American Councils Celebrates Black History Month
This story was originally posted on February 25, 2021 on americancouncils.org/news
As Black History Month comes to a close, the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CoDEI) at American Councils would like to recognize and celebrate Black alumni across the various study abroad programs we administer. American Councils will continue to share similar experiences from students of color year-round and highlight the stories and achievements of Black program alumni. Every month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the diversity of our participants.
We are proud to share some of their experiences as Black students studying abroad and where they are now in their academic or professional careers. Read the full article, originally posted by American Councils for International Education on February 25, 2021.
Brittni Foster
In the spring of 2020, Brittni Foster studied in Moscow, Russia, on the Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP), with special funding from the U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Fellowships. When mentioning her plans to go overseas, she often received the same question over and over. So, why are you going to Russia?
“While it seemed innocent enough, I could read between the lines and most of the time it ended up translating as: ‘So why are you (read: black girl) going to Russia (read: scary, cold, xenophobic, communist country)?’ There’s a common misconception that Russia is a purely homogeneous country, whereas, in reality, there’s an amalgamation of many different ethnic groups, languages, religions and even cuisines as a result.”
Halfway through her time in Moscow, Brittni and her cohort were evacuated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she continued her studies virtually, attending class with her Russian teachers and catching up with her conversation partner on the weekends. Despite the challenges, Brittni reached new heights with her Russian language proficiency, and has since been selected as a recipient of the 2021 Charles B. Rangel Fellowship, a graduate studies fellowship that provides a committed path to joining the U.S. Foreign Service.
Read more about Brittni’s study abroad experience here.
What is CoDEI?
CoDEI is the Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at American Councils, a staff-led initiative with the mission to foster interdepartmental collaboration across our outbound programs. CoDEI supports equity, inclusion, and access to study abroad and cross-cultural educational opportunities for a diverse U.S. student population.
Learn more about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our study and research abroad programs.