A Note from the DEI Office
Welcome back and congratulations on surviving your first week of classes!
Returning to U-M can bring about a range of emotions. Perhaps you’re a bit down thinking about your friends who have graduated this past semester, anxious about juggling competing commitments, or even exhausted as you recuperate from the stressors brought on by the holiday season. If you are feeling any of these or other emotions, know that you are not alone!
One of my goals for this year is to be more intentional about practicing self-care. For me, this means saying no, maintaining boundaries, and salsa dancing. For you, this may look completely different. As social workers, self-care is something that may often fall to the wayside as we are often focusing our energy on taking care of and uplifting others. If you are unsure about how to practice self-care, or are looking for some new strategies, check out the resources Wolverine Wellness has to offer. The new well-being site for students is also conveniently located in canvas when you click on the rainbow colored- wellness wheel. You can also explore counseling services through CAPS .
Let us all remember to practice self-care this semester!
"Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare." - Audre Lorde

Najeia Mention
Program Assistant
Welcome our new DEI Staff!
Florence Alexander,
DEI Program Assistant
fjalexan@umich.edu
Anwesha De,
MSW Intern
anweshad@umich.edu
Cuauhtemoc Salinas Martell,
DEI Program Assistant
salinasc@umich.edu
Upcoming DEI Events
MLK Symposium -
Juliana Huxtable: Live Performance
February 6, 2019
5:00 PM | Doors Open at 4:30 PM
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Michigan League
FREE Live Performance at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre for the 2018 Martin Luther King Symposium, NYC-Based Artist, DJ & Poet, Juliana Huxtable.

Juliana Huxtable is a NYC-based artist, DJ and poetry whose work probes the perception and presentation of identity, history and online communities.

LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Week
February 18, 2019 - February 22, 2019
LGBTQ+ Health & Wellness Week is a series of events hosted by the Spectrum Center in partnership with various campus and community groups. The goal is that the events offered will create spaces in which both students and community members can engage and will find meaningful, valuable, and useful to their own lives. This is the first time the Spectrum Center has hosted a week around this particular topic, which takes a look at the intersection of gender, sexuality, and attractionality as it relates to health and wellness.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium

In the months of January and February, one of the largest University celebrations across the country honoring the life and work of Dr. King will take place. The MLK Symposium's Keynote Lecture will feature Tim Wise and Julia Putnam on January 21, 2019 at 10 AM - 11:30 AM in the Hill Auditorium.

For more details on the MLK Symposium and upcoming events honoring Dr. King's life and legacy visit the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives website .
DEI Spotlight
Dr. Jamie Mitchell

Dr. Jamie Mitchell is an assistant professor of social work and co-director of the Gender and Health Research Lab at the U-M. Her interdisciplinary research examines the mechanisms that patient-centered communication between older African-American men and their physicians during the course of cancer and chronic disease care.

Dr. Mitchell is one of twelve advocates, researchers, thought leaders, innovators, and experts to be named a 2018 Influencer in Aging for Improving Heath Care for Older African-American Men.
Student Union 2019
The DEI Office would like to congratulate the newly elected Student Union:
President - Michelle Mattison
Vice President - Yusef Bunchy Shakur
Treasurer - Quinci Rockette
Secretary - Hawa Hassan
Ombudsperson - Yoo Jin Chang
Social Chair - Vivian Taylor

Student Representative - Florence Alexander
Student Representative - Dillon Cathro
Student Representative - Violeta Donawa
Student Representative - Rosario Hernandez
Call to Action!
Black Excellence - Display

Let's Celebrate Black Excellence!

In celebration of Black History Month, the SSW DEI Office will highlight the contributions of students, staff and faculty that are doing work within the African-American community. The DEI Office will compile your submissions and display the achievements within the SSW.

Please submit your nominations by Monday, January 28, 2019 at 5 PM. Please include a photo and a brief description of their accomplishments. Self-nominations are welcomed.
National Day of Racial Healing
1.22.19

The National Day of Racial Healing is a part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's effort -- a national, community-based process of transformative, sustainable change, addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism.

Create a short video addressing why racial healing is important to you and post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat or other social networks using #HowWeHeal.
DEI Initiatives
Faculty & Staff of Color Meet and Greet

Common Roots is hosting a Meet and Greet to build connections with faculty, staff and students of color at the School of Social Work.

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.

An email will be sent at the end of January to RSVP for the event.
Art and Design for Community Change
Mini Course

This course is aimed to create the following impacts on student learning: increased knowledge of the history of community-based art and design in the US; increased knowledge of methods for collaborative community based art and design; develop skills in collaboration with community groups in developing community based art and design projects knowledge and skills to evaluate the impact of the community based art and design activity.

Understanding Diversity Social Justice Dialogue Mini-Course

After piloting the Social Justice and Social Dialogues in the Fall of 2018, the program will continue in the Fall of 2019. Student participants of the 2018 pilot program are encouraged to join the Understanding Diversity and Social Justice through Dialogue Mini-Course .

Being both a participant in the pilot program and by taking the mini-course qualifies the student to be given priority consideration to become a facilitator for the Dialogue Program in the Fall 2019 semester.


For any questions please email the DEI Office at ssw-dei-office@umich.edu.
DEI Drop-Ins

Last semester, the DEI Office hosted two student forums on school climate. One event focused heavily on the climate survey results, while the other event focused on broad solutions. The DEI Drop-Ins will dive even deeper into each of the topic tracks, one at a time.

The DEI Drop Ins will be held monthly, beginning in February. Each event will focus on one of the topic tracks discussed in the previous events. During the event, small groups will be formed and assigned a project. Each group is expected to analyze the ins and outs of the project. After analyzing the suggested projects, the group will decide whether or not the proposed project will move forward. Small groups would consist of students, faculty and staff.
DEI Quote
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."

- James Baldwin
Toolbox for Social Workers
Legislative & Political Advocacy Tools
The Diversity Gap in Nonprofit Sector
Mental Health & Healthy Relationships