DEI Spotlight: Abigail Eiler |
|
Niigaanii gimaakwe, Abigail Eiler miiwa (she/hers/they) currently holds the position of Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work. Professor Eiler is a licensed clinical social worker and graduate of the MSW program (’06). She began teaching at the SSW in 2014 and immediately fell in love with providing instruction to developing social work professionals. Shortly after joining the governing faculty in 2018, she became the Chair of the Recruitment, Admissions, Student Services and Financial Aid Committee. This committee is responsible for reviewing and assessing policies related to recruitment, admissions, and financial aid. Within the past two years, the committee has made enhancements to the MSW application questions, enacted “Ban the Box” practices, reviewed and awarded special scholarships to students currently enrolled in the program, and worked collaboratively with a special taskforce on creating processes for the technical advising pilot that the SSW implemented this Fall. Professor Eiler was appointed to the Big Ten Anti-Hate Anti-Racism Coalition, Chairs the Big Ten Mental Health Cabinet and serves as the Chief Diversity Officer for Michigan Athletics.
Professor Eiler carries many socio-cultural identities. Moving to Michigan at age four, she attended Ann Arbor Public Schools which provided access to several resources, strong athletic skill development, and the responsibility to start challenging racist and oppressive systemic issues at a rather young age. She quickly learned that her cultural beliefs and values were not welcomed in many AAPS spaces; Native people were often depicted as savages in textbooks and class discussions around Thanksgiving, while Black people were often described as formerly enslaved, poor and uneducated. By the time she was six years old, it was not uncommon for her to hide her Shawnee and Tuscarora heritage when outside of her Native communities. As she entered Middle School and learned about the Two Row Wampum, she began acknowledging there was a space for her sociocultural identities to live together in peace without being misled by external influences, attitudes and beliefs. She started attending church, synagogue, traditional ceremonies, and the mosque – working hard to create a pathway to nurture and embrace all of her relations. She believes that her DE&I framework was intentionally created by the seven generations that came before her and guides her unwavering commitment to addressing deeply ingrained injustices in our present-day society, which will have an impact on the seven generations that follow. Professor Eiler’s traditional beliefs propose that our daily actions and decision-making influence and impact those who follow in our footsteps.
Through her formal social work education, daily consultation with students, friends, family and colleagues, and personal experiences with racism and discrimination, she thoughtfully creates safe spaces for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and allies to process their thoughts, feelings and actions. She recognizes that the formalization of DE&I in the academy is something that has made great strides over the past years, while noting that we still have a long way to go. She is committed to collectively working with others to: (1) examine our institution's needs; (2) improve racial and social justice issues on our campus and throughout the Big Ten Conference; and (3) dismantle (oppressive and racist) systems that have existed in our country for over 500+ traumatic years.
As we enter Native American Heritage Month, Professor Eiler recommends that we explore the following things to work towards creating a more inclusive and respectful campus culture.
Pii Maamwinokiyaang, Miidash Nibwaakaayaang (When We Work Together, Then We Are Wise)."
Abigail Eiler, Clinical Assistant Professor
|
|
Engage with the SSW DEI Office |
|
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the School of Social Work would like to extend the opportunity for you to share any ideas in regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our program.
Please use this form to express any questions, concerns, collaborations, or compliments that are relevant to the DEI Office or if you would like to share resources.
Your comments and questions will remain confidential unless you indicate you would like to be contacted.
|
|
Check out our new toolkit with materials and resources to support your learning in DEI and anti-racist social work practice. We invite your feedback for additional resources! |
|
Welcome Yamani Vinson to the DEI Office!
My name is Yamani Rikia Vinson (she/her) and I am a first-generation college student from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I have been working in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for almost 3 years now. I started my DEI journey working under Ms. Cassandra Willis-Abner, who at the time was serving as the Vice President of Trinity Health's Diversity and Inclusion Office. Some of my areas of interest include (but are not limited to) restorative justice, supporting folx with intersected identities, and working toward the provision of culturally competent care. I am very excited and thankful to be part of SSW's DEI team this year!
Yamani Vinson, DEI Graduate Student Staff Assistant
|
|
|
Veterans Week: November 9th - 13th |
|
This annual event features a week of educational programming that celebrates the experiences and sacrifice of those who have served our country. This year includes partnerships with the University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn!
|
|
Call for Nominations: Recognition Rainbow |
|
In honor of Transgender Awareness Week this November, the Spectrum Center and Queer Advocacy Coalition (QAC) at the School of Social Work is organizing "Recognition Rainbow." This social media campaign will be used to celebrate folx who use their platform to uplift past, present, and future members of the trans* community.
Submit nominations of LGBTQIA2S+ individuals or allies that contribute to the trans* community through activism, advocacy, support, education, etc. Self-nominations are accepted!
|
|
Thursday, November 5th, 2020
12:00PM - 1:30PM EST
Increasingly, researchers and higher education institutions are paying attention to college student mental health, but less of this focus has considered the specific contextual experiences, challenges, and supports relevant to Black students’ mental health as they enter and navigate predominantly White institutions (PWI).
