Volume 3, Issue 17: May 6, 2021
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Our ultimate objective in learning about anything is to try to create and develop a more just society. - Yuri Kochiyama Human Rights Activist
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage month. This heritage month often goes under-recognized on college campuses because it falls during the busiest time of the academic year: the final days of classes, final exams, and Commencement exercises. In 2021, however, AAPI Heritage Month holds particular importance for us all, and we would all do well to pay attention to it. 

In the U.S., AAPI identities are often most closely associated with people who trace their origin to East Asian countries such as China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. However, the AAPI community is much larger and more geographically diverse than that in origin, generally including people whose families hail from Southeast Asia (such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia), South Asia (such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), or the Pacific Islands (such as the islands of the Philippines, Hawaii, Micronesia, and Polynesia).

AAPI Heritage Month has evolved over time from Asian American Heritage Week, established by Congress in 1978 to honor the “achievements and contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States." The month of May was chosen to mark two important anniversaries: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad by many Chinese laborers on May 10, 1869. Because this country's history (and present) with regard to AAPI people is fraught with problems, tragedies, and injustices, it is even more important for all of us to take time to celebrate the many accomplishments and gifts of the many AAPI members of our community. See below for three ways we can all participate in celebrating AAPI heritage month this May!

It is true that the sheer number of things we are trying to pay attention to in this moment can feel overwhelming. In coming weeks we will mark one year since the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and two months since the mass shooting of several Asian women and others at spas in Atlanta. It also marks the third month of the relentless exponential growth of COVID-19 cases in India, a wave of infections that has spiked out of control in recent weeks, causing the collapse of the country’s health care system and leading people of Indian descent around the world to look on in agony while scrambling to arrange aid for sick family members. There is much to pay attention to, on all fronts, much of it tragic. But such attention is necessary to build a community of genuine care and inclusion. 

In a recent article for Inside Higher Ed, Interdisciplinary Studies professor Dr. Grace Pai points out that after the Atlanta spa shootings in March, the news cycle ignited “a short-lived wave of interest in issues concerning Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that lasted only about a week -- despite headlines about how that wave felt different than ever before.” She analyzes the differences in public responses by universities between this event and others involving other marginalized identity groups, pointing out that the disparities in response reflect the reality that “AAPI students, faculty and staff are easily ignored because we systematically have yet to be prioritized in higher education. We too often remain an invisible minority in institutional policies, protocols and actions.” 

Dr. Pai’s message here is an important one for all of us. Even in our work for diversity, equity and inclusion, we must always ensure that our focus and emphasis does not reinforce harmful existing patterns of separation and isolation. There should not be hierarchies in our recognition of oppression. We are in this together. While our identities and experiences vary, our ultimate goal is the same: to create a community where all people feel they belong, where all human dignity is equally respected, where all persons can thrive. 
Headshot of Tiffany Galvin Green
Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Division Announcements
9th Annual Multicultural Recognition program
STARTING SOON! May 6, 2020 | 5:00 pm | YouTube livestream
Promo image for Multicultural Recognition event
The Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion at John Carroll University is excited to celebrate the 9th Annual Multicultural Recognition for the Class of 2021. The event recognizes the academic and co-curricular achievements of students from historically underrepresented backgrounds who are graduating Spring and Summer 2021.

This event will feature student keynotes by Ayoub Harb (Class of 2021), Daniella Flores (Class of 2021) and Ayse Selen Zarrelli (Class of 2021). Musical performances by Dr. Cynthia Caporella, Professor Theresa May, and singer-songwriter and educator Kate Kooser. Appearances by Dr. Aaryn Green, Dr. Tiffany Galvin-Green, Dr. Steven Herbert, Eric Eickhoff, and our incoming 26th JCU President Dr. Alan Miciak. A virtual photo booth will be featured for you to help us celebrate the Class of 2021! 
Banner reads - A farewell party for Salomon Rodezno - May 7 3 pm
Our cherished colleague Salomón (Salo) Rodezno, Director of the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, will be leaving the university in June to pursue a doctoral degree at Michigan State University.

