I Am Vermont Too Photo/Story Project:
Challenging Racial Micro-Aggression in Vermont

  • Paij Wadley-Bailey, 1/7/1939–8/17/2016, Montpelier

    Black bull-dagger

    Anti-racist activist, community organizer, trainer, diversity consultant, mother and grandmother.

    Paij’s portrait is included in the permanent Vermont Statehouse collection.

  • Anushka Saraswat, 24, Montpelier

    South Asian, she/they, queer 

    I am an international student, originally from South Asia, working in Montpelier

  • Christine Hughes, 58, Burlington

    An African American Irish woman who has lived and thrived in Vermont since the mid 70’s.  A committed activist focused on dismantling systemic racism and creating opportunities for community building, cultural empowerment and youth development.

  • Jesoni Kuruyawa, 34, Pauli Kuruyawa, 12, Lillia Kuruyawa 5, Rutland

    Melanesian Pacific Islander

    I am a proud Black father living in Vermont.

  • Hiro Soga, 30, Burlington

    Japanese-American Male

    Just being me; don’t compare yourself to anyone but you.

  • Harlen Geary, 14, Waterbury

    Biracial

    14-year-old boy trying to figure stuff out.

  • Azura, 4, Rutland

    Preschooler

    Happy energetic and strong.

  • Leon Wallace/Donna Rhea, 44, Brandon

    Gay Queer

    I am unapologetically me.

  • Abelardo Almazan-Vazquez, 42, Putney

    Mexican Immigrant

    World language department chair; Spanish teacher; Latin dance instructor; conference presenter

  • Gloria, Cruzado, Bennington

    Boricua

    I've been in Vermont 21 years and recently started a mobile hair braiding business.  I love to make BIPOC feel better about themselves.

  • Roy V. Hill II, 80, Fairfax

    “Human” A member of the-One-Human-Family population planet earth

    A mortal like you.  A prayer warrior and worker seeking betterment for self and others.

About the photos

The I Am Vermont Too photos represent BIPOC living and attending school in Vermont. The photos look to highlight the intersectionality of our communities of color and their many stories. The quotes in the pictures are either terms that have been conveyed to us since living in Vermont or are responses to terms, questions or statements made towards us that undermine us as a people and perpetuate racist stereotypes

About the project

Photo Booths

The work begins with the I Am Vermont Too Photo Booths. Photo Booths are set up in partnership with local communities across Vermont. These booths offer Black, Indigenous, and People of Color living, working, and attending school in Vermont an opportunity to learn about the project and add their voices. Participants are invited to share their lived experiences, helping highlight the impact of racial micro-aggressions while creating space for BIPOC Vermonters to be seen, heard, and represented.

Exhibitions

I Am Vermont Too Exhibitions are hosted in communities across Vermont and feature portraits and stories gathered through the project. Many exhibitions highlight voices from the local communities where they are shown, while others bring together participants from across the state, such as exhibitions held at the Vermont State House in Montpelier. Each exhibition brings a powerful presence to the space it occupies, centering BIPOC voices and experiences in communities throughout Vermont.

Panels

I Am Vermont Too Panels are often held alongside exhibitions and bring project participants together with community to share more about their experiences. Panelists reflect on their participation in the project, the stories they chose to share, and what it means to live as a BIPOC person in Vermont. These conversations create space for deeper dialogue while centering BIPOC voices and experiences.

Want to bring I Am Vermont Too to your community? Email iamvttoo@therootsjc.org

The Story behind I Am Vermont Too

The I Am Vermont Too project began in March of 2016. Modeled after the I Too, Am Harvard initiative, the I Am Vermont Too photo-story project shines a light on the diversity of identities and experiences of BIPOC - Black, Indigenous, and People of Color all across the State of Vermont. It looks to provide an opportunity for reflection and dialogue for majority-white communities who may be unaware of their participation in perpetuating racial stereotypes and harming BIPOC. Members of majority-white communities in Vermont often do not interact with BIPOC on a daily basis. When they do, they can be unaware of their offensive and racist acts and behaviors. Often these offensive acts and behaviors come in the form of racial micro-aggressions. Racial micro-aggressions are  subtle behaviors, acts, or environmental conditions that either intentionally or unintentionally communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults towards BIPOC. These aggressions have a significant impact on one's sense of self and place in a community.

The I Am Vermont Too project is a medium for BIPOC to tell our own stories and convey that this type of racism has a significant impact in our lives. This is the first known statewide, multi-generation project done only by BIPOC  living and attending school in the state.

Meet Sha’an Mouliert
I Am Vermont Too Coordinator

Sha’an Mouliert, M.Ed. (she/her) is a community organizer, educator, artist, and racial justice advocate based in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Originally from New York City, she has spent more than 35 years working with and in community across Vermont, including co-founding the African American Alliance of the Northeast Kingdom and facilitating racial justice and healing trainings throughout the state.

Sha’an is the coordinator and photographer of the I Am Vermont Too photo-story project and producer and host of the I Am Vermont Too YouTube program. Through this work, she helps create a platform for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to share their stories and reflect on the impact of racial micro-aggressions in their lives.

Reflecting on the project, Sha’an shares: “It has been a privilege to witness and acknowledge participants’ stories, validate and affirm their experiences, and give voice to their contributions to the community. This sustains my belief and efforts in building the Beloved Community Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned.”

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