R.I.S.E. Up Newsletter for August 5, 2021

John Carroll University Division of

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Volume 4, Issue 6: August 5, 2021

R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter

*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education

The world’s eyes have been locked on Japan over the past few weeks, where the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have been going on after a year’s long delay. The United States Women’s Gymnastics team has, as usual, been the focus of much media attention, including first-time Olympian Sunisa (Suni) Lee, who has won three medals in these Olympics, including a gold medal in the all-around competition.

Suni Lee is the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics, and much media attention has focused this week on Lee’s close-knit Hmong community in St. Paul, Minnesota. For the many Americans who had never heard of the Hmong before this week, this has been an important opportunity to raise awareness about this particular Southeast Asian ethnic group, most of whom arrived in the United States within the last 50 years.

Unlike many other groups who emigrated to the United States from Asian and Pacific Island nations, economic opportunity was not the primary reason for Hmong emigration; most, in fact, came as refugees, fleeing genocide in their home countries in the wake of the Vietnam War. While people of Hmong descent have settled all over the US, the majority of Hmong Americans live in communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin or California. The Hmong community faces unique challenges, which often go unnoticed or undercounted when the Hmong are aggregated into the category "AAPI" with many other distinct ethnic communities. According to a Pew Research Center fact sheet, the percentage of Hmong people in the U.S. living in poverty (17%) as of 2019 was not only higher than the percentage for Asians in general, but it was higher than the percentage for all Americans as a whole (13%).

In a year that has seen a spike in discrimination, violence and hate crimes against people of Asian descent, it is more important than ever that all of us become familiar with the incredible diversity of cultures represented by the “AAPI” label here in the United States, and aware of the wide breadth of life experiences within this large group of distincommunities.

While the nation’s eyes are locked on Japan tomorrow during the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, we cannot forget that tomorrow also marks a horrific anniversary for Japan and the world - the 76th anniversary of the day the United States dropped the atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, followed on August 9 by the bombing of Nagasaki. Tomorrow, as we celebrate the world coming together in peace and friendship in the wake of a global disaster, let this terrible anniversary remind us of the true cost of dehumanization, and help us to open our eyes to appreciate the beauty and richness of our diversity as a human community.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,

Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

You can read more about Suni Lee and the Hmong community at these links:

Division Announcements

Inspiring Joy at Staff Development Day

Selen Zarrelli sitting on the edge of the stage in Marinello Little Theatre next to a screen with projected slide giving a presentation to a room full of colleagues dressed in blue and gold school colors.

(Photo, above: Selen Zarrelli gives a presentation to colleagues in the Marinello Little Theatre about the work of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion during Staff Development Day, August 4.)

Many thanks to the hundreds of JCU staff and faculty who came out yesterday in their best "blue and gold" school spirit to teach and to learn during our first annual Staff Development Day!

In our final plenary session of the day, led by the Mission and DEI divisions, participants were asked to make a commitment to a specific equity-minded action this year to help realize our shared vision for JCU.

(Photo, below: Tiffany Galvin Green presents five equity-minded practices for higher education during the closing plenary at Staff Development Day.)

Here are just a few of the commitments our colleagues made yesterday:

"In my own work in 2021-22, I commit to bringing an equity-minded vision of JCU to life by..."

Advocating for more diversity within the prospective student body.
Doing more social awareness activities in my courses.
Bringing a growth mindset each day.
Slowing down, really listening and acting always for the good of others.
Creating healthy boundaries so I can be my best self at work.
Being equity minded in planning and in practice.
Extending the table.
Making all students and staff feel welcome, heard, and cared for.
Questioning inequitable systems.
Reaching out to parts of campus I have not worked with before.
Recognizing my bias.
Spreading positivity amidst incredible uncertainty.
Supporting faculty who embrace and seek change. The disrupters!
Doing what I can to be the best coach for my athletes.
Working with purpose.
Being more public about the great things happening here.

Banner reads Congratulations to our new DEI Champion Badge Recipients with photos of Todd Bruce and Kathleen Sardon next to an image of the blue badge award

Please join us in offering our congratulations to our two newest DEI Champion Badge earners for 2021-22: Dr. Todd Bruce, Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment; and Kathleen Sardon, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry. They will receive a blue badge for their contributions to the university's diversity, equity and inclusion goals and initiatives so far this year.

