At Antioch University, inclusion and social justice are more than institutional commitments—they are part of our DNA. Over the summer, the Office for Inclusive Excellence and Student Affairs (OIESA), in collaboration with partners across the University, translated these values into opportunities for community connection, shared learning, reflection, and action.
Celebrating Our Community
The Inclusion Task Force brought Antioch community members together through events recognizing Juneteenth and Pride. Juneteenth programming created space to honor Black history, freedom, resilience, and the continuing pursuit of racial justice. The Virtual Pride Walk offered an accessible way for members of Antioch’s geographically dispersed community to celebrate LGBTQIA+ identities, demonstrate solidarity, and participate from wherever they were located.
These experiences were not intended to end when the events concluded. The Inclusion Task Force also developed an ongoing virtual connection space where members of the Antioch community could gather, build relationships, and experience belonging across roles, programs, and locations. Building on the connections formed over the summer, this virtual community space will continue during the fall.
Learning Across Difference
OIESA also partnered with Academic Affairs to pilot Inclusive Learning Pods. Open to students, staff, and faculty, these small, facilitated learning communities brought together people from across institutional roles for meaningful dialogue, reflection, and shared learning. Rather than reproducing a traditional classroom, the pods created intimate environments in which participants could explore subjects such as compassion and well-being, healing-centered practice, supporting neurodivergent students and self-leadership. The pilot demonstrates how cross-divisional collaboration can embed inclusion and belonging within the educational experience while allowing members of the University community to learn both with and from one another.
Deepening Our Practice
Our commitment to continued learning was also reflected through Antioch University’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center. Members of OIESA and the Equity and Belonging Alliance participated as a cohort in the African American Policy Forum’s Backtalkers Academy. Doctoral student and OIESA graduate research assistant Jamie Moyer identified and shared the opportunity, helping to bring together approximately 14 Antioch participants for this summer’s professional development experience.
“This summer reminded us that belonging is not simply something we value—it is something we practice,” said Stephanie Helms Pickett, EdD, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence & Student Affairs. “Together, we are continuing to transform Antioch’s historic commitment to social justice into contemporary action.”