Salo's contributions to JCU in the nearly 10 years that he has worked here are innumerable and his reach has been broad. He has been a tireless advocate and supporter for marginalized voices and creating a community that includes and embraces the needs of all identities on campus.

The entire campus community is invited to join us in saying farewell to Salo and wishing him well as he moves on to this exciting new opportunity. There are three ways you can participate:

Please join us in showing our appreciation to Salo for all of his tireless efforts and great collegiality. His dedication to justice and his demonstration of compassion have made an indelible impression on our entire community. He will be missed!
Three Ways to Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month
Looking for ways to honor and celebrate AAPI Heritage Month? Here are a few suggestions: 

1. Learn the history.

Read up on the history of AAPI communities, both within the states and in their home and/or surrounding countries. The best books are the one that are grounded in real history, folklore and cultural traditions that are true to the community/ies that are being discussed. Books offer insight, experiences and narratives to various communities that we may not have otherwise been able to witness. Starting a book club (like we have on campus) or reading a few chapters of a book or a short story with a loved one is a great way to celebrate this month.

2. Try traditional foods.

In a recent Washington Post article about AAPI food traditions, food writer Marian Liu writes, "In the Asian American Pacific Islander community, food is how we show love. It’s how we communicate, how we cope and find comfort. Instead of hugs, my family piles more into your bowl." Use this month to learn about, try, or even learn to make foods from one of the many cultures represented in the AAPI community.

3: Attend Events, Museums and Exhibits

There are many programs available, both in-person and virtual, for celebrating the arts and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands this month. Here are a few to consider:

I encourage you to find your unique path to celebrate AAPI culture and communities, through art, culture, history, music, stories, friendships and love, and rejoice in the diversity of our community and the world.
Ramadan Observance and Finals Week
Image of crescent moon with the words - We wish all the blessings of Ramadan to the Muslim members of our JCU community. Ramadan mubarak.
Just a reminder that today begins the final week of the month of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar.

Those observing Ramadan generally wake before dawn to eat before the sun comes up, and will not eat again until after sundown. When scheduling important events for the end of the semester, consider giving preference to early morning rather than late afternoon, and try to avoid scheduling evening events that will happen around sunset (i.e., around 8:00-8:30 pm at this time of year), as this is an important time for gathering with family and friends to break the fast.

Note that part of our final exam week overlaps with Ramadan. If you are an instructor, consider offering to reschedule exams scheduled for late afternoon, so that a student who is fasting can complete the exam when they are best able to concentrate. If you are a supervisor, consider offering your direct reports the opportunity to adjust their work hours during Ramadan, if feasible. They may prefer to shift their work hours to start and end work earlier in the day, for example.

The day after the official end of Ramadan is a major holiday, Eid al-Fitr, which will be celebrated next Thursday, May 13. This festival is customarily celebrated in the company of family and friends. Wherever possible, students and employees should be granted leave from work and class obligations on Eid al-Fitr. Religious observance of this holiday would constitute an appropriate and expected reason to reschedule a student examination. Faculty can contact the Provost’s Office if they have questions about rescheduling exams.

If students need assistance with rescheduling exams or receiving other religious accommodations for any academic or co-curricular university programs, they should reach out to the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at diversity@jcu.edu.
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
More Discussion Than Action: Racial Justice on Campus
Survey shows what college students think about their institutions’ actions in the aftermath and year since George Floyd was killed last May -- and what campus leaders can do now to take bolder steps toward racial justice and equality.
Melissa Ezarik, Inside Higher Ed, May 6, 2021

A new Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse and presented by Kaplan, finds that many students were underwhelmed by their colleges’ responses to George Floyd’s death.

Of the 2,000 college students surveyed between April 5 and 15, nearly half recall getting an email from their institution, and about three in 10 remember a statement expressing support for BLM. Colleges were much less likely to have taken bold steps, such as developing a comprehensive racial justice action plan.

