Dear Community,
“Remember when you wanted what you currently have”
It is hard to believe that it has been over two years since I first put pen (maybe pencil) to the pages of my journal and sketched out the initial vision of a facilitator training program that came to me during a late night/early morning. Being a self-proclaimed night owl, I was delighted to see where the night took my train of thought. Back then, I knew I wanted to create some kind of formal gathering that brought together like minded community change-makers that were dedicated to dismantling systemic racism and oppressive systems in all their insidious forms. I knew I wanted this endeavor to be collaborative, transformative, and built to foster and facilitate sustainable communities.
Little by little I added to this vision and began to solicit feedback and interest through conversations with folks that came through 540WMain –which at the time had a physical location. Like many of my visions – I realized that this idea would have to wait to be implemented until the circumstances were just right. This vision stayed with me and burned inside like a fire and I remember I made a few attempts in 2018 and 2019 to get it off the ground — but the timing just wasn’t right. Fast forward to Tuesday July 6, 2o21 — this vision came to a beaming reality with the first first session of our inaugural Antiracism Facilitation Fellowship Program (AFF).
After the pandemic induced our transition to an eLearning company, 540 has experienced exponential growth which has including onboarding and training several cohorts of interns, stewarding the promotion of our COO and Project Manager, a rockstar steering committee and lots and lots of team work. Our application period resulted in over 50 applications from people from all walks of life, backgrounds and zip codes, and resulted in an exceptional first cohort that came to fruition virtually. This over abundance of highly qualified applicants made the selection process a real challenge. But for this first cohort, we had to downsize our pool to just 12 people. This was no easy feat but I am so excited to introduce to you to these dynamic leaders that have an array of experiences and backgrounds. We truly wanted to have a wide diversity of expertise and we are lucky to have a cohort of people who have exceed our expectations.
The fellows include a Black Deaf assistant vice president at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) , a violinist from Eastman School of Music, a Rochester Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree who has lived in Central America, a trans/queer/Asian adoptee and gender therapist, a local historian and teacher, a corporate DEI trainer at ESL, a program manager and hip hop group front man, a librarian in the town of Henrietta, a Black queer disabled community activist, a chief program officer from DC, a program director, and a challah-loving executive assistant. Before I leave you to meet these amazing fellows below, I want to give a shout out the the amazing 540 Team and a special shout out to Odessa A., the AFF Program Coordinator . Odessa, I am honored and grateful to your dedication, hard work and grace every single day. I am thankful for your ability to transform my visions into a linear plan, organizing the nuts and bolts and executing the mission every single day. I look forward to working with you daily and acknowledge that this program would not exist without all of your amazing work and expertise. And now the fellows…
Dr. Alesia Allen
Alesia Allen, Ph.D., is Assistant Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In this role, she monitors diversity, inclusion, equal opportunity and access regulations and issues in higher education. Dr. Allen has more than 15 years of professional, clinical, and teaching experience and has worked on several initiatives to promote system changes that impact deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who come from diverse backgrounds. She most recently served as a visiting assistant professor in NTID’s Department of Liberal Studies.
Samantha Andrew
Samantha Andrew has been a member of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester community since 2013, when she moved to Rochester to study Violin Performance and Molecular Genetics. Sam is currently the project manager for Technology & Media Production at Eastman, where she is also pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Music Leadership. Throughout her time at Eastman, she has been involved in diversity and equity initiatives in a variety of different capacities, and most recently joined Eastman’s Diversity Committee in March. Sam is passionate about building a more equitable community and world, and strives to continually be open to new experiences, perspectives, and information in all aspects of her life.
Terri Bales
Terri Bales is a coalition builder, fostering consensus across sectors and groups to drive systems change and innovation aimed at achieving meaningful impact for marginalized, underserved and disadvantaged individuals and communities through data and evidence-based program and project management. Terri spent nearly 8 years designing and managing public health programs aimed at building markets for health products and services in developing countries to address family planning, HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation and hygiene-related burden of disease across Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Eastern Europe and East Africa. Since 2015, she has championed healthcare transformation and homeless services in Western New York.
Tara Banks
Tara Banks lives in Rochester, New York with her husband and three children. She is the Director of Programs at Compeer Rochester and has worked in Human Services for over twenty years in the Rochester community. Her work has been inclusive of transitional living for young mothers, domestic violence, mental wellness and behavioral health. Her passions include supporting her community by providing skills to organizations that contribute to the empowerment and restoration of individuals that have been impacted by trauma. In her personal time, she enjoys writing, spending time with her children and taking late night walks with her husband.
