2025 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference

The 2025 Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference (TOCLC) theme is Metamorphosis Embracing Our Intersecting Identities, celebrating an eleven year commitment to empowering gender-diverse individuals of color across the Five Colleges, Western Massachusetts, and beyond. The TOCLC provides a space to celebrate the lives and accomplishments of gender-diverse individuals of color through opening dialogues and raising consciousness on issues relating to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc.

The lead student coordinators of the conference is the Students of Color Students of Color Committee (SOCC), who prides itself on creating spaces where students can continue to question, challenge, and cultivate their minds to advance personal growth, commitment, and social advocacy for historically underrepresented communities. In addition, the SGA SOCC strives 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. The SGA Students of Color Committee aims to meet these goals by continuing to open the event to all individuals. Honoring Mount Holyoke’s commitment to gender diversity, the primary audience is self-identifying gender minorities and women of color in 9th grade and up from the Five­ Colleges, Western Massachusetts, and beyond.

The conference is coordinated in collaboration with the Division of Student Life, the Office of Community and Belonging and the Weissman Center for Leadership and co-sponsored by the Five College Consortium, UMASS Women of Color Leadership Network, and various Mount Holyoke departments and student organizations.

Please reach out to [email protected] for any further questions regarding the conference.

The theme this year, “Metamorphosis: Embracing Our Intersecting Identities” aims to promote the principle of embracing each other’s diverse intersecting identities and life experiences while excelling/growing in our careers, education, and journeys of self-growth. Understanding metamorphosis as a process of self-discovery and a journey to realizing an improved form of self. We use this metaphor to honor all those with identities that have been marginalized or questioned, understanding that these multifaceted layers empower us all.

As people of color, we come from various backgrounds that have been a part of our metamorphosis. These backgrounds and identities are not always a monolith or homogenous. There are intersecting identities–ethnic, racial, linguistic, gender, and

more– that shape our life experiences and the obstacles we face in our education, career, entrepreneurship, and self-growth. We must learn to move forward not simply acknowledging these intersecting identities, but also respecting and embracing them completely. We must do this for ourselves and others to grow in our personal journeys while uplifting people of color around us.

We are currently accepting workshop proposals for this year’s Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference. We are seeking workshop presenters from as BIPOC gender diverse and/ or women communities, or individuals who work with and/or service these communities.

Most importantly, we invite and encourage submission proposals from all five colleges and the surrounding community related to leadership and empowerment of people of color.

• Workshop presenter registration isFREE.
• If you are interested please fill out the Workshop Proposal Application linked .
• Applications are due Monday, February 10, 2025.

The Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference is pleased to announce the BIPOC/ People of Color Business Expo on Saturday, April 5th Chapin Auditorium. Vendors will have the opportunity to showcase their businesses that are owned by, support, and/or serve people of color while also sharing their products and/ or services.

• Business Expo Participants will be charged a $15 registration fee.
• All vendors must register as a non-5 College attendee unless otherwise instructed.
• We will provide each business with 1 table and 2 chairs.
• If you are interested in being a vendor please fill out the form
• Applications are due Saturday, March 29, 2025.

Host or Publisher Mount Holyoke College SGA Students of Color Committee, The Division of Student Life, and the Weissman Center for Leadership