A Note from the DEI Office
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Happy Black History Month! Entering the second month of the beginning of 2019, I decided to make a commitment to prioritizing self-care, finding the joy in little things when being challenged, speaking the truth when it is hard, and also speaking up when and wherever I want to in any space I occupy. It may sound difficult and nerve-wrecking, but no one can diminish your truth when you are living it.
Celebrate yourself, your family, your friends, and your passions. Do the things that you love and joy, that empower your being and centers the visions you’ve been dreaming up.
The journey I’ve been on has lead me to become confident in who I am, embodying the strength my voice carries, and continue to create events that build community, love, and friendship while giving thanks to my family, friends, community, elders, and ancestors while I continue to carry their stories as I navigate different spaces and places. Let us all remember, because of them we can!
“In order to see where we are going, we not only must remember where we have been, but we must understand where we have been.” Ella J. Baker
Florence Alexander
Program Assistant
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MLK Symposium -
Juliana Huxtable: Live Performance
February 6, 2019
5:00 PM
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre,
Michigan League
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Juliana Huxtable put on a Live Performance at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. This was the School of Social Work's 2019 Martin Luther King Symposium event.
Juliana Huxtable is a NYC-based artist, DJ and poetry whose work probes the perception and presentation of identity, history and online communities.
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Beyond White Social Work: An Analytical Look at Social Work thru the Black Struggle
Saturday, February 9, 2019
12-4 PM
U-M Detroit Center
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This event explored social work/social science fields through the black struggle. The focus centered on listening to understand black voices. Students came together to organize a community event to present social work beyond a white professional framework, and dive into exploring the Black Struggle and the optics of Our contributions towards liberation.
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Spirituality Speed Dating
Thursday, February 14, 2019
12-2 PM
1840 SSWB (ECC)
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A client's spiritual beliefs can significantly influence their behavior, cultural norms, schemas, how they deal with trauma, etc. Not to mention how spirituality impacts our personal lives as social workers! Come join the Interfaith Alliance in Spirituality Speed Dating where we will discuss spirituality and its impact on our work as social workers, our client's lives, our own lives, and how we can incorporate spirituality in our DEI and social justice efforts. A panel discussion will follow. Lunch will be provided.
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Las Cafeteras Artist Talk: Bridging Art, Activism and Community
Monday, February 18, 2019
6-8:30 PM
Michigan League
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The artists from Las Cafeteras, a six-piece band known for remixing roots music and telling modern-day stories discuss how they have incorporated activism and community engagement into their musical practice in their Los Angeles community and on the road.
This event is free and open to the public. Presented by the University Musical Society and Co-sponsored by the Center for World Performance Studies, EXCEL, La Casa, LSA Latino/a Studies, MESA, and the School of Social Work.
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LGBTQ Health & Wellness Week 2019 Featured Speaker - Ignacio Rivera
Monday, February 18, 2019
6:30-7:30 PM
1840 SSWB (ECC)
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Ignacio G. Hutiá Xeiti Rivera (they/them) is a trans and queer activist of color with over 20 years of experience in anti-oppression and sexual liberation work including topics of: consent, sexual survivorship, and sex after sexual violence. Their work continues to center those at the margins, particularly people of color and those with queer and trans identities.
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LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Week Keynote Speaker -
Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
6:30-7:30 PM
UMMA Auditorium
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Leah (she/they) is a queer disabled nonbinary femme writer and cultural worker of Burger/ Tamil Sri Lankan and Irish/ Roma ascent. Leah's work has been widely published and anthologized, most recently in The Deaf Poets Society, Glitter and Grit and Octavia's Brood, including work in the anthologies Dear Sister, Persistence: Still Butch and Femme, Visible: A Femmethology, among others. In 2010, she was named one of the Feminist Press' 40 Feminists Under 40 Shaping the Future.
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Black Trivia Night
Thursday, February 21, 2019
5:30-7:30 PM
B780 SSWB
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Celebrate Black History Month with the DEI Office with a trivia night! Dinner and prizes will be provided. This event is open to students, faculty and staff.
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Changing the Game: What is the Cost of Silence
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
12-1:15 PM
B780 SSWB
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The students from the Fall 2018 Facing Race mini-course will be hosting a group dialogue around racial equity as we explore themes of: accountability, decolonization, challenging viewpoints, digging deeper and changing the narrative. Join them to examine what can we commit to doing in order to 'change the game' and re-examine our notions of equity.
