Welcome to VOICES, a monthly newsletter from the Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Our office works closely with academic and administrative departments to further our efforts to create an affirming and respectful climate for all members of our community. We are a stronger community when we can listen and learn from those around us who may have different religious and political views, cultural perspectives, or philosophical thoughts. You are invited to view our website at http://www.wm.edu/diversity for additional information on the programs and services offered by the office. We look forward to working together to advance a culture of inclusive excellence at William & Mary. If you have upcoming programs or events you would like to share, please send it to Bobbi Jo Stevens at bcstevens@wm.edu by the 20th of each month.
- Chon Glover
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William & Mary Land Acknowledgement
William & Mary acknowledges the Indigenous peoples who are the original inhabitants of the lands our campus is on today – the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway), Chickahominy, Eastern Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Monacan, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Patawomeck, Upper Mattaponi, and Rappahannock tribes – and pay our respect to their tribal members past and present.
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EVENTS | Office of Diversity & Inclusion | OCT 2020
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Courageous Conversations: A Discussion on Good Trouble -
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Courageous Conversation Series -
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The 5th Annual Diversity & Inclusion Symposium -
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New D&I Advisory Committee Launched
In response to a recommendation from the Task Force on Race and Race Relations to restructure the university-wide committee focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the newly formed and constituted Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee will be launched this month. The committee will serve as advisory to the Chief Diversity Officer.
The purpose of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee is to bring together members of the university who are engaged in diversity outreach initiatives. The committee will meet monthly to discuss, communicate and create collaborations in ongoing and upcoming initiatives and events that support the goal of enhancing the environment for diversity, inclusion and equity across the University. This year the group will develop the university’s DEI plan.
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Diversity Recognition
Nominate a Colleague
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion welcomes campus community members to nominate a colleague to be recognized for a diversity-related program or project that furthers our commitment to inclusive excellence. To nominate a member of faculty/staff, please complete this form:
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Design for Memorial to the Enslaved
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The AY21 Actions regarding curriculum is to embody W&M values through W&M's core mission of learning. On December 3, 2019, the Arts & Sciences faculty approved the COLL 350 Diversity, Equity and Justice course requirement (formerly COLL 199). The requirement "enhances students' knowledge and facilitates their critical analysis of the workings of power, privilege, and inequity in U.S. society and globally, past and present." The COLL 350 requirement will go into effect with the class matriculating in Fall 2021.
Currently, there are 155 students enrolled in pilot COLL 350 courses for Fall 2020. The following courses are: Intro to Archaeology (ANTH 201), The Anthropology of Racialized Bodies (ANTH 318). History on Stage (HIST 211), Underrepresented Scholars in the Academy (PSYCH 100), New Religious Movements in America (RELG 347), and Social Inequality & Health (SOCL 412).
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W&M RECEIVES INSIGHT INTO DIVERSITY 2020 HIGHER EDUCATION EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY (HEED) AWARD
William & Mary has received the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — William & Mary will be featured, along with 90 other recipients, in the November 2020 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. This is the 3rd year W&M has been named as a HEED Award recipient.
“The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”
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"Disability is an opportunity for innovation" - Haben Girma
30th Anniversary to the Americans with Disabilities Act
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A Monthly List of Terms that Educate on Identity, Inclusion, and More:
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Latinx Heritage Month/Hispanic Heritage Month - President Lyndon Johnson’s Proclamation 3869 launched a week-long celebration of the histories, cultures and contributions of citizens of Hispanic origin to America’s national heritage. Since then, the one-week event has grown into what is known by many as Hispanic Heritage Month, a commemoration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 that is intrinsically linked to the independence anniversaries of several Latin American nations and uplifts the cultural legacy of a group deeply-rooted in rich traditions.
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Latinx - “Latinx” challenges the binary nature of the Spanish-language term Latino(a). The powerful “X” has opened the door to a variety of identities, and it is also used in the term “Chicanx(o/a)” to highlight the broad indigenous heritage of many groups; The term “Latinx,” rather than Hispanic or Latino, represents people of Latin American origin or descent including indigenous, Brazilian, and other non-Spanish speakers in this celebration. “Latinx” is also used as a non-binary, gender non-conforming and gender-expansive alternative to Latino/a.
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)- prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services; 2020 marks the 30th anniversary since George H. W. Bush signed it into law
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Disability - A social construct that identifies any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered “typical” for a human being given environments that are constructed for and by the dominant or “typical” person; an opportunity for innovation (Haben Girma)
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Ableism - The pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who are differently abled, including differences in mental, cognitive, emotional, and/or physical abilities, through attitudes, actions, or institutional policies.
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LGBT(QIA) History Month - In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month. The LGBT community is the only community worldwide that is not taught its history at home, in public schools or in religious institutions.
