Victoria Alexander

Anti-Blackness | Beyond the Hashtag

On a systematic level, many US institutions and organizations continue to perpetuate anti-Blackness. This program focuses on personal reflection and growth opportunities to combat internalized anti-Blackness and its manifestations on various levels of the college experience. Some manifestations of anti-Blackness include: white favoritism in socialization, risk-management practices, and Black representation in leadership.

Victoria uses research, data, and narrative to guide folks to recognize, challenge and change anti-Black attitudes and behaviors in the world around them and even deep within themselves. Even if uncomfortable, we can’t solve a problem we won’t admit exists. Here, it’s not about perfection. It’s about progress.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will:

• Increase their levels of awareness of deeply internalized anti-Black bias and its manifestations within colleges and universities
• Be empowered to identify, challenge, and change implicit and explicit cultures of anti-Black bias within the selves, their organization, and their community
• Be equipped with a toolkit of knowledge, background, vocabulary, and strategies to combat bias and support marginalized members and communities as active allies.

What We Don’t Think… We Think

Everyone has implicit biases. Implicit bias is part of how our brains are wired BUT that does not mean we can’t change for the better! Victoria uses research, data, and narrative to guide folks to recognize, challenge and change bias in the world around them and even deep within themselves. Even if it can be uncomfortable to admit we have a bias, we can’t solve a problem we won’t admit exists. Recognition is just the first step. Victoria leads participants through creating powerful and sustainable change in their organizations, communities, and theirselves.

The topics explored include race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, ability, and intersectionality. Organizations and universities may be ill-equipped to support the growing diversity of college student populations, and the increasing demand to speak out against bias. It is more important than ever to support students, institutions, and organizations with knowledge and resources to be active and intentional allies to marginalized communities and in the broader communities in which they move.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will:

• Be empowered with the knowledge and strategies necessary to know when and how to recognize and intervene in against bias and marginalization
• Learn how to identify the differences between passive allyship, performative allyship, saviorship, and active allyship
• Learn how to operate out of a growth mindset and embrace the many ways to identify how to consistently practice self-introspection; to leverage one’s own power and privilege toward active allyship.

When I Liberate Myself, I Liberate Others.

Miss Fannie Lou Hammer, a prominent Civil Rights activist, once said, “When I liberate myself, I liberate others. If you don’t speak out ain’t anybody going to speak out for you.”

In this keynote program, Victoria Alexander guides participants in collaboratively recognizing, challenging, and changing their biases, whether directed toward other communities or internalized within themselves. Victoria will delve into racism, sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, islamophobia, antisemitism, colorism, and judgments related to body shape and size.

By embracing intersectionality as a lens to comprehend the unique challenges faced by individuals holding multiple marginalized identities, participants not only gain insight into others but also self-awareness. The emphasis of this program is on progress rather than perfection.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will:

• Increase their levels of awareness of deeply internalized social bias and its manifestations within their organization, community, and themselves,
• Be equipped with a toolkit of knowledge, background, vocabulary, and strategies to combat bias and support marginalized people and communities,
• Be empowered to rest and feel joy as that is a tool of resistance, and
• Build coalitions within and between groups because we are stronger together.

What do we mean, “Values Based Organizations”? Social Identities in Fraternity and Sorority Life

Fraternities and sororities have a long and storied history. Some aspects are positive and worth accolades. Others are marked by exclusion, hate, and vitriol. We can’t tell the stories of our organizations, or fully understand our groups without a full picture of the history of race, class, gender, and sexuality in fraternity and sorority life. Let’s move past the information on the website and in the new member education pamphlet.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will:

• Gain a greater understanding of the historical relationships between privilege, identity, bias, discrimination, and fraternity/sorority life specifically as it relates to race, class, gender, and sexuality
• Become more familiar with each National Council/Umbrella organization
• Understand and honor the culturally based fraternal experience
• Acknowledge the discriminatory history of many fraternal organizations
• Recognize the impact of stereotype threat phenomenon
• Locate ways privilege, bias, and discrimination continue to permeate the fraternity/sorority experience
• Identify means to generate welcoming and affirmative spaces for all students who seek membership in fraternities and sororities

Pride Past, Present and Future: A Brief LGBTQ+ History

In this interactive keynote, Victoria (a Black, Queer, Womanist) integrates a timeline of LGBTQ+ history with personal storytelling, empirical data, and audience participation to reveal how LGBTQ+ history impacts all of our collective past, present, and future. Queer and trans folks are, and have always been, at the center of American culture, art, industry, politics, activism, and innovation. But, just because our Queer community is rich with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent, it does not mean we have always received the love, accolades, celebration, and protection that all people deserve. As Victoria and participants honor and explore the stories of queer and trans folks, we commit to the work left to do and we center those of us often left at the margins of oppression experienced by Queer/Trans People of Color, those with disabilities, those who do not “pass,” those of varying cultural or religious backgrounds, and many others. “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” — Marsha P. Johnson.

Learning Outcomes

As a result of attending this program, students will:

• Gain an up to date vocabulary of general LGBTQ terminology
• Acquire a toolkit to actively recognize, challenge, and change homophobic and transphobic language, stereotypes, and practices in their everyday life
• Be provided with an enhanced understanding of the importance of recognizing the rich contributions of the LGBTQ+ community throughout history
• Receive resources and exercises to further explore LGBTQ+ identity and history that can be shared with the participant’s community