The work of racial equity is multigenerational, emotionally laborious, and intellectually draining. What do we do when we hit the wall of racial equity fatigue? Nichole Hylton-Patterson will be a presenting on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at noon in Kellas Hall Room 106. The presentation will examine the phenomena of racial equity fatigue: Definition, diagnosis, and how to overcome it so that we can make progress.
Nicole “Nicky” Hylton-Patterson is not a diversity trainer. She is not an Inclusion specialist. She is a Black Queer Activist Scholar and Community Organizer, who has spent the last 25 years working with marginalized and minoritized communities around the world to seek justice.
The youngest child of functionality illiterate parents from Kingston 13, one of the most impoverished communities in Jamaica, she learned early about the impact of racialized class, sexualized genders, and the power of collective action.
For Hylton-Patterson, relief from the legacies of poverty and illiteracy came in the form of a gifted child program, for which she was selected at 10. For the next eight years, Hylton-Patterson lived and attended school in Northern Norway. This experience helped to solidify the lessons taught by her Rastafarian father: That we must always recognize our shared humanity and our responsibility to the earth.
Today, she continues to draw inspiration from the wisdom of her ancestors, who helped guide her quest to attain an undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College, multiple master’s degrees from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and Syracuse University, and a doctoral degree in Women & Gender Studies from the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.
Her education is only eclipsed by an extensive career in the U.S. foreign service, a racial justice officer for the YWCA, Elmira, human rights coordinator for the Chemung County Legislator, and an academic who has taught courses in critical race and Black feminist theories, queer of color critique, Pan African studies and Africana philosophy.
In her current role as the Inaugural Director for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, she continues to mobilize and deploy the entirety of her personal, political, and professional experiences. Her mission: To equip communities in the North Country with the tools, strategies, language, and VOICE needed to dismantle systemic racism and structural oppression.
All faculty, staff and students are welcome to attend. Event passes and proof of vaccination are required. Participants are expected to follow Covid-19 guidelines including wearing a face covering. To register for this event and see other events that are available, https://getinvolved.potsdam.edu/event/7807311.