Volume 3, Issue 5: February 4, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Celebrating the Birthday of the Mother of the Freedom Movement Rosa Parks February 4 1913 - October 25 2005
We begin our celebration of Black History Month today by remembering that today would have been the 106th birthday of Rosa Parks. In our featured article of the week, social psychologist (and recent JCU speaker) Dr. Dolly Chugh tries to correct the "children's book" narrative many of us have been told about Rosa Parks. She was not, after all, simply a woman who "got tired" one day. "By the time of the 1955 bus incident," Chugh writes, "Parks had a track record as a relentless, long-time fighter of the status quo, which she described as 'a life history of being rebellious.'" 

The "fighters of the status quo" are one of the many kinds of people that we are celebrating this Black History Month. This month was originally established as "Negro History Week" by American historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926, celebrated during the second week of February because it coincides with the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and abolitionist/writer Frederick Douglass (February 14). That week would continue to be celebrated until 1976 when, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, it was expanded to a month. Since then, U.S. presidents have proclaimed February as National African American/Black History Month. In fact, other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. 

Some in our nation still question whether Black History Month is still important. Recent years have given us many Black American “firsts” to celebrate, which draw attention to the many notable achievements and growing prominence of Black Americans in positions of social, political, and economic power. Unfortunately, a focus on these “success stories'' can give a false weight to the assertion, “Look how much better things are becoming!” While this is undoubtedly true, we cannot neglect the importance of drawing attention to the centuries of access denied, accomplishments that have been slow to be recognized, and many contributions that are never discussed in most American narratives -- or which, like the story of the rebellious Mrs. Parks, are rewritten in misleading, and often less empowering, ways. 

So why is it important to commemorate forgotten, neglected, and misrepresented histories? As historian Isabel Wilkerson says, “these wounds are 400 years in the making... It requires a closer examination, first recognizing our history, how did we get here. And then and only then can you begin to even think about crafting a plan for moving forward.” We must take time as a community to highlight that which is often overlooked or taken for granted across the multiplicity of identities that contributed to our nation’s development, in order to craft a plan for moving forward as a society. Because it is still a sad reality that African American history is not fully integrated into the teaching and re-telling of American history, Black History Month creates the necessary moment to notice those omissions and to correct the historical record, asserting that Black history is all of our history. 
 
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division at John Carroll University works every day, both on our university campus and in the community, to help raise awareness of the neglected, ignored, and undervalued parts of our history and to create new avenues for inclusion, equity, belonging and appreciation of all kinds of human diversity. One of our important vehicles for doing this is through programming and events that give voice to Black identity and experience during Black History Month (and beyond). We have a number of exciting events planned in the coming weeks; please see below and join us for some or all of them. Let us all follow Mrs. Parks' example and become in our own time the "relentless fighters of the status quo" that this historical moment deserves.
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Division Announcements
Zoom live captions and other accessibility features
NOW AVAILABLE!
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Zoom is beginning to roll out new accessibility features on its platform! All Zoom users on the JCU platform should now have the ability to allow the Zoom AI system to transcribe everything that is said in a Zoom meeting in real time (with fairly high accuracy).

This new feature can improve accessibility for many participants, including those who are hard of hearing, those who may be logging in from a noisy environment, those whose audio stream is choppy, those with auditory-processing disorders, and those for whom English is a second language.

To turn on live transcription for any Zoom meeting where you are the host:
  1. log on to your Zoom account on any browser, using JCU network credentials
  2. in Zoom, select "Settings" from the left-hand menu bar
  3. scroll down to the section labeled "In-meeting (Advanced)"
  4. find the "Closed Captions" feature
  5. make sure "closed captions" is enabled (blue)
  6. check the box directly below it reading "Enable live transcription service to show transcript on the side panel in-meeting."

Once this feature is enabled for your account, you can turn on live transcription in any Zoom meeting using the "CC" button on the host's Zoom menu. Participants have the ability to view or hide the captions as they prefer, or to view them as a running transcript in the chat window.

Contact the ITS Service Desk at servicedesk@jcu.edu if you have any questions or need help enabling Zoom accessibility features.

Please spread the word widely to colleagues and students.
Let's make captions in all Zoom meetings
the "New Normal" for JCU.
Faculty/Staff Webinar: Preparing for Hot Moments
in the Classroom and on Campus, Part II
Friday, February 12, 2021, 3:00-4:00 pm
photo of fire
Did you miss last week's webinar on "Hot Moments in the Classroom and on Campus"? The discussion for the first session was so rich that many requested a follow-up discussion. Therefore, we will offer a "Part II" session on the same topic on Friday, February 12 at 3:00 pm.

A "hot moment" is a sudden eruption of tension or conflict in a group setting. Are you prepared to handle hot moments when they emerge?

In this webinar, Dr. Tiffany Galvin Green, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Megan Wilson-Reitz, Administrative Coordinator for Diversity and Equity, will lead a discussion on best practices for engaging "hot moments" and converting them into opportunities for learning, growth and dialogue.

Like the first session, Part II is also open to all JCU employees. Click below to register.

Please email diversity@jcu.edu to request access to the recording of Part I of the webinar if you would like to watch it before attending Part II.
Announcing the Faculty/Staff Book Club Read
for February/March 2021
Image of the book cover for Vanguard by Martha Jones
Our next faculty/staff book club read will span both Black History Month (February) and March (Women's History Month), so our next book selection is a title that honors both months.

