VOICES

November & December 2022

Diversity & Inclusion at William & Mary

Thank you all who joined us for the

7th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium

We were honored to have Dr. Daryl G. Smith and Junior Peña join us as keynote speakers. We appreciate Mona Minkara, Maureen Elgersman Lee, Kimberly Weatherly, Carina Sudarsky-Gleiser, Junior Peña, Janise Parker, and Vivian Hamilton for leading the enriching workshops.


The 7th Annual D&I Symposium was made possible by a generous gift from Ernst & Young.

November 2022

National & Religious Holidays

and Cultural Celebrations


National Native American Heritage Month

1        All Saints Day                       

2         All Souls Day            

15       Nativity Fast Begins   

26       Day of the Covenant   

1        Samhain

11       Veterans Day

24       Thanksgiving

28       Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Information from NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad

November is National Native American Heritage Month 


  • In 1976 President Ford proclaimed a week in October as “Native American Awareness Week.” Since then, the President and Congress have observed a day, a week, or a month each year in honor of the American Indian and Alaska Native peoples
  • In August of 1990, President Busch approved the designation of November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Each year a similar proclamation is issued.
  • President Clinton noted in 1996, "Throughout our history, American Indian and Alaska Native peoples have been an integral part of the American character. Against all odds, America's first peoples have endured, and they remain a vital cultural, political, social, and moral presence."
  • The holiday recognizes hundreds of different tribes and approximately 250 languages, and celebrates the history, tradition, and values of American Indians.
  • National American Indian Heritage Month serves as a reminder of the positive effect native people have had on the cultural development and growth of the United States, as well as the struggles and challenges they have faced.


Information from National Archives and Partnership with Native Americans

Join us at James Monroe's Highland in Charlottesville on Friday, November 11, at 1:00 p.m., as we commemorate Veterans Day. Highland will host the University of Virginia Army ROTC Cadets, Charlottesville Band’s Brass Quintet, and featured speaker Mary James, director of COVER, for a ceremony in salute to our veterans. This event is FREE and open to the public.


To honor and thank U.S. veterans, all active duty, former, and retired United States military personnel will receive free admission to James Monroe’s Highland for Veterans Day.


For more information click here.

December 2022

National & Religious Holidays

and Cultural Celebrations


Universal Human Rights Month

1-24      Advent

8            Bodhi Day

8            Immaculate Conception of Mary

19-26     Hanukkah

21          Yule / Winter Solstice (Northern Hemisphere)

25          Christmas

26-Jan.1 Kwanzaa 

Information from NCCJ of the Piedmont Triad

December is

Universal Human Rights Month


In December, we celebrate Universal Human Rights Month, which honors the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an international document adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948. The Universal Declaration states basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. Many of these rights are ones we, as Americans, may take for granted, including freedom from discrimination, the right to equality, and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. But some have raised questions among my students, including freedom from torture and degrading treatment and the right to recognition as a person before the law. These are tough conversations, but they are also important conversations. And spending time with the content over the course of a month can allow for richer conversations and deeper understandings among your students.


Information from Demco

Accepting Nominations for Diversity Champions!


Do you know someone who has led creative and innovation programming in diversity and inclusion on campus? The Office of Diversity & Inclusion is accepting nominations for diversity related efforts and programs. Please complete the nomination form here.


VOICES

William & Mary Law School Welcomes

Professor Margaret Hu and Professor Kami Chavis

We are honored to welcome Professor Margaret Hu and Professor Kami Chavis to the William & Mary Law School.


We are excited to have them join William & Mary this academic year.  We look forward to their contribution to the important work the university is doing.

Margaret Hu

Kami N. Chavis

School of Education

World Food Day Food Drive


The Diversity Committee hosted a Food Drive in honor of World Food Day (10/16). The School of Education collected 462 food items and $350.


Food items were donated to the Williamsburg House of Mercy, which helps fight food insecurities within the local community.


When the pantry is open, they stock 250 cars in 4 hours, which is over one car/family per minute. The School of Education will continue to find ways to support Williamsburg House of Mercy in the future given the crucial work they do for the area. 

Submitted by: Leandra Parris, School of Education

Campus Connect Training


Wednesday, November 16th at 1pm and Thursday, December 1st at 2pm.


Campus Connect is a suicide prevention program designed specifically for college campuses. It is an experiential training aimed at enhancing a person’s knowledge, awareness, and skills concerning college student suicide. Emphasis is placed on developing empathic listening skills, communication skills, and the ability to compassionately and directly ask a student about their suicidal thoughts. The skills learned through this program will allow you to respond caringly and effectively to students experiencing a wide range of emotional crises and distress. The 3-hour training is geared toward all campus community members, including faculty, staff and students.


Click here to sign up. 

Africana Studies Zoom Speaker Series

at W&M October through May

Dr. Toussaint Losier,, UMass Amherst 

“War for the City: Black Liberation and the Consolidation of the Carceral State.”

December 2, 2022. 12:00 - 1:00 pm. Register here

Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)

CBNERR - VA Coastal Training Program


Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia at VIMS and We All Count is hosting a Zoom webinar on the Data Equity Framework.

Open to all at W&M on December 1, 3:00 - 4:30 pm

More information can be found here.


Submitted by: Gabrielle Saluta, VIMS

Black History at William & Mary Law


From our first Black graduate in 1954 through the appointment of our first Black dean in 2020, Black History at W&M Law recognizes and celebrates the pivotal moments in Black history at William & Mary Law School.


Stop by to see the exhibit in person or visit the website for more details.

