November 1, 2022 Edition

Native American/American Indian and Alaska

Native Heritage Month

The OSU Student Life Multicultural Center has a variety of programs

 for Native American History Month.

November 11, 2022 Veterans Day

Veterans Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served. For one day, we stand united in respect for you, our veterans.

This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country's service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to "Veterans Day" in order to account for all veterans in all wars.

November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester's death and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people -- sometimes in the most brutal ways possible --, it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice."

- Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith

The Historical Thanksgiving Perspective

This November countless families across the United States will set the table and celebrate Thanksgiving. While it is nice (and recommended) to relax, eat some turkey, spend time with family, and fall asleep watching Peanuts, or football (Go bucks!); to do so without acknowledging the holiday's roots is privileged behavior. 

But Thanksgiving is all about everyone having a seat at the table- how can it be privileged? 

Yes, it is true, in modern times the holiday has represented an idea to overlook differences and come together, however, for many individuals, this narrative is too often subverted by the idea that unity is a stand-in for submission/assimilation. To praise the first thanksgiving as a beacon of unity is to glaze over the years of abuse and genocide to Native Americans that followed from the hands of United States' individuals and policies ever since the English Separatists arrived on the continent.

Your turkey doesn’t taste as good now, does it? It can be a hard truth to swallow- I am not asking you to choke. Please, do celebrate this holiday, eat great food, laugh with family members, and watch a few OSU touchdowns on Saturday, but also, recognize unity does not mean one group forcibly submitting to another. Unity is about accepting other groups’ cultures and traditions, respecting a broad range of heritages, and knowing the table your setting is bigger than you.  

To learn more click on these opinion pieces below.   

November Spotlight featuring Action Council member: Steve Brady

This month's spotlight features Steve Brady who is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University in the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences. For the past twenty-one years, Brady has worked in the area of 4-H Youth Development. 

He has three main work areas of focus in his work with young people:  

• 4-H Camp Counselor Training – he annually works with 60-70 teenagers to train and implement three local summer camping programs.  

• Community School Enrichment programs. This includes teaching in the classroom around topics of Financial Literacy, Workforce preparation, and Emerging Global Issues. 

• Leadership / Diversity Training. This includes presentations to youth and adults around topics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in local and statewide organizations.  

The CFAES Office of DEI is excited to showcase involved individuals working to further inclusion in their fields. To read more about how Brady is one of these individuals who uses his passion for expanding and challenging young minds; particularly by integrating cultural learning and cross-culture immersion programming, click below!

Have someone else great for the DEI Faculty and Staff Spotlight?

 Please fill out this form.

For a full list of our Autumn and Spring 2022-23 webinars, please visit our

professional development webinars page.

Workshop: Practicing Bystander Intervention Strategies

LOCATION: Zoom

DATES AND TIMES: Thursday, Nov 3, 2022, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

All too often we witness subtle comments or behaviors rooted in bias that cause harm to others, sometimes unintentionally and frequently directed toward people from marginalized social identity groups. Have you ever witnessed a bias incident such as a microaggression and wanted to intervene, but didn't know what to say or do? Becoming an active bystander involves recognizing a biased incident and saying or doing something to stop the harm. Anyone can become an active bystander and learn to address bias in everyday interactions.

Workshop: Introduction to Microaggressions: Small Actions That Have a Big Impact

LOCATION: Zoom

DATES AND TIMES: Monday, November 7, 2022, 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Microaggressions are common, often subtle expressions of bias, many times initiated unintentionally and unconsciously that can have serious impacts on recipients including shortening life expectancy. In this 90-minute workshop, participants will learn about common microaggressions and the hidden, harmful messages they send. Participants will practice differentiating intention from impact using real-life scenarios. Finally, participants will be provided with strategies for responding to being called out/in for being the microaggression initiator.

