Black Faculty & Staff Association (B.F.S.A.)

Special Announcements

As the 2023-2024 academic year draws to a close, the Black Faculty and Staff Association ("BFSA") is excited to announce two (2) upcoming events to the Queensborough community.

On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 12:00 pm in the Queensborough Performing Arts Center ("QPAC"), the college will host its second annual Sankofa Celebration. Sponsored by the QCC Incubator, BFSA, Student Government Association ("SGA"), and the Black Students Union ("BSU"), the event will celebrate the QCC graduating class of 2024 who identify as Black/African-American, ensuring they and their family are recognized, along with the QCC faculty and staff who support their success.

Additionally, the BFSA will host its Third Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 12:00 pm in the Student Union Building - Upper Level. The celebration will commemorate the 4-year anniversary of the BFSA, with program highlights including a performance of the Black National Anthem as well as presentations by select Black faculty members of the college, an African drum performance, and much more.

We hope the QCC community will come out to show their support for these events!

About Us

In the Spring of 2018, two members of the then Student Activities committee, Mr. Stephen Atkins and Dr. Kerri-Ann M. Smith, saw the need for a Black Students Union on campus. At the time, Mr. Atkins saw it as an opportunity to create an affinity space where Black students could come together and build together as students at QCC. The two then decided to work together to build that coalition with students. Two years later, George Floyd was murdered and the campus had a lackluster response to the pain and suffering of the members of its Black community. Dr. Smith then heard and saw a need for a more unified caucus of its Black faculty, staff, and administrators, so she reached out to Mr. Atkins to reconnect. This partnership considered forming both a Black Caucus and a Black Students Union, to support all members of the Black community at Queensborough Community College (QCC). Dr. Smith and Mr. Atkins reached out to their respective networks across campus and called for a meeting of the minds. The meeting was called and on June 19, 2020 (Juneteenth), the Black Caucus had their first meeting. Upon careful consideration and discussion, the group voted to rename itself The Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) at Queensborough Community College.

This self-regulated group organized independently as the very first affinity group for faculty and staff at QCC. Following the model of liberated Black spaces, the BFSA decided to maintain a lateral, communal leadership model in which all community members have equal stake, despite gender, origin, or age. This model was chosen as a direct antiracist strategy to decenter white supremacist and patriarchal notions of leadership, and to work with lessons of leadership models used by other Black-centered organizations in the past. Thus, the BFSA at QCC is lead by an Advisory Council and various committees.

The founding members of the Black Faculty and Staff Association at Queensborough Community College are:

Mr. Stephen Atkins, ASAP

Dr. Kerri-Ann M. Smith, English Department

Ms. Doreen Fox-Herron, Registrar’s Office

Dr. Wilma Fletcher-Anthony, Counseling

Dr. Lakersha Smith, Social Sciences

Dr. Trevor Milton, Social Sciences

Ms. Gail Patterson, Academy Advisement

Ms. Nicole McClam, HPED

Dr. Danny Sexton, English Department

Mr. Irvin Weathersby, Jr, English Department

Dr. Robin Ford, English Department

Ms. Stephanie Guilbaud, ASAP

Ms. Renee Rhodd, Transfer Resource Center

Mission Statement

The Black Faculty and Staff Association (B.F.S.A.) at Queensborough Community College supports the voices of Black faculty, staff, and students on the QCC campus and throughout the larger City University of New York (CUNY) system. Our mission is aligned with principles that led to the development of the first Black Student Union in 1968. We aim to challenge policies that keep Black faculty, staff, and students at the margins of campus life and career advancement. We endeavor to highlight the educational, political, and social matters that affirm Black culture and Black excellence. Queensborough’s B.F.S.A. seeks to empower members of the college community while promoting equity and innovation.

Our Call to Action

The B.F.S.A. Action Plan

Submitted to QCC Administration on July 27, 2020 urging Queensborough Community College to take the necessary steps towards creating a more diverse,inclusive, equitable campus environment by providing more support to Black faculty, staff, and students.

B.F.S.A. Standing Committees

The leadership of the B.F.S.A. includes the following committees:

Advocacy & Advisory Committee: This committee serves as the general council of the B.F.S.A. and speaks on behalf of B.F.S.A’.s interests.

Docs & Communication Committee: This committee is responsible for developing, maintaining, and archiving the documents of the B.F.S.A. The committee manages all internal and external communications on behalf of the B.F.S.A.

Events Committee: This committee is responsible for planning social events for the B.F.S.A and welcoming new members to the organization.

Website Committee: This committee develops, manages, and facilitates the outward-facing records of the B.F.S.A.