SQUAD: Students' Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora
SQUAD (Students' Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora) is a four day student-led program focused on fostering and celebrating relationships within the African Diaspora.
About
Learn about the distinct history and community of Black students at Tufts and become familiar with the Tufts' Africana Center and the resources it offers.
Our mission is to create a safe and welcoming environment of unity, collaboration, learning and socializing as students navigate African-diaspora specific challenges on the campus and in their lives. Additionally, participants will explore African-diasporic history, culture, and community in Boston.
You will participate in a multitude of community bonding and service activities and take advantage of opportunities to participate in community service and engagement by:
- Acknowledging and exploring the intersections of ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and experience within the African-diaspora through personal narratives and historically written Black perspectives/insights.
- Introduction to resources on campus and support systems for the nurturing of inter-community and individual care.
- Fostering connections with non-collegiate organizations in the Medford, Somerville, and greater Boston areas.
- Consciousness building through discussions that encourage curiosity and the examination of society and self.
- Exploration of Boston and establishment of bonds within the community.
Typical Day
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8 - 9 a.m. | Breakfast - Chicken and Waffles |
| 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | Off-Campus Experience- previous trips have included Escape the Room, or a visit to the African American Museum |
| 12 - 1 p.m. | Lunch on Tufts Campus with peer leaders |
| 1 - 5 p.m. | Workshop on Tufts Campus- Past topics: Consent, “Blaq Folx is the Future” |
| 5 - 6 p.m. | Dinner in the dining hall with peer leaders |
| 7 - 9 p.m. | Evening activity such as Trivia or Scavenger Hunt |
| 9 - 10:30 p.m. | Reflection and discussion |
Staff
Katrina Moore
Africana Center Director
As director of the Africana Center, Katrina serves as a campus resource and educates the community on emerging issues regarding students of African descent. She is responsible for establishing the Center's vision and advocates on behalf of students in cases of intolerance and/or discrimination. She works closely with students and student organizations to develop effective programs and initiatives to enhance the co-curricular experience of students and build leadership skills. A sought-after campus leader, Katrina participates in committee assignments, both within the division and the broader Tufts community.
Kella Narki Merlain-Moffatt
Africana Center Associate Director
Kella will be responsible for the development and implementation of community engagement programs that uplift students of African descent and their many intersecting identities. Kella will develop goals, strategies, and infrastructure to support and advance programs that promote scholarship and leadership within an affirming campus climate including the SQUAD Pre-Orientation and Peer Leader Programs, First Year Orientation Retreat and Open House events, Black Legacy Month programming, and Black Graduation. She will also work closely with student-facing resources and departments including other identity-based resources, Residential Life and Learning, Student Affairs Office, Counseling and Mental Health Services, Career Center, Global Education, Financial Aid, Tufts University faculty, the CARE office, and other departments within and beyond the DSDI Division.
SQUAD
squad@tufts.edu | 617-627-3372
SQUAD for me is an experience that, I’m really fortunate that I had because it really shaped the way I moved through Tufts within the first coming weeks and really gave me a lot of connections that I value to this day.
Kella Merlain-Moffatt, Class of 2020
Without SQUAD I don’t think I would have known how much support was available to me especially on this campus, especially being a black student where we’re such a small percentage. I had no idea that there was so much to be offered to me and SQUAD definitely showed me who is here to help me.