Westfield State Hosts ‘A Conversation with Values Practitioners’

On Wednesday, September 27, Westfield State University hosted A Conversation with Values Practitioners event, which featured three guest-speakers on the issues of inclusivity, cultural awareness, and the practice of core values as a means for deepening a shared sense of belonging. Janine Fondon, curator of the Voices of Resilience Exhibit, adjunct professor and the Chair for Undergraduate Communications at Bay Path University; Rhonda Anderson, an Iñupiac-Athabascan woman and the Western Massachusetts Commissioner on Indian Affairs; and Ben Boyd, Senior Vice President of Global Communications for Peloton all gave addresses on their individual experiences within their respective roles as social ambassadors.

“Among the purposes of the event was to embrace the joys, challenges, and responsibilities of being in community,” Trish Bonica, Associate for Vice President for Human Resources said. In doing so, the event marked the opening of the Voices of Resilience Exhibit hosted through October 27 in the Arno Maris Gallery. The Exhibit features the stories of those among us and those who have preceded us who courageously embrace values a means for building community, enhancing institutional culture, and creating a more just world. Many of those celebrated are former members of the Westfield State and surrounding communities.

The idea behind this is that every voice matters, and strong, healthy communities honor and create spaces for every member.”

The event was sponsored by the Office of Human Resources, the Values Working Group, the Ethnic and Gender Studies Department, the Mass Cultural Council, and Peloton.

“The Values Working Group is a representative group whose members were largely nominated by their area department heads,” Bonica said. “We came together inspired by the President's charge to grow our institutional culture. She shared her vision and we strove to figure out what this looks like on our campus.”

Meeting monthly, the Values Working Group, addressed core questions including, what are the principles of membership in our Westfield State community? How do we hold ourselves to the demonstration of our common values? Are they visible? How do we invite others to speak to our practice of values? In what ways do our deferred actions and other shortcomings that we acknowledge in collaboration with each other—create harm?

Racism, sexism, and other forces of structural inequality harm communities, obscure truths, and distort storytelling, The Voices exhibit prioritizes a justice-centered narrative. Fondon discussed Westfield’s black history, including figures such as Samuel Courtney, a Westfield State graduate of the 1800’s who went on to become a respected physician; Susan Peyton Wortham and Philip Peyton, Westfield State alumni, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists; and Robert Randolph, Westfield State’s first African American president.

Fondon refers to these leaders as hidden figures, thereby shining a light in order to create a whole story about how our Westfield State community came to be. The exhibit is a dynamic, living piece of art… President Thompson was a new inductee, as well as Dr. Kamal Ali.”

Rhonda Anderson, the second guest-speaker, emphasized the importance of recognizing the identities, accomplishments, and land rights of indigenous communities across Western MA. As an Iñupiac-Athabascan woman from Alaska, Anderson described the impact of colonization on indigenous peoples and mainstream educational systems including a personal statement of impact on her family.

"She called us to action, to listen deeply, and to explore our sense of ownership,” Bonica added.

Ben Boyd from Peleton,  discussed the importance of bridging the gap between words and actions. Among the hallmarks of an effective, impactful decision is the proximity between the values purported and the values evident through the action,” Bonica said. “I thought that was a very important message. While the three speakers’ approaches  may differ, common are efforts to reinforce and extend values as key strategies for deepening belonging, strengthening organizations, and reconciling with harm.

The Voices of Resilience Exhibit will continue until the end of its run, on October 27.