Workshop: Inclusive and Equitable Hiring Practices

LOCATION: Zoom

DATES AND TIMES: Wednesday, November 9, 2022, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

This 90-minute program provides an overview of best practices for recruiting a diverse candidate pool and equitably evaluating them. Participants will examine the role that various forms of bias can play in screening applicants and identify ways that privilege creates an unlevel competitive job market. The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences requires that all individuals serving on CFAES search committees complete this program every 2 years. Please note: this workshop will not be recorded.

Workshop: The Language of Inclusion: Pronouns and Other Gendered Words

LOCATION: Zoom

DATES AND TIMES: Thursday, Nov 17, 2022, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Pronouns are tools for effective and efficient communication, and their intentional or unintentional misuse can cause confusion and harm. Using gender-affirming language such as pronouns and avoiding unnecessary use of other gendered words is essential to creating spaces that are safe, inviting, and inclusive of people of all genders. This 90-minute webinar will address why pronouns matter, the history of singular they/them, neo-pronouns such as ze/zir, alternatives to another gendered language (e.g., sir, ma’am), and ways allies can use language to advocate for and support transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. This program is free and open to all.

(Mis)understanding Critical Race Theory and the Need to Confront Hard History

LOCATION: Zoom

DATES AND TIMES: Nov 17, 2022. 12:00pm - 1:15pm  

Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries is an associate professor of history at The Ohio State University where he teaches courses on the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement. Hasan was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated summa cum laude from Morehouse College with a BA in history in 1994. At Morehouse, he was initiated into the Pi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He earned a Ph.D. in American history with a specialization in African American history from Duke University in 2002. He taught for a year at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, before joining the faculty at The Ohio State University in 2003. Hasan is the author of Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt, which tells the remarkable story of the African American freedom movement in Lowndes County, Alabama, the birthplace of Black Power. He is also the editor of Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement, a collection of essays by leading civil rights scholars and teachers that explores how to teach the Civil Rights Movement accurately and effectively.

Click here to access recordings of previous

speakers in the series.

Celebrating Native Americans Today and Everyday:

A wonderful resource to celebrate the heritage of the Native American community while honoring the traditions and stories of these Americans. 

Helpful Native American Heritage Month Teaching Resources:

The Burke Museum provides a helpful guide to further one's own understanding of Native American Heritage and enables one to pass on this information to those around them.

National Education Association Native American Heritage Month:

A page dedicated to empowering one to explore Native American culture during November or any other time during the year with the following lessons, activities, and resources.

The Native American Heritage Month Book List:

Use this month as a starting place to read more beloved stories by Indigenous authors and about Native American history and heritage.

2022 Veterans Day Teachers Guide:

A guide put together by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to better honor the Veterans in your life, and the ones you have never met. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance Resource Page:

A page was created to showcase guidelines to better acknowledge the history and significance behind the TDOR.

Books & film for Transgender Day of Remembrance:

This booklist is a starting place for listening to and advocating for the transgender community.

Day of the Dead Resources 

A page curated by the Smithsonian to honor the tradition and importance of this holiday for many families across the Nation and World. 

Addressing Equity and Inclusion in Your Research Mentoring

Date: November 9, 2022

Time: 3-5 pm

Target Audience: Faculty

(sessions for postdoctoral scholars and graduate students are offered separately)

Location: Online via Zoom

Attendance is limited to 25 faculty members from any discipline although many of the case studies come from STEM fields.

Prior to attending the workshop, participants will need to complete a 40-minute online module. This awareness-raising activity will help mentors take full advantage of the workshop.

This workshop is designed for mentors of undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. During this workshop, participating faculty will learn how to acknowledge the impact of conscious and unconscious assumptions, privileges, and biases in the mentor-mentee relationship. Through group discussion, case studies, and role play, mentors have the opportunity to learn and practice mentoring skills that deal with diversity matters.

Learn more about The Ohio State mentoring initiative here.

Center for Belonging and

Social Change 

Home Page

Event Calendar

Meetings: Wednesdays 5:30 - 6:30 PM

Contact: Halsell.5@osu.edu for more information. 

Student Org.                   National Website

All meetings will take place in Howlett Hall Room 139

RSVP the next meeting: MONDAY, November 21, 2022, 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

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