Ida B. Wells GatewayIn Celebration of Cultural Diversity

Campus-Wide Inclusive Community

Born of the entire Mary Baldwin College community’s commitment to diversity, every member of the faculty, staff, and student body have pledged allegiance to inclusive community through this statement:

We, the community of Mary Baldwin College, strive to celebrate humanity in all its wondrous and complex variation. Because we value diversity, it is our mission to sustain a community where all may flourish. We are safe to embrace our shared experiences and our differences. To this end, we treat all with respect and compassion.

Explore Your Options, Interests, Passions

The Office of Inclusive Excellence supports many options for multicultural programming. Here are just a few of the many options you have at Mary Baldwin College (find more at www.mbc.edu/student/studentengagement/clubsandorgs):

• African Student Kollective• Anointed Voices of Praise• Black Student Alliance• Caribbean Student Association• Greater Things Dance Ministry• Kuumba Players• Ladies of Elegance• Latinas Unidas• Libations• Umoja Chronicles• Umoja House: African American Cultural Center• La Casa Rosario Castellanos: Latin AmericanCultural Center

More information: www.mbc.edu/inclusive_excellence/

For more than 170 years, MaryBaldwin College has enrichedwomen’s lives through thetransforming power ofpersonalized, liberal education.

Mary Baldwin has demonstrated,since its founding in 1842, the

courage and the will to innovate asthe world changes around it, and the

wisdom to stay true to its mission as a college devotedto empowering women at all stages of life.

MBC’s Residential College for Women serves about 750 students on the college’s historic campus in downtown Staunton, Virginia. A top-ranked master’s level university with regional centers around Virginia, MBC also offers the co-educational Adult Degree Program and graduate programs in education (Master of Arts in Teaching and Master of Education) and in Shakespeare and Performance (Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts), offered in partnership with the American Shakespeare Center.

The enduring strengths of a Mary Baldwineducation are demonstrated daily through the college’srigorous liberal arts academic program, the engagementof its dedicated faculty one-on-one with students, theinclusive and welcoming community, and thecommitment to civic engagement and global citizenship.Like the college itself, its graduates are confident,compassionate changemakers.

For More Information

Rev. Andrea Cornett-Scott Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellenceascott@mbc.edu 540-887-7270

Office of Inclusive ExcellenceMary Baldwin CollegeStaunton, Virginia 24401

PERSIST Programis a cohort program for students who have selected a leadership gateway other than the Ida B. Wells Gateway. PERSIST (Promoting Excellence and Reinforcing Success in Student Transitions) scholars are encouraged to make useful connections by participating in programming sponsored by the Office of inclusive Excellence. PERSIST provides students with support designed to maximize their impact on the Mary Baldwin College campus and the broader community. PERSIST scholars will be embraced by the Ubuntu Mentoring Program and be enrolled in a general education course first semester taught by Associate Vice President for Inclusive Excellence. PERSIST Scholars are eligible to seek membership into the Ida B. Wells Society. PERSIST Scholars will work with Ida B. Wells Gateway members to sponsor the Annual Kwanzaa Celebration.

Ida Bell Wells was born to enslaved parents in HollySprings, Mississippi on July 16, 1862, one of eightchildren. Her parents died of

yellow fever, after which she became ateacher at the age of 14. She attendedRust College, moved to Memphis andcontinued studies during summers atFisk University while still teaching. In1884, she refused to give up her seaton a train to a white man and wasforcibly removed. She sued and won in lower court, but thedecision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. Wells, abudding crusader of equal rights and justice began to writeand in 1889, was able to work full time for Free Speech andHeadlight. When three friends were lynched, she decriedlynching so vehemently she had to move to Chicago.

She became known as a strong voice in the anti-lynching crusade and women’s suffrage — she founded theAlpha Suffrage Club of Chicago for black women. She alsofounded the first civic organization for African-Americanwomen, Women’s Era Club, later named the Ida B. WellsClub. Wells partnered with Jane Addams to blocksegregation in Chicago schools. She married a prominentattorney, Ferdinand Barnett, and they had four children. Shewas one of only two African-American women on theCommittee of 40 who called for the founding of theNAACP in 1909. A year before she died, in 1931, she wasone of the first black women to run for public office.

She has long been revered for her courage and conviction, even as her contributions in American history have been widely overlooked. As her life’s work for equal rights and justice honor us, we honor her in naming two programs at Mary Baldwin College after her:

• Ida B. Wells Gateway• Ida B. Wells Society

Ida B. Wells GatewayThe Ida B. Wells (IBW) Gateway is a unique college success program designed to address the transitional needs of first year African-American students. Participants are enrolled in a designated section of MBC101, an orientation course that offers students tools for academic success, cultural exploration, and leadership development. Additionally, students enroll in a general education course taught by their advisor. Students also engage in co-curricular programming focused on service learning and the celebration of inclusive excellence. The Ida B. Wells Gateway is facilitated with the assistance of dedicated faculty, staff, Ubuntu student mentors, and Sista Friend alumni mentors. Their goal is to help each student become her best self. The Ida B. Wells Gateway sponsors community service programming each year including the Black Baby Doll Drive (a self-esteem initiative benefiting area children); Take Back the Night (in recognition of Domestic Violence Month); and the college’s Kwanzaa celebration.

First-Year Gateways in theResidential College for WomenParticipation in one of MBC's gateways is key to unlocking the potential of your student experience. More than just an item on your to-do list, choosing a gateway that captures your personality and interests will provide you with a network of like-minded peers and supportive faculty and staff members who are invested in your success. Incoming students must apply to be members of the IBW Gateway. For information on this and all leadership gateway options, visit www.mbc.edu/fye/gateways.

ID A B. WE L L S

confident compassionate

changemakers

Ida B. Wells SocietyCreated to recognize achievement of students of color, Ida B. WellsSociety membership is earned by demonstrating strong academicperformance (3.0 GPA or higher), community service, and full participation in the activities of the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Society members welcome inductees in a ceremony duringthe annual Kwanzaa Celebration.