Ayida Mthembu

Associate Dean, Counseling and Support Services
Associate Housemaster

“There is no ideal circumstance, no perfect place to work on racial and ethnic issues. We live in a world where everything is imbued with this legacy.”

Alexandra O'Neil

Administrative Assistant, Office of the Chancellor

“With an exigency to survive, we, people of color, in an extraordinary evolution, developed extrasensory perception to parlay the collusive disease that threatened us with extinction.”

Michèle Oshima

Office of the Arts

“Sometimes when people see my last name, they add an apostrophe after the O reminding me that I’m in the Boston metropolitan area, home to many of Irish descent. When I’ve disabused people of their misconception that I’m 100% white, they remark, “But you have green eyes.” Then the conversation digresses into a discussion on genetics, especially here at MIT.”

Paul Parravano

Co-Director, Office of Government and Community Relations

“A pervasive climate of racism restricts the depth and occasion of great life experiences. We all learn from encountering, studying, and assimilating other cultures.”

Karl W. Reid

Associate Dean
Director of the Office of Minority Education

“A truly pluralistic campus is one that does not deny race, but by fostering meaningful interactions recognizes the obstacles and simultaneously celebrates racial and ethnic difference.”

Richard H. Sargent

Heating and Ventilation Mechanic, Facilities

“The phrase 'working while Black' (or w.w.b) is a phrase used by people of color. We use this phrase to describe how people's fears, stereotypes, and prejudices affect us. 'Working while Black' is a topic that needs to be addressed at MIT.”