Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Events

November 29, 2017 - 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET

As part of the U-M Fall 2017 Marching Forward series, we invite you to engage across disciplines, generations, and communities to advance research and scholarship that explores political, social, and economic injustices, and/or advances strategies for effective social justice mobilization.

Through this symposium, we aim to engage the U-M community and the public in further understanding critical historical topics and fostering an intellectual community to explore the civil rights issues of today.

Agenda and list of presenters

This symposium takes place two days after the anticipated visit of Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell to the University of Michigan (Nov 27th, Hill Auditorium). Their acclaimed graphic novel trilogy, March, recounts Lewis's experiences throughout the Civil Rights Movement. In protest marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, John Lewis and 600 other marchers drew attention to the importance of voting rights for all African Americans. The marchers were brutally attacked by state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis and the marchers did not abandon their cause, but instead propelled the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

This event is co-presented by the International Institute’s Conflict and Peace Initiative, Department of Psychology, National Center for Institutional Diversity, and the Rackham Program in Public Scholarship. For questions regarding the symposium, please email [email protected].

November 27, 2017 - 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM ET

Congressman John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, co-authors of the graphic novel trilogy MARCH, will give a keynote presentation that included a Q&A and book-signing. March powerfully recounts Lewis's experiences throughout the Civil Rights Movement and has won many awards, including the National Book Award.

This free and public event will be live-streamed and recorded and will offer open seating on a first come, first serve basis (i.e., there will be no tickets).

John Lewis is a civil rights leader and an American politician, serving Georgia's 5th district since 1987. A member of the Democratic party leadership, Lewis has served as Senior Chief Deputy Whip since 2003. Born the son of Alabama sharecroppers, Lewis's childhood was filled with deeply inspirational moments, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. heard on radio broadcasts. As a college student, Lewis's inspiration fueled his commitment to end legalized racial segregation; he was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won Lewis the admiration of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress. Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls "The Beloved Community" in America. Lewis co-wrote his story with his then-Congressional Aid, now Digital Director and Policy Advisor, Andrew Aydin, in the form of the graphic novel trilogy, MARCH (2013). The collaborative work is illustrated by New York Times best-selling graphic novelist Nate Powell.

November 15, 2017 - 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM ET

CEW is honored to bring celebrated and award-winning actress, producer & equal rights advocate Laverne Cox to Rackham Auditorium. Doors will open at 5:30 PM.

In Ms. Cox's lecture, titled Ain't I a Woman: My Journey to Womanhood, she will be sharing her experiences as a trans woman of color, and her work as an international advocate for human rights and gender equality. This lecture serves as the capstone event to the 2017 CEW Spectrum of Advocacy & Activism Symposium being held earlier in the day.

This event is free and open to the public, however, tickets are sold out. The lecture cannot be recorded; however, it will be live-streamed at the Rackham Amphitheatre and the Michigan League Ballroom. Live-stream tickets are available.

November 15, 2017 - 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM ET

CEW is leading a one-day Spectrum of Advocacy and Activism Symposium focused on advocacy and activism training. This event will demonstrate how a person’s activism can change over time, how advocacy is tied to a person’s context and situational power, and how partnering with diverse perspectives can strengthen advocacy and activism efforts. "Health outcomes" has been selected as the theme for this year’s symposium because of increasing uncertainty surrounding healthcare in America, including coverage for women’s health care (mental health, mammograms, birth control, maternity care, etc.). The symposium will include presentations by local and national advocacy experts who have taken varied approaches to advocacy in ways that best leverage their current context (power, privilege, and identity). Find more information here.

November 13, 2017 - 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM ET

Z Nicolazzo (pronouns: ze/hir) will host an evening keynote that goes deeper into discussing the book Trans* in College: Transgender Students’ Strategies for Navigating Campus Life and the Institutional Politics of Inclusion.

Ze is an assistant professor and faculty associate at Northern Illinois University. Hir research focuses on mapping gender across college contexts, with a particular emphasis on affirmative and resilience-based research alongside trans* students.

Snacks will be provided.

Register here »

Free and open to the public.

November 13, 2017 - 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM ET

Join the DEI Office, TBLG Matters and Spectrum Center in welcoming Z Nicolazzo (pronouns: ze/hir) for an interactive discussion on Ze's research on Trans* In College: Personal Pathways To and Through The Research Process. Ze is an assistant professor and faculty associate at Northern Illinois University. Hir research focuses on mapping gender across college contexts, with a particular emphasis on affirmative and resilience-based research alongside trans* students. Ze recently published a book titled Trans* in College: Transgender Students’ Strategies for Navigating Campus Life and the Institutional Politics of Inclusion.

Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

RSVP here »

November 9, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

Join the Management Leadership Learning Community for a Lunch n' Learn presentation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in organizations. Our presenter is Yodit Mesfin-Johnson with NEW: Solutions for Nonprofits and Yodit will speak on many experiences with this topic in their organization. This event is in conjunction with the DE&I office and Diversity Week.

