Volume 5, Issue 2: September 10, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Photo of novelist Mohsin Hamid with quotation - 9-11 is an event on a larger historical timeline... We should never forget any of it. We shouldn’t forget any of the stories.... it’s important to re-complicate the story.
This week, the city of Charlottesville, Virginia removed the 21-foot-tall statue of Robert E. Lee from the pedestal on Monument Avenue where it has stood for over 130 years. Spectators cheered as this major symbol of the Confederacy was deprived at last of its place of honor. In her New York Times article about the statue, Sabrina Tavernise writes, “The battle over Civil War memory has been with Americans since the war itself. At its root, it is a power struggle over who has the right to decide how history is remembered.” 

This question of who gets to determine “how history is remembered” is a matter of no small concern right now, with legislation currently before the Ohio House of Representatives -- similar to laws already proposed and/or passed in other states -- that would “prohibit school districts, community schools, STEM schools, and state agencies from teaching, advocating, or promoting divisive concepts.” These bills are part of a coordinated nationwide campaign attempting to control the way that American history -- especially topics of race, privilege and oppression -- is remembered. (For more about this campaign and several claims being made about Critical Race Theory, see our feature in the July 8 RISE Up Newsletter.) 

This weekend also marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As this major anniversary approaches, the question of how we  tell our history is a poignant one. For those of us whose lives were deeply affected by this event, how do we help communicate its importance to a community of students here at JCU who are largely too young to remember it? In addition, how do we ensure that our memorialization of this moment does not erase its complexity? 

In yesterday's episode of NPR’s radio program “1A,” novelist Amy Waldman says of the September 11th  anniversary, “Memorials can provide catharsis but I also think they sometimes, somewhat dangerously, put a box around an event, and imply that that’s where it ends, where its perimeter is. And in the case of 9/11, yes, it’s both what happened before, but it’s also about what happened afterward…. You can’t disentangle all of this history and say that only this event matters, when nothing else that it led to matters. And so, I think when we think about memory and memorializing, it has to have a much broader frame.”

“Never Forget” is a phrase often associated with 9/11, but novelist Mohsin Hamid (interviewed alongside Amy Waldman on "1A") points out that this phrase expresses “an inherently problematic position” when it represents a desire to remember only one of many narrative threads running through that September day twenty years ago. 

Reflecting on Charlottesville, current legislative battles, and 9/11 together can serve to remind us that we must engage in the work of disentangling the various elements of context in our memorialization of our history, without losing the many important threads that enrich our understanding. Some of these narrative threads, when we find them, may well bring feelings of guilt, sadness, anger, or even seem “divisive.” However, we run a great risk when we try to control or eliminate those narratives that we would rather forget. History is complicated. There are richer lessons in the complexities that must not be forgotten. 

As we consider our history and its ever-deepening effects on the present, I encourage all of our readers to remember the importance of “re-complicating the story” of our society’s most important moments. Don’t settle for simple storylines. Don’t allow others to control the kinds of questions you get to ask about history. And most importantly of all, remember that our history belongs to ALL of us. We must “never forget” -- never stop trying to learn what all of our history has to teach us about today, and never stop listening for all the stories represented in our histories.
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Division Announcements
Boler College of Business
"Thinking Big" Book Club: The Conversation
Sept. 17, Oct. 15, Nov. 19, noon-1:00 pm
Dec. 8: an evening with the author, 7-8 pm
virtual via Zoom
cover image of the book The Conversation
In the wake of the social unrest of 2020 and growing calls for racial justice, many business leaders and ordinary citizens are asking the question, "How can I become part of the solution?"

In The Conversation, author Robert Livingston addresses three simple but profound questions: What is racism? Why should everyone be more concerned about it? What can we do to eradicate it?

All are invited to participate in the "Thinking Big" Book Club read of The Conversation this fall. The program is hosted by the Dr. James S. Reid Chair in Management, in partnership with the Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, and the Office of Alumni Relations.

Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the book. Participants should commit to attending monthly virtual meetings throughout the semester and attending the final program on December 8, when the book's author will join us for a virtual evening program.
Register now for our Hispanic Heritage Month
Community Book Read
Wednesdays at 2:30 pm: Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and Oct. 15
Professional headshot of Jennine Capo Crucet next to an image of her book cover
Join the DEI Division for our next community book read in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15). Our book selection is Jennine Capó Crucet's award-winning 2016 memoir, My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Interrupted Education.  Each participant will receive a copy of the book after registration. 

Book group meetings meet in person (with the option to Zoom in) on the following three Wednesdays at 2:30 pm: September 29, October 6 and October 13. (Please do not register if you are unable to attend at least two of the three scheduled meetings.)

Open to all students, faculty and staff. Spaces are limited, so register today! 
Energy Healing Workshop
Tuesday, September 14 at 2:00 pm
CSDI Lounge (also accessible via Zoom link)
promo flyer for Energy Healing Workshop
Join us for a guest presentation by energy healer AmariYah of Fluid Journey. Learn how to get ready mentally for whatever is next for your career, and practice energy healing. Sponsored by CSDI and the Wayfinders Program. Open to all students.

