The 2023 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference (TOCLC) theme is "Investing In Yourself, Unlocking Your Creativity,” which works to dismantle systems of oppression that have previously rejected the creativity of BIPOC communities by urging us to look inward, discovering our unique skills, perspectives, and abilities while navigating the ways we can incorporate them in achieving our goals. The conference will center on how to trust in yourself and your work and use your passions to create opportunities for yourself.
Registration Fees
•Free for all MHC and Five College students, faculty, and staff
•$15 for non Five College attendees
•$8 per person for groups with 10 or more attendees
*Keynote speaker is FREE and open to non conference attendees
Contact toclc-g@mtholyoke.edu or call 413-538-2550 to take advantage of the group discount.
The registration fee includes breakfast, lunch, conference swag, entrance to the POC Business Expo and a ticket to the VIP meet-and-greet with the keynote speakers.
The SGA Students of Color Committee prides itself on creating spaces where students can continue to question, challenge and cultivate their minds in order to advance personal growth, commitment, and social advocacy for historically underrepresented communities. In addition, we strive to encourage open dialogues and raise consciousness about issues and intersections prevalent in modern-day society regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and many more identities. We aim to meet these goals by continuing to open the event to all individuals. The primary audience is self-identifying women and gender minorities of color age 9th grade and up from the Five Colleges, the Pioneer Valley Community, and beyond.
Coordinated in collaboration with the Division of Student Life, the Office of Community and Belonging and the Weissman Center for Leadership.
Investing In Yourself, Unlocking Your Creativity Panel Discussion
Moderated by Iyanna James-Stephenson ’15, also known as Iyanna the Model, Alysia Cutting, Resi Ibañez ’11 and Vick Quezada ,...
A buffet style catered lunch will be provided FREE to all registered participants (vegetarian, vegan options are available).
During the luncheon, there will be various performances by Mount...
During the POC (People of Color) Business Expo, conference attendees will have the opportunity to connect with businesses owned by people of color or organizations which serve people of color while...
This workshop will focus on the discourse on embracing amateurism through art to change one’s relationship with their inner critic and cultivate a new relationship with perfectionism that...
Keynote and Performance
Raptivist, Aisha Fukushima
This event is free and open to non-conference registered attendees.
Just Breathe - Aisha Fukushima (YouTube)
Image Credit: Jen Lovely
Registered conference attendees and invited guests only.
TOCLC registered conference attendees and invited guest are welcome to join the SGA Students of Color Committee for a VIP reception and...
Every Kinda Lady Healing & Building Whole-self-portraits Creatively; with Poetic Profiles & Vision Board Diaries
Women of Color will crack open their creative souls, self-narratives, and poetic...
A workshop in public speaking that seeks to empower your girls to have more confidence and self-esteem and develop the poise and communication skills needed to engage in effective public...
During this session you will learn the importance of budgeting and saving, how and where, and how to earn extra money will in college. Learn why and how to budget, learn why and where to save and...
In this workshop, we explore the definition and embodiment of resiliency through ancestry & practices. As we continue to face uncertainty on various levels of collective care, we will engage...
Unlocking the Innovator in You is a session to help current and aspiring leaders enhance the way they see the power of innovative solutions in community work, business and the disruption of...
This workshop will include the narrative of the ups and downs when it comes to creativity. I will talk about how important it is to root yourself into your creations when there are outside...
Join the Women of Color Leadership Network - CWC UMass as we discuss and learn more about networking as women of color. Our goal is to explore the different challenges we face in the work field as...
Working as an artist presents a pressure to create what’s “cool” - work that will be judged by an external audience and then accepted or featured or liked on social media. In contrast, this...
When the dominant image of success looks nothing like you or your culture, you believe that you must become something other than yourself to successfully navigate life.
"Success Looks Like Me" is...
Often excluded from our worldbuilding efforts, Black girls and Queer folks lie on the fringes of our anti-Black patriarchal world. Sitting in what feels like systemic erasure and betrayal, what if...
Your Network is Your Net worth is a reminder of the utilization of our peers, our immediate and outside connections in order to enrich our lives, extend our reach, and put our creative selves on...