This webinar will feature the research of three scholars actively engaged in research on the positive mental health of Black college students. Each scholar will share research findings yielded from their grant projects and outline specific implications and recommendations for research and action.
|
|
Thursday, November 5th, 2020
5:30PM - 7:00PM EST
Krishna Han's (he/him/his) professional student affairs journey in the US took him from Oberlin College to Bowling Green State University (BGSU) prior to joining University of Michigan. Originally, from Cambodia, Krishna graduated from the Royal University of Phnom Penh with a dual degree in Biology and Education. After completing a master degree in Community Forestry at Shinshu University, Japan he pursued and earned a Ph.D. in Regional Environmental Resources Management at Hokkaido University, Japan.
|
|
Friday, November 6th, 2020
12:00PM - 2:00PM EST
Hoping to cultivate spaces that embody the values of “Collectiveness, Healing, and Liberation,” and provide spaces that affirm the existence and unique experiences of Black social workers, Black Radical Healing Pathways (BRHP) will be hosting the 2nd Annual “What’s the Tea” event to build community and facilitate authentic conversations between current MSW students and Black alum of the SSW.
|
|
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020
12:00PM - 2:00PM EST
The Association of Black Social Work Students invites you to this professional development event that will discuss how COVID-19 has affected the job market/hiring processes, provide former and current students with a better understanding of how to look for potential employment and post-graduate opportunities, connect individuals with professionals currently doing innovative and impactful work throughout the spectrum of social work.
|
|
Wednesday, November 11th, 2020
12:00PM - 1:00PM EDT
Join this virtual talk with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of "Stamped from the Beginning" and "How to Be an Antiracist." This event is being sponsored by the School of Social Work, Rackham Graduate School, the Ross School of Business, and the School of Education.
|
|
Thursday, November 12th, 2020
12:00PM - 1:30PM EST
Join this special virtual discussion featuring prominent Detroit food justice activists and organizers who have taken food sovereignty and environmental empowerment into their own hands. Panelists include Executive Director of the Detroit Black Food Security Network (DBFSN), Malik Yakini, Executive Director of Sustainable Community Farms, Michelle Jackson, and Executive Director of Oakland Avenue Urban Farming and Jerry Hebron, Northend Christian Community Development, INC.
|
|
|
|
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month |
MESA and the Native American Student Association collaborate with campus partners to bring a wide range of events that celebrate the heritage, history, art, and traditions of American Indians and Alaska Natives with the University of Michigan campus community.
|
|
|
Tuesday, November 10th, 2020
6:00PM - 7:30PM EST
Gary “Litefoot” Davis is a Native American Business Professional, Entrepreneur, Actor, Rap Artist, Publisher, Podcaster, and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He is the Executive Director of the Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA), CEO of Davis Strategy Group and a member of the Forbes Finance Council. Gary is also a recipient of the prestigious Sevenstar Award given by the Cherokee Nation Historical Society to recognize those that have brought honor to the Cherokee people.
|
|
Sunday, November 15th, 2020
3:00PM - 4:30PM EST
Join Anishinaabemowin language speakers, Stacie Sheldon and Margaret Noodin for an afternoon of Books in Anishinaabemowin.
Bebikaan-ezhiwebiziwinan Nimkii: The Adventures of Nimkii is the story of a modern dog who lives an adventurous life through all four seasons. Learners will notice the book provides a basic introduction to most of the things that make Ojibwe unique in an interactive format. The book is fully bilingual, translated by Margaret Noodin and designed by Cecelia LaPointe.
|
|
Tuesday, Nov. 17th
6:00PM - 7:30PM EST
Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu is a Tongan/Pacific Islander scholar, poet and community organizer. Fui is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research and storytelling examines the productions of violence against women in Tongan families and communities that are legacies of European and U.S. colonialisms.
|
|
Wednesday, Nov. 18th
5:30PM - 6:30PM EST
The MESA Social Connectivity and Community Series invites the campus community from different backgrounds and social identities to come together to discuss various topics and current issues through the lens of race and ethnicity that will assist with the further understanding of intersectional identities within contexts of history, culture, and society. This session will specifically focus on conversations pertaining to decolonizing thanksgiving.
|
|
Friday, Nov. 20th
6:00PM - 7:30PM EST
This panel discussion will examine these intersecting identities and Afro-Indigenous experiences today. Dr. Kyle T Mays (Black/Saginaw Anishinaabe) is a transdisciplinary scholar and public intellectual of Indigenous studies, Afro-Indigenous studies, urban history, and Indigenous popular culture. Amber Starks is an Afro Indigenous activist, aspiring cultural critic/commentator, a student of decolonial theory, and budding abolitionist.
|
|
|
|
Missed out on the Annual DEI Summit? |
This year's DEI Summit, titled “Arts + Social Change: Building an Anti-Racist World through the Arts,” was designed to bring the community together around a collective commitment to anti-racism. Check out the amazing performances and talks, including work by U-M SSW alum, Dr. Courtney Cogburn. |
|
|
|
School of Social Work
Office of Diversity, Equity
and Inclusion
1080 South University
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
https://ssw.umich.edu/r/DEI
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
