Credit: Bucks County Community College
Dr. Kevin Antoine, associate vice president for student and veteran affairs and chief civil rights officer for Bucks County Community College, retired last week after a career spanning several East Coast institutions and a dedication to civil rights advocacy.
Antoine, a U.S. Air Force veteran, retired from the Newtown Township-based community college last Thursday after five years in the role. He also served as chairperson of the Newtown Human Rights Commission.
His career included serving as the chief civil rights officer at the State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University (SUNY Downstate), and the City University of New York College of Staten Island (CUNY CSI) before joining Bucks County Community College. He was a researcher at Harvard University.
At the community college, Antoine established the government relations office to improve the institution’s advocacy efforts with local and state governments.
Antoine said his “career was marked by his unwavering commitment to advancing civil rights, diversity, and inclusion.”
The Newtown Township Board of Supervisors recognized Antoine last month for his service on the Newtown Human Rights Commission. He served as a member and chair from February 2021 until his resignation in January.
John Gyllenhammer, the new chair of the commission, highlighted Antoine’s outreach and coordination with other Bucks County human relations commissions on issues such as policing and education. He also noted Antoine’s initiative in organizing presentations from community and business leaders on equality and inclusion efforts.
“His service on the commission was part of a lifetime of professional and personal commitment to promote civil rights and equality in our community,” Gyllenhammer said. “His time, energy and effort on the HRC helped make our community a better place to live and work.”
Under Antoine’s leadership, the commission entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission for handling discrimination complaints in the township.
“I want you all to know that however you feel about EEO discrimination, DEI, these organizations are here to investigate anybody’s claim,” Antoine said. “You could be white, you can be non-white, you can speak English or not speak English, male, female, younger, old, it doesn’t matter. If you make a complaint, then we’re obligated to see it through and do the investigation.”
James Hoyte, retired associate vice president of Harvard University, said Antoine “has been an exceptional leader in higher education, whose contributions have had a profound and lasting effect on our institutions and the communities we serve.”
Ron Davis, chief diversity officer of Parx Casino, highlighted Antoine’s work in creating the Dr. Martin Luther King Leadership Award, the government relations office at Bucks County College, and a strategic diversity plan at SUNY Downstate.
Davis said Antoine’s work “exemplifies his deep commitment to justice, equality, and the advancement of academic excellence.”
Antoine, a former Fulbright Specialist Scholar, conducted research on human rights issues in the past. He earned his law degree from the College of William & Mary School of Law and completed a fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health, researching discrimination in healthcare. He received his undergraduate education at the University of Southern Mississippi on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship.
Antoine also published his memoir, “New Black Power: A Memoir of Kevin LaVigne Antoine,” which delves into the 1996 Mississippi Fourth Congressional District Democratic primary.
“I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve done and the lives we’ve impacted over the years,” Antoine said.
In retirement, Antoine plans to focus on writing, civil and human rights advocacy, traveling, and mentoring.
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