Learn more about becoming a DEI Champion here

SAVE THE DATE - October 11

In honor of National Coming Out Day on October 11, join the Office of Alumni Affairs and the DEI Division for a very special Alumni Author Series presentation from Christopher Drajem '90, who will be on campus to speak about the book he co-authored with his mother: Wandering Close to Home: A Gay Son and his Feminist Mother's Journey to Transform Themselves and Their Family. Please save the date and spread the word!

R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week

Going Behind the Rhetoric

A new report examines the strengths and weakness of statements made by college leaders after the killing of George Floyd -- and the actions that followed.

Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed, August 5, 2021

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer last May, college and university presidents across the country issued statements and sent emails to members of their campuses decrying Floyd's death and acknowledging the shock, pain and anger felt by many Americans. Their varied responses to the nationwide calls for racial justice included commitments to take action to address racial and economic inequities in higher ed and on their campuses.

Platitudes about diversity and inclusion were in abundance. Pledges to lead the country on a different path were on full display.

Now, just over a year later, a new report from NASPA, the professional organization for student affairs administrators, and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, examines the strengths and weaknesses of many of those statements and takes a look at who drafted them.

Read more on this topic here:

The "Watching our Words" feature discusses words or phrases in common use in American English with derogatory or offensive origins or meanings. Do you have a word or phrase you'd like us to feature in "Watching our Words"? Drop it into our Suggestion Box and we will explore it in a future newsletter!

p.s. In our last issue of the R.I.S.E. Up newsletter, this section discussed the term "low on the totem pole." If you found the topic of totem poles interesting, you may be interested in this recent article from the Washington Post: A 25-foot Native American totem pole arrives in D.C. after a journey to sacred lands across U.S.

Announcements from our network...

75th Annual One World Day

August 29, 11 am - 6 pm

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens' 75th annual One World Day is returning on August 29! Reflecting a theme of peace through mutual understanding, One World Day features a naturalization ceremony, cultural performances, garden exhibitors, authentic diverse ethnic food, children's programs and more.

Learn more here

The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice presents:

"Why Black Religion Matters"

Tuesdays in August, 7:30 pm ET | virtual

Join the CLBSJ for a deep dive into the transformative and revolutionary aspects of Black religion: “Why Black Religion Matters: remembering and centering Black/Africana contributions to our scriptural traditions.” Four scholars will share their research on this topic over four consecutive Tuesday evenings in August: Lisa Marie Bowens (8/3), Onleilove Alston (8/10), Aliou Niang (10/17), and Sister Sharifa Vernice Meytung (8/24).

Learn more and register here

Quick takes: DEI in the headlines

Investigation Finds Systemic Gender Disparities in NCAA Basketball

An outside investigation commissioned by the NCAA recently found that the organization regularly neglected its women’s basketball tournament in favor of the men’s tournament, prioritizing Division I men’s basketball “over everything else in ways that create, normalize and perpetuate gender inequities.” The investigation’s report highlights numerous systemic gender inequities in the sport, such as allocating revenue solely to men’s basketball, and providing women’s teams with low-quality facilities. The NCAA Board of Governors released a statement saying that it was “wholly committed to an equitable experience among its championships” and that it has directed the association’s president to address these systemic disparities.

Study shows that LGBTQ adults are more likely to have federal student loans than non-LGBTQ adults

A new study by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law found that 35 percent of LGBTQ adults have federal student loans, compared to 23 percent of non-LGBTQ adults. The research found that more than a third of LGBTQ adults age 18 to 40 hold more than $93.2 billion in student loan debt. About half owe between $10,000 and $49,999.

Argentina Formally Recognizes Nonbinary People

Argentina has become the first country in Latin America to officially recognize gender nonbinary people, who can now choose to have their gender marked as an X on their national identity documents and passports if they do not identify as either female or male. The change, enacted by decree by President Alberto Fernández, comes weeks after he signed into law a measure that sets aside one percent of the country’s public sector jobs for transgender individuals, which Congress approved in June.

Podcast of the Week: Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

This week's recommendation is a "Throwback Thursday" link to a particularly excellent podcast episode in Brené Brown's popular podcast, Unlocking Us. In this episode from last year (June 10th, 2020), Brené interviews author Austin Channing Brown about her book I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. It is worth a listen.

The Unlocking Us podcast also features interviews with many other high-profile intellectuals talking about their work in areas of racial and social justice, wholeness and well-being. Tune in and listen!