. Young dancers, like Kodiak Tarrant and his sister Suki, shared dances from their Shinnecock/Hopi/Ho-Chunk tribe in Southampton, New York. And Sheldon Raymore brought stories and dances from the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe.

In introducing his dances, his stories, and his regalia to the crowd, Raymore described how each tradition was “gifted” to him. In each introduction, he credited a specific person. After the performance, as he walked across Edwards Parade to have his photo taken, he explained why.

“In our culture, everything is a give and a take. We don’t just cut down a tree without purpose, or without making an offering in its place,” he said. “It’s always an exchange of energy or a blessing. That’s what we as a people do.”

Host and emcee Bobby Gonzalez, a Bronx-based community organizer, said most of the dancers that came to Fordham had volunteered to share their culture. It was in that same spirit that Raymore gifted a story, “How the Crow Became Black,” to all those gathered.

“It’s a story that reminds us not to judge each other, that we each have a gift that was given to us by our Creator, and that we’re here to share that gift with each other.”

How the Crow Became Black

A long time ago, Mother Earth’s shawl was covered in snow, so much snow that the animals were freezing. The animals held a grand council to decide [who]should visit the Great Spirit [to ask for help].

Rainbow Crow was the most beautiful of all the winged birds. His feathers had many colors, some not even from this world. Those colors don’t exist anymore. And Rainbow Crow had the most beautiful singing voice out of all the winged birds. And so, Rainbow Crow was chosen.

He flew to Great Spirit to ask for the snow to stop. Rainbow Crow flew past Mother Earth, past Grandmother Moon, past Grandfather Sun, finally reaching Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka. To catch the attention of Great Spirit, Rainbow Crow sang the most beautiful songs, and he caught the attention of Creator.

Creator asked Rainbow Crow, “What can I give you for this gift of that beautiful song?” Rainbow Crow said “Everyone is freezing on earth, can you make it stop?”

But once Creator thinks about something it cannot be unthought—that’s the power of thought.

So, he told Rainbow Crow, “I’ll give you this gift of fire.” Creator stuck a torch into the sun and gave it to Rainbow Crow. But being a winged bird, the only way he could carry this gift of fire was in his beak. Rainbow Crow flew back as fast as possible, past Grandfather Sun and Grandmother Moon, finally reaching Mother Earth. When Rainbow Crow put that fire down, all the animals of earth rejoiced. They were dancing and they were excited because life would go on.

But, for Rainbow Crow, his once beautiful feathers had been scorched black from carrying the the fire back to earth. And the beautiful singing voice that he once had was gone. It sounded like what you hear from the crows just outside: “Craw! Craw!”

Creator noticed that Rainbow Crow was sad and he said to Rainbow Crow, “Do not be sad. When grandfather sun shines his light upon you, you will see the colors of the coat you once had.” That is why when you look at a crow today they have an iridescent color to their feathers. Creator then said, “Rainbow Crow I will make it so that when the humans come they won’t hunt you because I’ll make your meat taste like burned flesh. And they won’t cage you for your beautiful singing voice.”

That was enough for Rainbow Crow. And that is how the crow became black.

Fordham’s Office of Multicultural Affairs has been honored for creating a new program devoted to improving race relations in the University community.

The Racial Solidarity Network, which debuted as a pilot program in February after more than two years of development, was lauded by the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators (JASPA), with a March Community Impact Award.

The award was established to recognize efforts by Jesuit institutions that provide:
-Significant, positive impact in their collegiate community;
-Meaningful contribution on the college student experience; and
-Overall contribution in the spirit of the Jesuit mission.

Juan Carlos Matos, assistant dean and director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said the network is similar to the departments’ LGBT and Ally Network of Support.

“We’re really excited that the program will be able to launch formally in the fall,” he said. “We have a strong variety of activities and topics that participants can engage in.”

The new initiative features two noteworthy aspects: Training sessions; and racial caucuses in which members of the community meet separately for a portion of the second day by self-selecting their racial group as being white or a person of color. These caucus groups then discuss cards reflecting questions asked by the other racial group or things they’d like the other racial group to consider. The fall program, and thereafter, will offer a third biracial/multiracial caucus group.

Matos said the training sessions and caucuses, which will be held next year in November and February, will be constantly evolving, based on the feedback the events receive from participants. Among the suggestions the office received during the pilot phase was a request to create spaces where the conversations about race don’t fall into a black/white binary.

As a result, one of questions that will be addressed in the training sessions is, at what point did Irish, Italian, and German immigrants to America become accepted as “white?”

“When they arrived in the United States, many of these individuals who immigrated from Europe weren’t identified as white. There was a process of assimilation that many individuals went through, where they lost that culture,” Matos said.

The training will also provide participants with identity development models and a timeline that cover significant moments in history that connect back to White, Black, Latino, Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, and Biracial/Multiracial people.

Jeffrey L. Gray, senior vice president of student affairs, said the network is meant to be a highly visible signal that Fordham is a diverse, welcoming community that is open to all questions and concerns. As with the LGBT and Ally Network of Support, he said there is no one-size-fits-all strategy that will work, and that promoting inclusivity has to be an ongoing effort.

This is particularly important, he said, given the fact that over 2,200 new undergraduate students arrive at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses every year, students who come from nearly every state in the country  and multiple foreign countries from across the globe.

“They come from different places, backgrounds and families. They have different attitudes and predispositions when they come in the door, and they’re really trying to acclimate to a new community with new expectations and standards,” he said.

“Issues and differences sometimes arise, and for some who hope this will all just go away, I think they’re going to be perpetually frustrated, because it’s not going to go away—especially with the present tone and tenor of related discussions across the country and how this directly impacts a place like New York City. It’s always going to be an ongoing challenge.”