Also, mark your calendar now for our Sept. 29 Wayfinders student program, "Networking: Working the Room." This program will be held in the Student Success Center in Grasselli Library at 2:00 pm. Watch our next newsletter for more details!
Welcome our 2021-22 student workers and interns!
In our last newsletter, we introduced our readers to the many new members of our DEI Division staff. This week, we'd like to introduce you to another group of people whose efforts keep our offices moving: our student workers!
In the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, we welcome student interns Mary Frances Allen and Taylor Anthony this fall. Mary Frances is focusing her internship on supporting MELT mentees and mentors in assisting in-person socials and programs for the Fall semester. She is bringing back the newsletter to the MELT program as well. Taylor focuses her internship on CSDI's social media and brings more visibility to CSDI's programs and services via Carroll News. She is also going to support the staff in upcoming programs and services. Mary Frances and Taylor join student worker Maram Omer, who has been hard at work in the CSDI office all summer.
Images of three CSDI student workers with their names in captions near each photo
This year, watch our newsletter and social media feed for new and exciting contributions from our high school student worker, Darion Harmon. Many elements of today's newsletter are thanks to Darion's hard work! Darion is a junior at St. Martin de Porres High School and is one of several students working at JCU this year as part of the high school's unique Corporate Work Study program. Darion will be working with us all year in our office in the Administration Building.
Please join us in thanking all of our student workers for everything they do to support this division!
Multicultural Welcome Celebration
Dr. Green addresses the gathering at the podium along with CSDI staff Angela Aviquivil Kendra Cundiff and Selen Zarrelli
Thanks to the many JCU students, faculty members, staff members, and members of the university's Senior Leadership Team who came out last week to help kick off CSDI's 10th anniversary year with our Multicultural Welcome Celebration. It's wonderful to have the Blue Streaks back on campus and celebrating these important moments together again!
students gather in the Jardine Room for the Multicultural Welcome Celebration
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Sept 8 was Native American Women's Equal Pay Day
photograph of miniature figurines of people standing on stacks of coins at variable heights
Did you know that Native women earn only 60 cents to every dollar earned by White, non-Hispanic men? That means that in order to earn the same amount of money that white men earned at the end of last year, a Native woman would have to work through all of last year and continue working until yesterday, September 8.

Learn more about women's Equal Pay Days at equalpaytoday.org.
Congratulations Dr. Miciak!
Professional photo of Dr. Al Miciak
Dr. Miciak receives the chain of office from the Chair and Vice Chair of the University Board of Directors
Yesterday afternoon, in a ceremony at the Church of the Gesu, Dr. Alan Miciak was formally installed as the 26th President of John Carroll University. The ceremony was livestreamed and the recording can be viewed online here.

Please join us in offering our warmest congratulations to Dr. Miciak as we wish him well in this new role!
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
5 Ways to Make a Real Improvement in Hiring Black Professors
How San Diego State University has increased its Black faculty members by 12 since the summer of George Floyd protests.
J. Luke Wood, The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 7, 2021

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Black students, professors, and staff members heard many messages of support and solidarity from colleges and universities. Many of us perceived those statements as inauthentic and performative as they were rarely adjoined with any meaningful action — like, say, reversing the decades-long failure to hire and promote Black academics on the tenure track.

For years that has been one of the most important and recurrent demands of Black students. They want to engage in the classroom and know that — at some point — they can see someone who looks like them, reflects their experiences, and truly cares about their success.

At San Diego State University, we had 25 tenured and tenure-track Black faculty members in the fall of 2017. This fall, thanks to significant policy and process changes and cross-divisional partnerships, we have 42 — a 68-percent increase in a span of only four years.... How did we do it? Here are some strategies we used and lessons learned along the way.

*JCU has a campus wide subscription to this publication. JCU users should log on to The Chronicle using their JCU credentials to access this article.
Announcements from our network...
The 86th Annual
Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Broadcast: Tuesday, September 14, 9:00 pm on WVIZ PBS
Anisfield Wolf Book Awards event promo image
This year's Cleveland Book Week features a one-hour documentary with this year's recipients of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards: historian Vincent Brown, poet Victoria Chang, memoirist Natasha Trethewey, novelist James McBride, and lifetime achievement recipient Samuel R. Delany. Jury Chair Henry Louis Gates Jr. will host.

The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and human diversity. Cleveland poet and philanthropist Edith Anisfield Wolf established the book awards in 1935, in honor of her father, John Anisfield, and husband, Eugene Wolf, to reflect her family’s passion for social justice. Presented by the Cleveland Foundation, it remains the only American book prize focusing on works that address racism and diversity.
Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education
Addresses Ignatian Antiracism and U.S. Civic Life
Cover image of Conversations magazine Fall 2021 issue
The Fall 2021 issue of Conversations on Jesuit Higher Education is now available online. This issue's focus is "Ignatian Antiracism and Enhancing U.S. Civic Life" and features a number of excellent articles. The full issue is available online; some hard copies are also available in the Office of University Mission and Identity (AD 130).
Faculty and administrators from a number of Jesuit colleges and universities have contributed articles to this issue, produced and curated by the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education.
Podcast of the Week: Washington Post Live
"Race in America: Giving Voice with Common"
Common has often explored racial and social justice in his work as an artist, actor, author and activist. His new album, “A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2,” asks what comes next after the events of the past year and a half. Common speaks with Washington Post opinions writer Jonathan Capehart about the message behind his latest music and his advocacy work on issues from mass incarceration to voting.
Other articles we're reading this week ...