RIT/NTID Diversity Spotlight
[ID: The background image is black, green, yellow, and red. A smiling black woman has long, wavy, black hair, a nose ring, and two piercings in her ear. She wears a denim jacket and yellow shirt. The Diversity & Inclusion logo is in the top left corner. Text in white reads: Black Heritage Month Spotlight. Marie Gillum.]
Marie Gillum
Associate Interpreter, Interpreting Team for CAD
NTID Department of Access Services
Marie is an Associate Interpreter, Interpreting Team for CAD.
What is your nationality/how do you identify?
Black/African American.
What or who has been your biggest cultural influence?
Maya Angelou and Angela Davis.
What is your favorite cultural dish?
I don’t have one favorite dish but I do love trying new foods from my own culture and the various cultures around me.
What would you like people to know about your culture?
American Black culture is rich and diverse! I encourage everyone to explore the beautiful diversity within Black/African American culture and communities.
From your lens, how can the larger community better support POC, like yourself?
Addressing this topic in one paragraph would not suffice, though I do believe the work needs to start internally. This includes assessing our own biases and misconceptions while simultaneously acknowledging behaviors that may include microaggressions directed toward BIPOC communities. Individuals in support of BIPOC communities must ensure that they are educating themselves and those around them. Being in support of BIPOC communities means speaking out against racial injustice on a global level, not just behind a computer screen. Supporting the BIPOC community requires self-reflection, intentionality, and the ability to put in the work to unlearn oppressive behaviors. There are numerous ways to support BIPOC communities, you just have to be willing to look.
Do you have any resources to share for someone who would like to learn more about your culture?
- Angela Y. Davis; Women, Race & Class
- Octavia E. Butler; Parable of the Sower
- Ibram X. Kendi; How to be Antiracist
- Shomari Wills; Black Fortunes
- Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers; They Were Her Property
- J. Hill et al.; The Hidden Treasure of Black ASL
- https://linktr.ee/D7Play
- Netflix shows:
- 13th
- The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
- Becoming
- Moonlight
- The Racial Wealth Gap
- TAKE WORKSHOPS!
What is a fun fact about yourself?
I love the outdoors, bird watching, Harry Potter, and big cups of coffee!