The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion monthly newsletters highlight DEI resources, upcoming events, and will spotlight members of our community committed to diversity, equity and inclusion work and anti-racist practice. Enjoy our October edition!
Advancing DEI: MSW Student Spotlight
Jamie Simmons is a 2020 MSW Candidate studying Community Organizing/Community and Social Systems, which she hopes combines with her BA in Criminal Justice in order to act as a policy and service advocate for underrepresented populations. 

She specializes in restorative practices and intergroup dialogue in order to help rebuild communities relations and bridge the gap between higher education and outside communities. She also commits her time and her career to the advancement of the Black community, and recognizes that the liberation of all people requires liberation for the most vulnerable. 

Jamie is the current president of Association of Black Social Work Students, a Student Representative on SSW Student Union, a Common Roots representative, and committee member of the SSW DEI Task Force and Communications initiative. She is currently placed within the SSW:ENGAGE team, which is a strategic effort connecting the school to community issues, partners, and movements for greater equity and social change.

When asked about what diversity, equity and inclusion means to her, Jamie stated “DEI, for me, is a series of steps that are happening simultaneously. It is an institutional practice that is put in place to attempt to rectify the historical systematic oppression that has influenced the identity demographics and ideologies within predominantly White institutions. DEI, for me, represents the integration of diversity within all aspects of operations, while creating equitable opportunities for success and advancement for the underrepresented identities being brought in. Within DEI, I do feel that the inclusion aspect is often left behind. In order for DEI efforts to become and remain prosperous, individuals with underrepresented identities must be included in their own advancement and success plan throughout the entire system.”

“Being a member of the DEI Task Force, I try to use my experiences as a Black student, woman, student leader, and professional to help further recognition of the impacts of the current policy and practices within the SSW. As the president of ABSWS and a co-leader within the movement for the Black Student demands, I am dedicated to leaving this program better than I found it and better than what it is right now. I see my role as making sure that we are staying true to the true mission of the task force. Right now there have been many disturbances within the progress of the force and I commit myself to refocusing on and advancing the student demands. I also will continue to fight for the inclusion of underrepresented voices and student leaders within all operations of the SSW, as well as payment for participation within these spaces. ”

Jamie Simmons, MSW Candidate
DEI Virtual Summit: Arts+Social Change - Building an Anti-Racist World through the Arts
Following the launch of the five-year DEI Strategic Plan in 2016, the University began hosting the DEI Summit each year as an opportunity to provide both updated information and transparency in this process.

Join on Monday, October 26 for online ted-style talks, a panel session and performances. Additional details, ways to engage and a link to the live event are available at deisummit.umich.edu.
DEI Virtual Summit

Submission Deadline:
Monday, October 12, 2o2o
9:00 AM EDT

The 2020 DEI Virtual Summit is seeking creative contributions. All members of the U-M community are invited to participate. Submissions will be published on the Summit website with selected works highlighted at the virtual event.

Submissions by artists of all backgrounds, experience levels, and genres are welcome.
Arts & Social Justice Exhibit

In this 3-part installation, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama explores global exchange, commerce and the troubling histories of colonialism and slavery in the Western world.

Oct. 1 - 23: Large-Scale Public Art Installation, U-M Museum of Art, 525 S. State St., Ann Arbor
Oct. 1 - 23: Sidewalk Gallery, Institute for the Humanities Gallery, 202 S. Thayer St., Ann Arbor (viewing from the gallery window only)
Oct. 12 - Dec. 5: Community Gallery Installation, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit
October DEI Activities: Election Edition
Thursday, October 8th, 2020
12:00 PM EDT

Join ENGAGE for a virtual discussion on the power of your vote, how voting can combat supremacy and hate, the logistics of voting during a pandemic, and voter suppression. This session will feature special guests including Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Inclusion, Equity and Social Responsibility Partner at Honigman LLP and member of the Detroit NAACP, Attorney Khaliah Spencer. This session will be moderated by long-time voting justice advocate and Executive Director of Detroit Action, Branden Snyder. School of Social Work students will also have the ability to ask panelists questions about voting and voting rights. Attending this session counts for field credit.

A Zoom Link will be sent out the morning of the event.
Thursday, October 8th, 2020
4:00 PM EDT

Poet Reginald Dwayne Betts will read from his most recent collection, Felon, and discuss the ways in which incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people are left out of conversations about Democracy. This event will be an opportunity to consider the intersections between free speech, disenfranchisement, and mass incarceration. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A.

Co-sponsored by the Democracy and Debate Theme Semester, the Prison Creative Arts Project, and the Michigan Quarterly Review.

The event is free and open to the public. Contact mqr@umich.edu with any accessibility requests.
Monday, October 12th, 2020
11:30 AM EDT

Join this conversation about covering the campaign trail with two senior political reporters, Jane Coaston of Vox and Daniel Strauss of The Guardian. Paula Lantz, associate dean of the Ford School and James Hudak Professor of Health Policy will moderate the conversation. The panelists will discuss what it's like to be a political reporter during an election season and what they think are the key political and policy issues at play in the upcoming Presidential election.
Thursday, October 15th, 2020
12:00 PM EDT

With our power, resources, and knowledge - what can we do to make sure everyone’s voice is heard when practicing the right to vote? How can we become more empowered and informed about voting, and actively join the fight against voter suppression?

This session will focus on both School of Social Work and university-wide voter engagement initiatives such as Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts, and include student discussion on how we can become more engaged in the upcoming election. School of Social Work Clinical Assistant Professor and candidate for Washtenaw County Commissioner, Justin Hodge, will share his work on promoting voting in the school, and Ginsberg Center Lead of Democratic Engagement and University of Michigan’s Big Ten Voting Challenge, Erin Byrnes, will be joining us to share her work on campus and how students can get more involved in the upcoming election. Attending this session counts for field credit.
Friday, October 16th, 2020
9:00AM - 4:00 PM EDT

African American women have been identified as experiencing stress as individuals with intersections of non-dominant groups. The workshop will focus on identifying the triple oppression that is experienced and mythical labels created, resilience strategies and ethical considerations. Using the lens of Afrocentrism, we will explore the idea of the "wonder woman," the potential and future of Black women in the United States.
Monday, October 19th, 2020
7:00 PM EDT

What does it mean to be a citizen of the United States? The Constitution does not define who gets to be a citizen, or what citizenship means. Rather, citizenship has been defined over time, often through struggle and activism by people who were denied the full rights of citizenship. The U-M Clements Library in partnership with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences will host a virtual panel discussion featuring Derrick Spires of Cornell University (author of "The Practice of Citizenship: Black Politics and Print Culture in the Early United States") and Martha Jones of Johns Hopkins University (author of "Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America" and "Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All"). The conversation will be moderated by Ben Vinson III, Provost of Case Western Reserve University.
Saturday, October 24th, 2020
12:00 PM EDT

Building Power is a Black-led conference based around countering white supremacy through community organizing, direct action, and in everyday life. This year's focus is Beyond Voting. While it speaks to a crucial election year where our votes are an explicit argument against white supremacy, anti-blackness, and the survival of the most marginalized people not only in the United States, but also globally, we know that voting is not the only tool we wield for our survival.
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The intention for this year's Building Power Against White Supremacy Conference is to co-create a space for participants to learn how voting and the many spaces outside of electoral politics offer incredible possibility for liberative transformation.
Election Related Resources
University of Michigan
School of Social Work
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
ssw-dei-office@umich.edu
https://ssw.umich.edu/r/DEI