Gender & Single Occupancy Restrooms


As part of the university's efforts to provide an inclusive and respectful campus environment that is responsive to the needs of our community, at least one restroom in 90% of administration and academic buildings has been identified as All Gender.


A complete list can be found here.

Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) Training


Would you like to review the DIB training taken last year? If you have completed the training here is how to review the information: 

In Cornerstone go to Transcript and select Completed, from the Filter by Training Status drop down option. I then click on the drop down next to View Completion and selected Launch. This lets you review the different modules while maintaining your progress.  

Center for Student Diversity

Mental Health Mondays

Every Monday. 12:00 noon in the Center for Student Diversity conference room located in the Sadler Center 268-P


  • Navigating Civilian Life (November 15th)
  • Finals are here, and I’m stressed. (November 28th)

Guided Meditation in the Sadler Center

November 15 & 30, 2022

3:30 - 3:50 pm


Join together to practice a variety of simple mindfulness techniques for the brain and body to shift and steady. No experience is needed. Led by Wellness Professional Martha Rouleau. Tuesdays, Nov. 1, 15, and 29 from 3:30-3:50pm in the Prayer/Meditation Room on the 3rd Floor of the Sadler Center, located in the double doors next to the women's restroom. This opportunity is free but please register in advance. Co-sponsored by Campus Recreation and the Center for Student Diversity. 


Political Peace Building:

Dialogue & Dessert

November 15, 2022

4:00 - 5:00 pm


Can we engage with generosity and lead with our deepest values at this time of heightened political polarization? Can we be peace builders? Together we'll reflect on how we got to our current polarized climate and what the costs of that division are. What commitments can we make with ourselves and friends to help us heal rifts and better model what a successful democratic republic can be?


Join in dialogue with six other attendees from across Williamsburg and W&M. Each participant will also leave this facilitated conversation with a cupcake from Extraordinary Cupcakes.


For more information or to register click here.

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Brown Table Talk 

November 17, 2022

6:00 - 7:30 pm



Join Brown Table Talk at 5:30 PM on November 17th at the Center for Student Diversity to chat about life as a female-identifying student of color at W&M. Dinner will be provided!


For more information or to register click here.




Pre-Kwanzaa celebration

Friday, December 2, 2022

6:00 - 8:00 pm

The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation

Lemon's Legacies Porch Talk: Studying Slavery and its Afterlives Using Genealogical Research


November 17, 6:00 - 7:00 pm


Finding the descendants of enslaved laborers can be challenging due to omissions in the archives of African Americans pre-and post-Civil War. This panel of genealogists and social historians will share about the work they are doing to document enslaved Ancestors connected to three universities, and the similar goals of and approaches to this work. Each genealogy researcher will discuss the progress, successes, and challenges of their particular project. This session will illuminate vital strategies, research collections, resources, and tips for slavery-era research and outreach engagement with descendent communities. As we trace the lives of enslaved and freed people, we discover the past is not so distant. Join us to hear why this research is important as we reckon with our troubled history.


Speakers:

Dr. Jajuan Johnson, a scholar of Africana Studies, is the Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow with the Lemon Project at William & Mary. 

Dr. Shelley V. Murphy: As the Descendant Project Researcher, Dr. Murphy’s position with the University of Virginia is to conduct genealogical research and locate descendants of the free and enslaved laborers who helped to build the university for Thomas Jefferson. 


More information and to register for the event click here.

13th Annual Lemon Project Symposium: Call for Proposals is Up! Submissions are due by November 18


The 2023 Spring Symposium will explore the following questions: What ways are African American communities taking charge and telling their stories? How are colleges and universities working with local African American communities to foster belonging? What methods are communities and scholars using to tell fuller narratives of African American life, history, and culture? In what ways are researchers contributing to the emancipatory aims of Black Studies through research collaboration with Black communities?


Our symposium is multi-disciplinary and open to all. We seek proposals from people who focus on Black life, history, and culture, including but not limited to academic and descendant researchers, educators, activists, and members of Greater Williamsburg communities and beyond. We invite a broad range of topics from the fields of American Studies, Black Studies, Anthropology, History, Public Humanities, Preservation, and STEM. We also invite community organizers and activists to submit proposals in areas such as cultural production (art, poetry, music), wellness, and spirituality. We welcome submissions from people of all genders, including trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming individuals.


For more information about the Symposium and submitting your proposals click here

Donning of the Kente 2023


The Lemon Project has opened registration for the Donning of the Kente 2023. All graduates (undergraduates, graduate, and professional) are welcome to participate in the ceremony and receive a free Kente stole. Register now for Donning of the Kente 2023


UPCOMING EVENTS

A&S Insights from Within DEI Gathering

Sponsored by: Arts & Sciences Deans Office


Join us on Thursday, November 17th, 12:00 - 2:00 pm for the Arts & Sciences Insights from Within DEI gathering in Sadler Chesapeake B/C. Open to faculty, staff, and students, we will explore how we experience diversity, equity, & inclusion at work.


Lunch will be provided for all participants, registration required. Register by Thursday, Nov. 10th


Register here.

Submitted by: Sarah E. Thomas, Women’s Network Co-Chair

Faculty Implicit Bias Workshops


As a reminder, all members of faculty search committees are required to complete the implicit bias workshop before reviewing applicants. 


Search committee chairs, please have members sign up for a workshop. 


For more information or to register please visit the Office of Diversity & Inclusion's webpage


Submitted by: Bobbi Jo Stevens, Office of Diversity & Inclusion

Do you have news or an event that you would like us to share?

Send your information to Bobbi Jo Stevens (bcstevens@wm.edu) 

by the 15th of each month.