Our book selection is Martha S. Jones' 2020 book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All. This title was named one of the "100 Must-Read Titles of 2020" by Time magazine.

The book club will meet on Thursdays at 12:00 noon via Zoom on the following dates: February 18, February 26, March 4, and March 11. The first 20 registrants will receive a copy of the book to keep.
CSDI hangouts schedule - Jan 26 2pm - Feb 3 1 pm - Feb 11 11 am - Feb 19 5 pm - Feb 24 4 pm - March 1 1230 pm
CSDI Spring Semester hangouts
The Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion is sponsoring virtual weekly hangouts on Zoom this spring.

Join the CSDI staff, students and friends on Thursday, February 11th at 11:00 am for a Cultural History of Valentine's Day & Crafts.
African-American "Read-In"
Wednesday, February 24, 4:30 pm
In celebration of Black History Month, be part of the first and oldest event dedicated to diversity in literature. The African American Read-In was formed in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English. The program is designed to make literacy an integral part of Black History Month. Join the more than six million people who have participated in the program.

How the event will work:
  1. Setting is an open virtual mic format through Zoom. Register early! 
  2. Bring short excerpts from books, poems, essays, research studies authored by African American authors (living or nonliving)
  3. Reading needs to be between 3 to 5 minutes. 
  4. Works of fiction and nonfiction are encouraged for this all-ages event. 
  5. Students, staff, faculty, and the public are encouraged to listen and participate in this free program.
  6. Use #AfricanAmericanReadIn, #BHM, and #BlackHistory in your social media to contribute to this international event! 

This event is sponsored through a collaboration between JCU's Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Diversity at Ursuline College. Please contact Salomon Rodezno with any inquiries.
Register now for the
21-Day Challenge for Racial Equity and Social Justice!
promo image for the YWCA Racial Equity Challenge
The DEI Division is encouraging ALL members of the JCU community to sign up for the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge this March!

The Challenge is designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership.

The Challenge starts on Monday, March 1st and continues (Monday –Friday) through March 29th. It is sponsored by the YWCA of Greater Cleveland.
Each day of the challenge you will be presented with activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience and more. Participation in an activity like this helps us to discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact our community, to connect with one another, and to identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
The Truth About Rosa Parks And Why It Matters To Your Diversity Initiative
By Dolly Chugh, Forbes, February 2, 2021

Mind blown. It was like when I found out who Luke Skywalker’s father was or the Wizard of Oz was. I felt the same way when I read The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by award-winning historian Jeanne Theoharis. This rigorously and vigorously researched biography invites the reader to follow Parks' story as it really unfolded. In doing so, Theoharis also invites the reader to consider why this more fascinating true story is told far less often than the children's book version which most of us know.

...February 4 would have been Parks’ 106th birthday. If you believe in what she did and why she did it, it is time you knew who she really was. It might blow your mind and it might make you look at diversity issues--and the people raising those issues--in your organization differently.

Everyone knows the story.

Rosa Parks was an elderly black seamstress on her way home from work in 1955, who declined to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama because her feet were tired. This spontaneous action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights movement, giving this usually docile woman an accidental place in history.

But that is not what happened. 

.... (click below to read more)
Announcements from our network...
photo of Heather McGhee
MLK Convocation at CWRU TOMORROW

Case Western Reserve University will host policy expert and advocate, Heather McGhee, author of the forthcoming book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, for their annual MLK, Jr. Convocation on Friday, February 5 at 12:45 pm.

The Sum of Us explores the true cost of racism as the common denominator of our most troubling public problems, and offers a crucial rethink on what we can do to create a more prosperous nation for all.
(n.b. -- Heather McGhee was interviewed last week by Anand Giridharadas for The Ink. Read the interview here: "Ending the Uncivil War")
image of multiple promotional images for MLK Day events at AJCU schools
BHM events in the AJCU
The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) has compiled a list of MLK Day and Black History Month events at Jesuit institutions across the country, including prayer services, panels, and lectures by scholars and activists. Most are virtual events and open to the public.
Jesuit Anti-racism Retreat Re-Released for BHM
Promo image for Know Justice Know Peace - A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat
 In honor of Black History Month, The Jesuit Post is re-releasing “Know Justice, Know Peace: A Jesuit Antiracism Retreat.” It is a series of twelve talks published in video, podcast, and text across TJP’s media platforms. The retreat seeks to assist Christians in their growth as antiracist followers of Jesus. These talks are intended to be accompanied by inner reflection and prayer by those who wish to follow along.
Virtual Panel: American Christianity
and the Legacy of White Supremacy
Friday, February 12, 2:30-4:00 pm
Hosted by the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Panelists: Robert P. Jones, PRRI, author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity; Anthea Butler, U. of Pennsylvania, author of White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America, and Khyati Joshi, Farleigh Dickinson U., author of White Christian Privilege: The Illusion of Religious Equality in America.

The event is free, but registration is required.
In case you missed it...
clips from Tuesday's conversation with Dolly Chugh
... On a good technique to address "sticky moments" or difficult people by making our own learning visible.
... On how we can understand and embrace our "ordinary privilege" as a tool for seeking justice.