FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

By The Rewriting

Ms. Deborah Britton-Riley

Ms. Deborah Britton-Riley is not just a faculty member at Stony Brook University but one of our very own. She was raised in Harlem, Manhattan, and is one of five siblings — Ms. Britton-Riley began her undergraduate career at Stony Brook in 1973, later graduating in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. She subsequently gained a Master of Science in Public Policy Analysis and Management in 1981.

During her time at Stony Brook University, she was very involved with the Black and Latino community throughout her undergraduate years — extending her leadership skills to establishing programs helping students with leadership development and communica- tion skill sets. Prevalent campaigns and programs institutionalized by her included the A Smile Campaign, teaching and reinforcing unity among the very few Black and Latino students on campus at the time. Other campaigns include College 101, a program sponsoring the visits of Black and Latino high school students to Stony Brook University, experiencing a day of life on campus. Most importantly, Ms. Britton-Riley is known as one of the core women to conceive and found Black Womyn’s Weekend at Stony Brook University in 1978, which evolved into the current Black Womyn’s Association (BWA), where Ms. Britton-Riley continues to mentor.

Ms. Britton-Riley credits her mo- tivation to her mother, who inspired her to “reflect and persevere.” She described her time at Stony Brook as a relief and escaped from what life has transformed into in her beloved Harlem. Even though she is a first-generation student, her mother instilled a strong love of academics and political participation. By exhibiting her principles, Ms. Britton-Riley has been an instrumental guiding light to numerous Black women at Stony Brook, allowing them to channel a more straightforward path, emphasizing the importance of ‘purpose’ and working against systemic subjugation.

Ms. Deborah Britton-Riley is now doing what she loves, working directly with students as the

Coordinator for the New Student and Transition Program at Stony Brook. She has just written a book about growing up in Harlem during the 1960s, with an upcoming publishing date later this year. Looking back at her journey, Ms. Britton-Riley sees how her initial thoughts and aspirations now carry on through the lives of young women she has helped. She sincerely enjoys working with students, and as she says, “There is not a day when I say, ‘Oh God, I have to go to work.’” We thank Ms. Deborah Britton-Riley for her contributions to the community and for being a guiding hand to numerous young Black women at Stony Brook University.