RCE Spring Meeting hosted by Morehouse School of Medicine
Thank you to everyone that made it out to our most recent RCE Quarterly Meeting on February 9, 2024. RCE Greater Atlanta has been wanting to center the Atlanta University Center for a long time, and our meeting hosts, Morehouse School of Medicine, did it with a bang! Around 60+ RCE faces gathered in MSM’s National Center for Primary Care for presentations, updates, food, and networking.
The evening started with a presentation from RCE Greater Atlanta student coordinators – students from higher education institutions around Greater Atlanta who help run the network. They told the audience about the RCE and some of its featured programs (slides available here) before introducing the rest of the evening’s program of speakers. Dr. Stephanie Miles-Richardson followed, providing a welcome and introduction to Morehouse School of Medicine COE.
Next, two of our community partners were highlighted. Tracy Bates, President of the Historic Westside Cultural Arts Council, delved into her projects and influence in West Atlanta, particularly in English Avenue, and how the connection between MSM and the community through the WCAC helps ground the school’s research through outreach. Continuing a theme of the importance of culture in connecting with community, Chris Fenwick of Klean Energy Kulture, one of RCE’s community partners, discussed how their organization brings together the seemingly disparate worlds of music and renewable energy – utilizing the powerful intersection of culture and education around energy equity through music influencer campaigns and events to stimulate interest in clean energy within Black communities.
We were then treated to a captivating storytelling session featuring Dr. Fatemeh Shafiei and Brother el. Dr. Shafiei, the Director of the Environmental Studies Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Spelman College, shared her insights into the history and evolution of sustainability initiatives within the AUC. Meanwhile, Brother el showcased his remarkable resilience to life’s hardships through his amazing artwork–a recreation of the MSM logo made entirely of sculpted paper.
Adding on to the enriching presentations, Dr. Carrie Salone, one of our faculty coordinators and hosts at MSM, presented Jenny Hirsch, director of Georgia Tech’s SCoRE program one of her mom's famous pound cakes that she had baked. This thoughtful gesture brought the MSM and RCE closer together. Delicious dinner provided by our hosts gave time for networking and catching up with one another–a wholesome conclusion to the program.