Greetings,
Welcome to our April 2021 edition of the JEDI Newsletter. Our March schedule was packed with various workshops, programs, and events. I had been especially looking forward to spending time with students in the classroom. JEDI Fellow Alejandra Luna and I co-facilitated a workshop for the OT Fieldwork Seminar that Mary Evenson teaches. We had a great conversation with the students about recognizing and responding to microaggressions in the clinical setting. We also discussed resources available to students to support them in navigating these situations. Callie Watkins Liu in collaboration with Tony Sindelar and Tasneem Pota facilitated our first ever workshop on syllabus auditing for JEDI with faculty members.
JEDI Fellow Kana Sakai and I co-facilitated Karen Hunt’s SON NS 510 course with a workshop on implicit bias. We had a discussion about how everyone has biases, and how recognizing our own biases and knowing the research on bias will help us to better mitigate them. Later in the week, I met with the students again to facilitate a three-hour discussion on Critical Race Theory (CRT) with the SON HONI class. We were able to connect what we learned about implicit bias to microaggressions to institutionalized racism. We focused on one of the concepts within CRT, intersectionality. What I found most helpful were opportunities for us to discuss real-life cases in higher education and the health professions to better understand how individuals experience intersectionality. Also that evening, I opened up the classroom space to acknowledge the shootings in Atlanta.
The Atlanta shootings have changed me/my work in a couple of different ways. Prior to the shootings, part of my work had been to educate others about how Asian Americans are in fact people of color, and experience racism. After these shootings, I do not feel pressure to do this anymore as the country has seen and read about how Asian Americans are oppressed. Another way these shootings have changed me is that I realized how important it was for me to focus on self-care and community care. It was not until these shootings that I internalized Audre Lorde’s words, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” During one of our JEDI Fellows meetings, Henri from EAP/SAP came to lead mindfulness exercises with us and facilitate a conversation about self-care. The JEDI Office took a day of rest the week last week. These are a few of the ways in which we are engaging in intentional efforts to sustain ourselves and our work.
This month, we have one large standalone program, "Violence in Context: Understanding the Current Atlanta Tragedy within the History and Systems of Anti-Asian Violence" We will continue to hold spaces for members of the IHP community. The JEDI Office is devoting time to focus on planning for PPP as well as other initiatives. Please consider signing up to be a facilitator for the summer PPP, which will focus on intersectionality and disability on Wednesday, June 2, 2:00–3:30 p.m.
We would also like to use this time to (re)share resources with you.
Until next month,
Kimberly A. Truong, Ph.D.
she/her/hers/they/them/theirs
Executive Director
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
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Upcoming Events: Violence in Context and Power Privilege, and Positionality
IHP & JEDI News: Dr. Truong Receives Awards, Get Konnected! Most Impactful Black Women in Boston, March Events Recap, and BSU Leading for Change Consortium Recap
Continuing JEDI Learning: Resources on Anti-Asian Racism
Community Events: Lecture of Justice and Equity in Speech-Language Pathology and Conversation with Ocean Vuong
Resource Sharing: Food Resources and Information About SNAP
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Violence in Context: Understanding the Current Atlanta Tragedy within the History and Systems of Anti-Asian Violence – Friday, April 2
Join us for "Violence in Context: Understanding the Current Atlanta Tragedy within the History and Systems of Anti-Asian Violence" on Friday, April 2, 1:00–2: 30 p.m. Dr. Josephine Kim, a lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, will ground us in the historical and contemporary experiences Asian Americans have with racism and Dr. Rivera, assistant professor in English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Boston University, will speak to the relationship between the Atlanta shootings and intersectionality, imperialism, and sexual violence. Register here.
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Call for Power, Privilege, and Positionality Facilitators
– Wednesday, June 2
The next iteration of Power, Privilege, and Positionality will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 2, 2:00–3:30 p.m. Sandy Ho, a research associate with the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, as well as a community organizer in the Boston area focused on disability justice and intersectionality, will be on the panel. Facilitators are expected to monitor a discussion board on D2L and facilitate conversation at the June 2 event. We have an institutional goal of 100% faculty and staff participation this year. Current students, faculty, and staff are welcome to sign up. |
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Dr. Truong Recognized by Get Konnected! and National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education
Kimberly Truong, PhD, executive director of the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at MGH Institute of Health Professions, was recognized by Get Konnected!, a hub for cross-cultural business connections as one of Massachusetts’ 50 most influential people of color in higher education. She also has received the inaugural Rising Star Award from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). She was recognized for her important work and exceptional contributions to advance the understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence in higher education. Read more here.
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Get Konnected! Most Impactful Black Women in Boston
Get Konnected! announced their list of 100 Most Impactful Black Women in Boston 2021. Gaurdia Banister, an adjunct professor of nursing at the IHP and executive director of the Institute for Patient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dianne Austin, director of diversity, inclusion, and engagement at Mass General Hospital, and Dani Monroe, vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for Mass General Brigham, were recognized. Check out the full list in the video.
