As part of Whitman’s ongoing efforts to create an inclusive, anti-racist community, the college recently opened its new Third Space Center—a resource designed to uplift the needs, concerns, interests, histories and cultures of the wide-ranging communities of color at Whitman.
What was once the Alumni Office and later a college-owned residential home is now a dedicated space that celebrates students from all corners of the world. While the center is open to all, it provides a safe and affirming space for students from historically marginalized communities to bring their whole, authentic selves to the Whitman community.
A key pillar of Whitman’s strategic priorities is cultivating a truly inclusive, anti-racist community. During the opening ceremony for the new center, President Sarah Bolton reaffirmed the importance of making sure every student finds belonging here.
“Creating this space is part of making sure that each student at Whitman feels fully welcome and fully at home on this campus, so each student can thrive and learn and advance their own voice, their own brilliance, their own vision, their own future,” Bolton said.
The cultural richness of Whitman’s student population is what initially called for the Third Space Center. Dr. John Johnson, Vice President of Inclusive Excellence, says this new campus resource will enhance the student experience and advance inclusion efforts on campus.
“Real magic happens when students have these Third Spaces where they can put that academic content in conversation with their cultural ways of knowing to make meaning and create new knowledge for themselves and their communities,” Johnson said at the ceremony.
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