Sydney E. Bell
Sydney works at ESL Federal Credit Union as a Training & Performance Specialist I on the Learning & Development team. Her role includes training frontline employees in the Teller role and Unconscious Bias, and serving on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Team. Sydney volunteers in the Rochester community as a member of the Board of Directors for the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley, and as part of her alumni community as the Chair of the Participation & Advocacy Committee of the Utica College Alumni Council. Personally, Sydney has learned to love cooking, especially for Sunday Dinner with her family. She also enjoys a meal, snack, or (and!) beverage out at any of Rochester’s many restaurants, coffee shops, and food trucks with family and friends (at any time of day!).
Josh Higgins
Josh Higgins is a 2009 graduate of SUNY Cortland with a B.S. in psychology, whose professional interests lie in areas related to community-based health services, social psychology, and exploring the intersection of race, culture, ethnicity, and mental health. Whether it be in my current role as the Program Manager for Youth and Family Services at Compeer Rochester, or as the co-frontman in the 7-piece live hip-hop band Gunpoets, Josh has a desire to share my experiences of resilience, and persistence with the world in order to inspire others to be the change they wish to see. He has diligently been working in the service of youth and as an active musician for over 20 years.
Felix Laneri
Felix Laneri is a current masters student specializing in social work. His experience as a trans, queer, Asian adoptee provides him with a unique perspective of power privelege and intersectionality. In the future, he hopes to cultivate community through leadership and organization, as well as to heal trauma and cultivate resilience as a gender therapist.
Shanterra Mitchum
Shanterra Randle-Mitchum is a wife and mother of 3 beautiful creations. She recently accepted the role as the Program Director of the Center for Teen Empowerment’s Rochester sites. She was a SPED teacher and Black Lit instructor in Rochester City school District for the last 5 years and has over 15 years experience working in youth development and a youth organizing capacity. She is the associate pastor over the Youth Department at RockHope. She obtained her Masters Degree in history at Brockport college focusing on the history of structural racism in Rochesters housing, employment, and educational systems.
Tiffany Porter
Tiffany Porter (she/they) is committed to engaging communities and the government in dialogue to support people of color and create viable solutions to the problems they face. She is the founder of Being Black in the Burbs, a racial and social justice group. They are currently trying to transition suburban towns by implementing more anti racist policies, education, and housing opportunities. Tiffany is also vocal about her chronic illnesses because she has lived in silence for too long. They are most proud of being a parent to three sons. The lessons she’s learned as a parent are priceless and have allowed her to grow. They are passionate about growth, whether personal or career wise, and mutual aid as they believe that we have enough resources in this world that no one should be food insecure, housing insecure, and/or not have access to clean water.
Rachel Redners
Rachel Renders is currently the Executive Assistant at the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. She graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Communication and Minors in Environmental Studies and Geology. She worked in the Adirondack Mountains for The Nature Conservancy before moving to Rochester, NY just in time for the pandemic to shut everything down. In her free time, she likes to bake challah bread and run up Cobbs Hill.
Alicia Reinhardt
Alicia Reinhardt was born and raised in Gates, NY and lives there with her husband and two kids. She left the area to go to college and graduate school, and she returned to be a public librarian at the Henrietta Public Library. As a librarian, she has joined the Monroe County Library System (MCLS) Racial Equity and Justice Initiative team (REJI) and has been working to break down barriers to equity in policies and procedures. She hopes to be able to model to her kids how to be anti-racist and to help bring positive change to her community.
Tierra Stewart
Tierra has over ten years of experience in community organizing, youth development, and non-profit work. She currently serves as the Chief Program Officer with IGNITE National, a movement of young women who are ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders. Before joining IGNITE, Tierra served as a Program Manager at After-School All-Stars where she was addressing the school-to-prison-pipeline through designing, implementing , and overseeing the expansion of comprehensive after-school programs in Washington, D.C. engaging over 500 middle school students and 1000 community members and parents.
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Whether it be through community-driven projects, scholarly research, or personal dedication, our antiracism fellows share a common denominator: their dedication to the principle of equality, liberty, and justice for all. We are excited to help them develop their unique voices, perspectives, and visions, as they begin their professional journey as antiracism facilitators.
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