Rice University’s RISE program recently planned a trip for its students to engage with the Houston community and support local and Black-owned businesses.
On Feb. 17, Brittany Robertson, associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion for undergraduate programs, took 15 RISE (an acronym standing for responsibility, inclusion and student empowerment) students to Kindred Stories bookstore to purchase books and learn more about works related to social justice. One Kindred employee, Stevens Orozco, worked with students to find and select books that fit their interests, and many RISE students were interested in books around social justice.
The group then traveled to Gulf Coast Comics, where students had the opportunity to speak with the owner Byron Canady and ask questions about diversity in comics. They also went to a local plant-based coffee shop Doshi House and interacted with the owner Deepak Doshi.
“We always try to partner with local vendors for events and food/catering and services, but it was important to engage with the local community and invest in local business while learning from local business leaders,” Robertson said.
The RISE program launched in 2021, aiming to familiarize incoming freshmen interested in exploring questions of racial justice, equity and urban life with both Rice and Houston and has since expanded to serve sophomore RISE students.
To learn more visit https://dei.rice.edu/initiatives.