“That’s exactly what presidents do -- we issue a statement,” says Lori White, president of DePauw University in Indiana. “We organize conversation circles. We offer counseling. We activate a task force. Or we respond to demands students have provided to us. But we all know that none of that is moving the needle.”
Banner reads Watching Our Words
"powwow"
Noun.
In many Native American communities across North America, a formal periodic gathering of the community, featuring singing, dancing, feasting, religious ceremonies and other cultural events.
The word powwow, which derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, "spiritual leader," has been adopted into American English as an informal term to refer to any meeting where a discussion takes place. However, "powwow" means far more than this in many Native American cultures, where the powwow is an important community event with ceremonial and cultural significance. Non-natives run the risk of denigrating Native cultures when they use this particular word as shorthand for "meeting." Plenty of other words work just as well without running the risk of giving offense; consider replacing this term with words like "discussion," "conversation," "gathering," "chat," or "roundtable."
The "Watching our Words" feature discusses words or phrases in common use in American English with derogatory or offensive origins or meanings. Do you have a word or phrase you'd like us to feature in "Watching our Words"? Drop it into our Suggestion Box and we will explore it in a future newsletter!
Announcements from our network...
Please Complete the ISN Racial Justice Survey!
Ignatian Solidarity Network logo
The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is administering a survey now through May 10 to better comprehend the contexts of race, equity, and justice at and within its network of Jesuit and Catholic institutions (parishes, secondary schools, and colleges and universities). The data gathered will aid in the development of a broad-based Racial Justice Action Plan.

This survey is intended to capture different voices and perspectives. It is anonymous and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. 
Join the John Carroll delegation
for the 2021 Annual Meeting of the
AJCU Conference on Diversity and Equity!
June 2-3, 2021 | Online | Free registration!
promo image for AJCU CDE 2021 Annual Meeting
This year, the AJCU Conference on Diversity and Equity (CDE) will be holding its annual meeting virtually. This year's meeting will focus on ways that Jesuit colleges and universities can become anti-racist institutions. Participation is free! This year's meeting will be hosted by Canisius College. 
Who Is My Neighbor? A lecture and conversation
with Professor M. Shawn Copeland
Thursday, May 13 | 4 pm PT (7 pm ET) | Online via Zoom
M Shawn Copeland
Seattle University welcomes theologian M. Shawn Copeland, Professor Emerita at Boston College, to deliver the annual Ann O'Hara Graff Lecture in Theology and Religious Studies.

As we peoples of Earth continue to grapple with the lethal coronavirus, we are beset with grave existential, spiritual, and intellectual suffering. Moreover, we in the United States are grappling with waves of white racist supremacy. To answer the question, ‘Who is my neighbor?’ in deeds as well as in words requires that we rethink what it means to be human and what it means to live humanely in a world shaped by legacies of racial domination and oppression.
Cuyahoga County Public Library Writers Center Stage presents
Tara Westover and Terry Tempest Williams
Thursday, May 6 | 7:00 pm| Online
photos of Tara Westover and Terry Tempest Williams with their most popular book covers
Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir, Educated, debuted at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list and remained there for more than a year. The book explores Westover’s struggle to reconcile her desire for education and autonomy with her desire to be loyal to her family. Westover will appear May 6 in conversation with writer/naturalist/activist Terry Tempest Williams, known for her fierce advocacy and impassioned, lyrical prose. She is the author of the environmental literature classic, Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place (1991); Finding Beauty in a Broken World (2008); and the best-seller, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks (2016).
2021 Migration Justice Summit for Student Organizers
Sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network
June 15-18 | 12:00-5:00 pm daily | Online
Ignatian Solidarity Network logo
This interactive summit will invite participants to connect with fellow students, hear from people impacted by the issues and experts in the field, develop organizing skills, and plan for action during the school year. Each day will include reflection, interactive sessions, policy education, and skill building for organizing. Each university may send up to 10 students.

Registration Deadline: Friday, May 21
Other articles we're reading this week ...