Sunday, June 13, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The aggregate of people identifying as non-white is expanding in the United States. Yet, Vermont remains the least racially diverse state in the U.S. The nation’s population total of non-white (Census Bureau, 2021) was 42% in 2019. The percentage of Vermonters, by comparison, was 7.7%. Vermont must embrace the reality of increasingly diverse racial demographics if it hopes to remain competitive as a job market and a place to call home.
Please join us for a virtual forum featuring the work of BIPOC men in Vermont who are promoting racial equality, social justice, and mentorship. Mark Hughes, Karim Chapman, Malcolm Greene, and Capri Pelzer will discuss work they’re doing to support the wellness of Black, Indigenous, People of Color in Vermont.
The Rutland Area NAACP’s Raphael Okutoro and Shawn Pratt will moderate this event. The event will air live on Sunday, June 13, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. There will be time for questions at the end.
Free and open to the public. Sponsored by ACLU Vermont, Castleton CU/See Me and Brooklyn 2 Vermont. We also thank the generous support of the Vermont Community Foundation’s 2021 SPARK Grant.
Our Panelists
Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes is Executive Director of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and Justice for All, and Founder and Principal of the Vermont Racial Equity Association. He is a community leader, organizer, advocate, trainer, racial justice activist, and abolitionist. Mr Hughes recently launched the Vermont Racial Equity Association, a consulting firm as a preeminent provider of a game-changing approach to systemic racism eradication. Mr. Hughes is an Iowa native, an ordained minister, a retired army officer, and a Vice Commander at the Post 782, Veterans of Foreign Wars in Burlington, where he resides.
Karim Chapman
Karim is the Executive Director at the Vermont Psychiatric Survivors in Rutland. He has more than ten years of experience at the grassroots and advocacy levels of building and developing programs among the most vulnerable populations. As a lead mentor for Community Connections for Youth (CCFY), Karim was a team member who identified young men and women with violence-related experiences resulting in a court or law enforcement intervention.
Malcolm Greene
Malcolm is a community member who is passionate about racial and economic justice and liberation. He is a graduate of SUNY Albany, where he studied History and Africana Studies. Through his upbringing in a multiracial family and living in the South, the Pacific Coast, and the Northeast, Malcolm is informed by diverse lived experiences. He keeps busy with work that includes carpentry and gardening, and in his leisure time, he enjoys the outdoors and fishing.
Capri Pelzer
Capri has lived in Southern Vermont for over a decade. He was born and raised in the NYC area, with strong ties to the Brooklyn and Staten Island communities. Capri has also worked with the youth of Southern Vermont through coaching and mentoring with basketball for several years.
Rutland Area Branch of the NAACP 