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Heteronormativity - Attitudes and behaviors that incorrectly assume gender is binary, ignoring genders besides women and men, and that people should and will align with conventional expectations of society for gender identity, gender expression, and sexual and romantic attraction
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LGBT (LGBTQIA) - Abbreviation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender. An umbrella term that is often used to refer to the community as a whole. LGBTQIA includes and raises awareness of Queer, Intersex and Asexual communities as well as a myriad of other communities
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Transition - Transitioning is the process of taking steps to live as one’s true gender identity. Transitioning is different for each individual and may or may not involve medical interventions like taking hormones or having surgery. Some people may not choose to transition in certain ways for a variety of reasons. The extent of someone’s transition does not make that person’s gender identity any less or more valid
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Non-binary - A gender identity and experience that embraces a full universe of expressions and ways of being that resonate for an individual, moving beyond the male/female gender binary
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Two Spirit - An umbrella term encompassing sexuality and gender in Indigenous Native American communities. There are a variety of definitions and feelings about the term two spirit – and this term does not resonate for everyone. Two Spirit is a cultural term reserved for those who identify as Indigenous Native Americans
Glossary Terms Taken from: the LGBTQIA Resource Center (UC Davis), LGBTHistoryMonth, Merriam-Webster, ADA, Human Rights Campaign, Monticello Community Action Agency, and Haben Girma (Disability Rights Lawyer, Author, & Speaker)
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October
Religious Holidays
Diversity Awareness Month
LGBTQIA History Month
Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
3-4 Sukkot
10 Shemini Atzeret
11 Simchat Torah
17 Navaratri
18 Birth of the B’ab
19 Birth of Baha’u’llah
20 Installation of Scriptures of Guru Granth Sahib
22 Simchat Torah
28 Mawlid al Nabi Mu
31 Halloween/All Hallows Eve
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The celebration of ADA 30 continues! October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Declared by Congress in 1988, NDEAM celebrates the lives and valuable contributions of American workers with disabilities. Visit the 30th Anniversary website to learn more.
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Center for Student Diversity:
& Brown Table Talk
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Brown Table Talk is a new initiative through the Center for Student Diversity for Women of Color on campus. It is a space for women to speak their truth and share their experiences. An exchange of dialogue within a judgement free zone.
- Zoom Meeting ID: 978 7097 3061 (10/15)
- Zoom Meeting ID: 978 7097 3061 (10/29)
- Zoom Meeting ID: 945 3965 9479 (11/12)
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm EST
Contact info: Shené V. Owens
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UPCOMING EVENTS | OCT 2020
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Events for Faculty, Staff, & Students
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Virtual Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2020—There is no place like Homecoming
- October 12-23, 2020
- Registration here
- This will be the first-ever celebration for Asian-Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern Alumni, and along with receptions for the Hulon Willis Association, LatinX and LGBTQ+ Alumni
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A Conversation with The Virginia Coastal Policy Center: A Lemon’s Legacies Porch Talk
- October 15, 2020, 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
- Click here to register.
- Join The Lemon Project as we host a virtual conversation with Angela King of The Virginia Coastal Policy Center at William & Mary Law School. “The Virginia Coastal Policy Center (VCPC) at William & Mary Law School provides science-based legal and policy analysis of ecological issues affecting the state's coastal resources, providing education and advice to a host of Virginia’s decision-makers, from government officials and legal scholars to non-profit and business leaders.”
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Coates's “The Case for Reparations”: A Lemon’s Legacies Porch Talk w/ Williamsburg Regional Library
- October 27, 7:00-8:00 pm
- Join The Lemon Project as we discuss Ta-Nehisi Coates’ June 2014 article “The Case for Reparations.”
- You can read the article here.
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Lemon’s Legacies Porch Talk with Highland
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Additional Events for the month of October
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Student Voices: Race in the Classroom
October 23, 2020
3pm
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Fête de la Recherche
October 16, 2020
3:30pm - 4:30pm
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Arabic Poetry Reading
October 19, 2020
4am - 5am
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Working Toward A More Diverse Syllabus
October 20, 2020
4pm
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Queer Exile: Russian Emigres in Interwar Berlin and Paris
October 15, 2020
5pm
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Black Italian Lives Matter and the Legacy of Colonialism: A Conversation with Fred Kuwornu
October 8, 2020
4pm - 5:30pm
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The Equal Rights Amendment and Its Passage in Virginia: What Happens Now?
October 6, 2020
12:45pm - 2pm
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Traditional Herbal Treatments of the East and West
October 22, 2020
7pm - 8:30pm
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RESCHEDULED Webinar: Invisible Racism: Alumni Author Conversation with Tamara Copeland
October 7, 2020
7pm - 8:30pm
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Marshall 'Major' Taylor - A Legacy Picks Up Speed
October 15, 2020
6:30pm - 7:30pm (RSVP by Oct 14 5PM)
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