One did not even need to make it to the third floor of Anderson to hear the music and festivities from the Hedgeman Center open house. On Sept. 7, the Hedgeman Center welcomed students, faculty and staff to see their new space and celebrate the multicultural alliance orgs under their umbrella.
This open house was hosted by the new Director of Hedgeman Center for Student Diversity Programs and Initiatives, Kareem Watts. Watts started in this role at the end of July, following his predecessor Carlos Sneed’s transition into the roles of Vice President of Student Affairs and Associate Dean of Students. However, Watts has worked in higher education for almost 15 years, part of which included working on diversity program initiatives in the Center for Inclusive Excellence at Gustavus Adolphus college.
While at Gustavus, Watts worked with the YWCA to bring racial justice facilitator training to campus and trained 18 people to become racial justice facilitators. This is one of the programs he wants to bring to Hamline.
“It’s exciting, seeing people here, you know, it’s more like life, especially at the beginning of the semester. I started during the summer, in the end of July, and it was very quiet most days,” Watts said.
Watts is also currently a campus colleague for Matt Sumera’s FYSem, called Fight the Power: Music and Social Justice. Watts is a musical artist himself and uses his music as an outlet and tool to share what he is passionate about.
“I realized, ‘You know what, I have this gift, I’ve been doing this as a child. I can rap, and I can do poetry. Why not talk about my faith in my music?’ And as time went on, I found other ways to not only talk about faith, but to talk about life experiences. Growing up, rough childhood experiences. And also growing up around gangs, and violence, and how I avoided that,” Watts said.
In this new position at Hamline, Watts hopes to continue the established work that the Hedgeman Center has been a part of historically, as well as host more events such as the open house to encourage the student body to come to life in ways that COVID-19 restrictions largely subdued.
“We need to have events where we can come together, connect and build relationships. That’s what community is about. Community is really important for students to have that sense of belonging,” Watts said.
Community is a driving force of the Hedgeman Center, and the statement of purpose for the Center highlights the efforts to foster inclusive excellence in Hamline students. Specifically, the Center is a supportive resource for historically marginalized and first generation college students in living, serving and leading in our communities.
“I wanted to help accomplish the mission of the office,” senior office manager Brandy Sanchez Dominguez said. “Our mission is to make sure that campus is an open, welcoming space not only for, of course for all students, but we mainly focus on students of color and first generation students to make sure that their transition is smooth and make sure they feel like they are a part of the Hamline community.”
Additionally, the Hedgeman Center assists student multicultural alliance organizations with resources, planning and facilitation of their organizations’ meetings and events. The open house hosted some of these multicultural alliance orgs, such as the Black Student Collective and the Hmong Student Association as a place to encourage new members to learn about the org and find out when meeting times were planned.
The Hedgeman Center’s Multicultural Alliance Chair, senior has been working with the Hedgeman Center for a year and is a resource to these organizations specifically.
“I heard about the position because I was first involved in student organizations that were associated with the Hedgeman Center,” Martinez Badillo said. “I saw the position was open, and I showed interest because I really wanted to help the Multicultural Alliance student organizations.”
The Hedgeman Center is named after Anna Arnold Hedgeman, the first woman and person of color to graduate from Hamline University in 1922. Hedgeman was a civil rights activist, passionate about her Methodist faith and education. She worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and served on the National Council of Churches from 1963 to 1967. She was a writer, an educator, a consultant to numerous organizations and a leader in her national and local communities. The Center aims to honor her life and her mission in the work it does in the Hamline community and specifically for the students of color at Hamline.
Students wanting to get involved in the Center should stop by their new space in Anderson Center 319, follow their instagram @hedgemancenter-hu, or email them at hedgemancenter@hamline.edu. A welcoming and positive space to be in, the new office and new Director of Hedgeman Center for Student Diversity Program and Initiatives would be happy for new and returning friendly faces.