Written by: Jori Mundy (MPA’15) This time of year is always special for me because it provides the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the groundbreaking achievements, undeniable resilience, and uncompromising fortitude of my ancestors and the instrumental individuals who created the many avenues of revolution we experience today. Their stories remind us that our call… Read more »
Written by: Faith Odiete, O’Neill Indianapolis Criminal Justice major and MPA candidate As we celebrate Black History Month at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, I am compelled to share my personal journey as a Black woman entering the public safety field. My path has been shaped by the intersection of my African… Read more »
Written by: RaeVen Ridgell, O’Neill MPA candidate “Gimme a five, on the Black hand side.” As a child, we used to say this chant gleefully. It was natural to do the entire chant as we played hand games in my grandmother’s front yard. Under her eye, we joyed in the summertime. It was the only… Read more »
Written by Tenecia Waddell-Pyle (BSCJ’16), Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MyPath Companies When I began my journey at O’Neill IUPUI, I was a single mother of three active boys and a full-time police officer with mandatory overtime duties. I already had more than a decade of law enforcement experience under my belt but… Read more »
Written by: Ellise Smith, Assistant Director of the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion As a Black woman, I recognize my identities show up before I have the opportunity to speak. Once I step foot into a classroom or log into a Zoom meeting, most can identify I am a fat, Black, woman. Historically,… Read more »