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March Events Recap
Processing Space for Asian and Asian American Identifying Students, Faculty, and Staff
Dr. Josephine Kim, a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education, facilitated a healing space for Asian and Asian American identifying community members to process violence against the Asian and Asian American community on April 2. She also shared an introduction of the history of Asian Americans in the U.S. to give us a context of anti-Asian racism.
Flint's Deadly Water Documentary Discussion: The Power of a Narrative
The JEDI Fellows held a virtual discussion on the documentary Flint's Deadly Water on March 15. Jasmine Hall, a Flint-based public health leader and epidemiologist, shared her experience living through the water crisis and how health care providers play a role in the community.
Auditing Your Syllabi for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Dr. Callie Watkins Liu and the Instructional Design team presented the workshop "Auditing Your Syllabi for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion" to over 30 participants on March 18. Some of the participants mentioned that it "opened [their] eyes to the hidden messages that can be disseminated in a syllabus" and appreciated the concrete examples. The JEDI Office and Instructional Design team intend for this workshop to be a launch point for more discussion around these topics. Please reach out to Dr. Watkins Liu, Tony Sindelar, and Tasneem Porta to continue the conversation with JEDI and Instructional Design, as well as within your departments.
After the workshop, the following resources were shared:
Baugh Lecture
Dr. Lori Patton Davis gave the talk "Masks, Mattering, Magic and Movements: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities to Support Minoritized Students in Higher Education" as a part of the E. Lorriane Baugh Visiting Faculty Scholar series on March 26. Dr. Patton Davis spoke about equity-mindedness, which includes listening to students and believing them, hiring more diverse faculty and staff, and incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy in the curriculum. She then said, "Many people in higher ed think that things will magically occur and get better, but often it’s people of color who are doing all the work and not getting credit for it. Everyone has to do their share and not just the chief diversity officer.”
Social Justice Research Conference
The inaugural Social Justice Research Conference was held on March 26. At least 20 faculty, students, alumni, and researchers presented their work to over 100 attendees. JEDI Fellows Bella Coyne, Annika Chan, Alejandra Luna, and Meg O'Brien organized the event and Dr. Peter S. Cahn and Dr. Nara Gavini helped review the abstract submissions. Thanks to all for a successful conference! View the program guide for more information. |
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BSU Leading for Change Consortium Recap
The BSU Leading for Change Consortium is a collaboration of higher education institutions in Massachusetts and New England committed to identifying student and employee diversity best practices through uniform and transparent use of data, institutional benchmarks, and reflective practice. The IHP group met on March 16 to discuss the text Whiteness in Higher Education: The Invisible Missing Link in Diversity and Racial Analyses and review the Institute’s anti-oppression statement. |
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Lecture of Justice and Equity in Speech-Language Pathology
– Tuesday, April 6
The Boston Graduate Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDBOS) present Lecture of Justice and Equity in Speech-Language Pathology on Tuesday, April 6, 7:00–9:00 p.m. This will be a live event. A recording of the event will be available for a limited 14-day period after the event concludes. If you are interested in attending the live event or viewing the recording, please register. Shameka Stanford, PhD, CCC-SLP, an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders at Howard University, will present "The Power of the Clinical Pen: Preparing for Proactive Social Justice Infused Clinical Work" and Kelly Harris, PhD, CCC-SLP, an instructor in occupational therapy and surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, will present "Beyond Cultural Competency: Rethinking our Role in Equity and Justice." |
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Reading and Conversation with Ocean Vuong – Thursday, April 8
Ocean Vuong, the author of The New York Times bestselling novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, will be joined in conversation with Ju Yon Kim, professor of English, Harvard University, and introduced by Catherine Ho ’21, AB candidate in neuroscience with a secondary in ethnicity, migration, rights, Harvard College on Thursday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Learn more and register.
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Resources on Anti-Asian Racism
Check out the following resources to help contextualize the increase in xenophobic attacks on Asian Americans:
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Massachusetts Food Resources
Food assistance for all of MA including determining SNAP eligibility, finding free meals for kids in your community, and finding local meal programs and food pantries.
Connection to resources in Eastern Massachusetts, including food pantries, community meal providers, and assistance with SNAP enrollment.
Communities Fridges and Micropantries
Immediate, 24/7 food available for anyone – take what you need, leave what you don't.
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Information About SNAP
While not all full-time students are eligible for SNAP, COVID-related changes guidelines as of 2021 expand eligibility. The USDA website has more information about who is eligible.
If you are a student and meet SNAP eligibility requirements, you may be eligible if you also meet one of the SNAP exemptions – including new exemptions that began in January 2021. Please see the website linked above for more details or contact one of the above organizations to help determine your eligibility.
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Advancing Care For a Diverse Society |
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