Dr. Heather Moore Roberson, Ph.D., the dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at Allegheny College, said she can relate to the experiences, joys and struggles of people of color living in the Mahoning Valley.

Moore Roberson said growing up, she lived in a predominantly black, Rust Belt community on the east side of Buffalo, New York.

“I have an affinity and fondness for urban areas,” Moore Roberson said.

An alumna of a program called Buffalo Prep, Moore Roberson said her commitment to social justice and advocacy for black men and boys was spurred at an early age.

“Whether I knew it was going to happen or not, I ended up developing a very early passion for learning, teaching and listening about ways that I could support historically underrepresented communities,” Moore Roberson said.

She said Buffalo Prep is a program that provides support to gifted students of color. She said the portion of the program that was most meaningful to her was its high school prep component. She said it provided educational programs that took place after regular school hours as well as school on Saturdays.

“It was in this program where I ended up falling in love with learning but also falling in love with helping students of color who looked like me,” Moore Roberson said.

Moore Roberson said she ended up teaching and mentoring with the Buffalo Prep program for nearly a decade. She taught English.

“That was the moment where I had my ‘aha’ moment where I said ‘this is my life’s work, this is my calling to do diversity, equity and inclusion work,'” Moore Roberson said.

DEI INITIATIVES

Moore Roberson believes DEI initiatives in schools, including those in the Mahoning Valley, need to be a “comprehensive, multifaceted effort.”

Moore Roberson said DEI efforts in schools can support all students in their educational efforts.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are for all students, all faculty, all staff and all administrators, it is not just for students of color, period,” Moore Roberson said. “Diversity, equity and inclusion need to be an institutional priority for all schools and all students.”

Schools should require professional development for all support and resource staff, including teachers and administrators, according to Moore Roberson. She said such training should be comprehensive, and “not just a box you can check.” She says professional development is also something that districts should do before every school year.

“They can bring in consultants who do this work,” Moore Roberson said. “I know several folks who do this kind of work where they have intensive, week long training related to DEI and ways that support staff and faculty in school settings can better support DEI initiatives broadly.”

Moore Roberson also recommends that schools make curricular changes to support DEI initiatives. She also said she believes faculty teaching any subject can find ways to infuse diversity into curriculum.

“I think this is low-hanging fruit,” she said. “If there are faculty who are teaching any subject, there are ways that they can infuse black authors, readers (and) scholarship within their work in order to educate students about the fact that there is not (just) one type of people who is publishing certain kinds of work and there is not one type of people who end up going on to be doctors or lawyers.”

Moore Roberson said ultimately, DEI efforts at schools must create “empowering school environments for all students, all staff and all faculty and folks who are connected to an educational environment.”

Students who want to pursue college degrees also must receive support from educators as well as their families.

First and foremost, Moore Roberson said it is important for teachers and administrators to have an understanding of where their students are coming from and their personal backgrounds.

She said a lot of issues in this regard come from faculty who work at a certain school but then do not live in that same community.

“I think if you’re not living in the same community as your students, you have to have an understanding of the history associated with those communities and also of contemporary realities and experiences that students of color are experiencing in those spaces,” Moore Roberson said.

An example of when students’ home lives can impact their educational performance is if they are required to take care of younger siblings while not at school. Moore Roberson said it is important for educators to be aware of such situations in their students’ lives. She also said family members, when possible, must play an active role in their children’s school success.

Moore Roberson said her parents played an engaged role in her college experience.

“I remember that my parents were just as much a part of the college selection and onboarding process as I was,” she said. “At my alma mater, which is Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, every couple of months I would get a series of folders introducing me to the college experience. I would take those to my parents and talk with them about what I was reading and what I was experiencing. I think it’s really important for families to understand that they are an anchor for their loved ones who may decide to pursue college.”

Even if the parents of a student of color did not pursue college themselves, Moore Roberson said their children will need them to play an active role throughout their entire experience.

“Show up for your loved ones, for your children,” she said. “Walk with them through that college process. If there are campus visits and you can make it, go. If they have parent sessions where they are talking about the college or the university, go. If you are given the opportunity to have the young child who goes to a college or university and they are moving on campus, don’t send the child by themselves. Go with your child to see where they’re living. Go meet the staff they’re going to be working with, meet with the student leaders who they are going to be connected with so that you have an understanding of where you’re sending your baby.”

Moore Roberson joined the faculty of Allegheny College in 2015 and received tenure in 2021, becoming one of the first black women to do so in the college’s history. Her research explores the intersections of race, education, and black identity.

Moore Roberson said she has fond memories of working with students from the Mahoning Valley while at Allegheny College. She hopes to work with more in the future.

“We have students here who have come from those communities. I’d love to see more,” Moore Roberson said.