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Come check out the Black Excellence Display! In celebration of Black History Month, the DEI Office sent out a call for nominations to recognize members of the School of Social Work community who are committed to working with and alongside the Black community. The display highlights the nominees, including accomplishments of their work. The display is located on the first floor, across from the Office of Student Services throughout the month of February.
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Black Radical Healing Pathways
Black Radical Healing Pathways/BRHP strives to create and build spaces centered for Black students to develop and explore radical ideas interested in racial social justice efforts on campus as a coalition. Black Radical Healing Pathways/BRHP works to create and build a network where Black students can affirm, heal and validate each other’s lived experiences. They aspire to organize, educate, mobilize and empower Black Students to work for transformative change on campus, neighborhoods and communities. Their focus is to nourish and cultivate the fighting spirits, critical consciousness and aesthetics of Black Students. They aim to hold programming which centers our Black voices, intelligence, and bodies in efforts to dismantle, disrupt, and challenge white supremacy.
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Association of
Black Social Workers
ABSW is committed to enhancing the quality of life and empowering people of African ancestry through advocacy, human services delivery, and research. ABSW has participated in, created, and publicized events that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. ABSW hosted the Spark Program at the SSW.
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The New Leaders in African-Centered Social Work Scholars Program
New Leaders In African-Centered Social Work (NLACSW) Scholars Program is a program for MSW students that enhances practice preparation by engaging students in culturally-specific and affirmative curricular and training experiences for service to Black/African Americans.
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DEI Innovation Grants
Deadline: Friday, March 15, 2019
The DEI Innovation Grants will focus on enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus. The Diversity Innovation Grant is designed to reward the multiple ideas and innovations that people -- including all faculty, staff, and students -- across U-M have either implemented already and wish to grow, or are seeking seed funding for a long-range, transformative change project.
A description of the grant fund is included in the application.
Applications are due March 15, 2019.
Funds will be available immediately following review and approval of applications and must be expended by June 30, 2020.
Anticipated average grant size will be $2,000 - $5,000.
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The 24th Annual Lavender Graduation Award Nominations
Deadline: Friday, March 22, 2019
Consider nominating and/or self nominating graduating students or student organizations who have done advocacy work and/or impacted the LGBTQ community. The awards being distributed this year are below. More details about the awards can be found on the nomination form.
- Cornerstone Awards
- Excellence in Student Leadership
- Intersectionality Award
- Inspirational Influence Award
- Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
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Lavender Graduation is a celebration of LGBTQ graduates of the University of Michigan. Established by Ronni Sanlo in 1995, University of Michigan was the first commemorative event of its kind celebrated at an institution of higher learning. Graduates from any school/college in the University from any academic level are welcome to participate. All participants will receive a FREE rainbow 2019 tassel, lavender cords, and a Lavender Degree. Lavender Graduation will take place on
Thursday, May 2, 2019
from 4:30-6 PM.
Register to attend here
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Faculty & Staff of Color Meet and Greet
Common Roots is hosting a Meet and Greet for students to build connections with faculty and staff of color at the School of Social Work on
Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 5:30 PM.
Doors open and dinner will be served at 5 PM.
Common Roots is a planning committee consisting of representatives from the following organizations/groups:
Black Radical Healing Pathways, Association of Black Social Workers, LatinX Social Work Coalition, the Office of Student Services, and the DEI Office.
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DEI - Changing
Campus Climate
During the Fall 2018 semester, the DEI Office hosted multiple meetings on school climate with students, faculty, and staff. The upcoming DEI Climate Meetings will dive deeper into each of the themes that have come out of these meetings.
They will be held monthly, beginning in March and will consist of small groups, bringing together students, faculty and staff. The goal is to leave with action items that will help various SSW committees focusing on school climate move forward.
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Student Organization Partnerships
An initiative of the SSW DEI office this semester is to support student organizations that have missions in direct alignment with the DEI strategic plan. The DEI office has upcoming events and projects with Mental Health Matters, Black Radical Healing Pathways, Association of Black Social Workers and the LatinX Social Work Coalition.
If your organization is interested in partnering with the DEI office on projects or events, please email Jacqueline Ramsey (ramseyjn@umich.edu).
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"Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts."
- Nikki Giovanni
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Toolbox for Social Workers
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