YODIT MESFIN JOHNSON is Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Strategy for NEW | Solutions for Nonprofits. She has overall strategic and operational responsibility for all NEW programs and manages NEW's program directors. As the chief program officer she provides leadership to NEW’s strategic planning process and implements new programmatic strategic initiatives. She is a nationally recognized leader in business development, nonprofit management and social entrepreneurship.

Yodit brings extensive corporate, entrepreneurial and community based experience to this role. Prior to joining NEW, Yodit directed a statewide business and economic development program for the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development (CEED). In that capacity and since, she has been a frequent speaker and advocate for nonprofits and socially conscious innovators.

Yodit studied Marketing, Communications and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University. She is the 2016 recipient of the Black United Fund’s Epic Leader and Community Conduit Award. A nationally recognized speaker, teacher, activist and on-air personality, Yodit juggles many responsibilities, including being a Mom,while using her voice to champion causes that promote equity, access and opportunity for all people.

Building Diverse Teams for High Performance »

November 9, 2017 - 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET

The U-M has long been a leader in social science research on the many dimensions of social inequality. This bicentennial symposium will highlight these contributions by focusing on the work of distinguished social scientists who were trained at the University. An illustrious group of Michigan graduates from an array of social science fields will discuss past, present, and future research on issues related to gender, race, poverty, inequality, and economic mobility.

November 6, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

Join Jamon Jordan of the Black Scroll Network who will give a talk that focuses on the decades-long turbulent racial history that led to the 1967 Rebellion. He will detail what happened during the 1967 Rebellion, and the legacy of those five days and what has happened in Detroit as a result. This presentation is sponsored by the SSW DEI Office.

RSVP here »

November 2, 2017 - 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM ET

Join for a comprehensive discussion and panel on the history and impact of adoption from the perspective of adoptees. 

RSVP here »

October 30, 2017 - 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM ET

The celebration of diversity in higher education has been a long time coming. There are many reasons for this tortuous path and we will explore some of them in my talk. The University of Michigan has been a leader in this journey, but not without its own missteps in the larger context of racialized social and political beliefs, and actions in the larger culture of the United States.

October 26, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ET

"Including Samuel," an award-winning documentary by Dan Habib, was filmed and produced over the course of four years. According to Habib, the film chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. 

October 24, 2017 - 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM ET

Continental Breakfast at 9:30, followed by the James T. Neubacher Award Ceremony.  A plaque will be awarded by Regent to the recipient of the Neubacher Award and Certificates of Appreciation to other members of the University of Michigan Community (faculty/staff/students/alums) who were selected from among the nominees by the Neubacher Award Committee.

October 23, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ET

When "I" is replaced with "WE" even "illness" becomes "wellness" -ActiveMinds

Active Minds at the University of Michigan is a chapter out of Active Minds Inc. and, as a student led organization, our goal is to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness and connect students to resources on campus.

October 23, 2017 - 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM ET

As the U-M celebrates its bicentennial, it is important to consider the significant place of Asian Studies in its history. In his lecture, Professor Donald Lopez will consider Asian Studies not only as a field of scholarly pursuit, but also in the sense of people from Asia and of Asian heritage studying and teaching at the University.

October 20, 2017 - 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM ET

Change it Up! brings bystander intervention skills to the University of Michigan community for the purpose of building inclusive, respectful and safe communities. It is based on a nationally recognized four-stage bystander intervention model that helps individuals intervene in situations that negatively impact individuals, organizations, and the campus community.

You will learn to:

Identify self-awareness and social responsibility as qualities of strong personal leadership

Discuss your own and others' identities and experiences

Determine the various options for effectively intervening during a negative situation

Develop your ability to assess which intervention option is based on the situation

Discuss and practice how to leverage bystander intervention skills within their campus communities

You will benefit by:

Receiving high impact learning through educational theater

Increasing your motivation to intervene in harmful situations

Gaining ability to assess the effectiveness of multiple options for intervention

Expanding your skills and confidence to successfully intervene in harmful situations

October 19, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET

Katharine Ball is a professional singer and graduate of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. She has performed locally and around the U.S, including Alaska. Ball was a semifinalist in the Elizabeth Connell Prize for Dramatic Sopranos’ international competition. Her accompanist Andrew Meagher, a Michigan graduate in Organ Performance, plays for various churches in the area. Look for live stream video and event subscriptions on Michigan Medicine's Gifts of Art Facebook page.

October 18, 2017 - 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM ET

Attempts at enhancing diversity often begin with a notion of enhancing tolerance for a minority group, resulting in ongoing senses of both disenfranchisement by the minority group and resentment by members of the dominant group. Looking at examples from the rise of the multicultural workplace, to the rise of autistic people and in the world of work, to the rise of women and gender and sexual diversity, we will examine opportunities to move from reactive, to strategic, to a new kind of essential diversity approach.

October 12, 2017 - 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM ET

A Long History of Unauthorized Immigration brings together a select, interdisciplinary group of key scholars for comparative engagements with current research into unauthorized immigrant Asian American, Latinx, African American, Muslim, Jewish, gendered, and sexualized social group histories and cultural practices from the late-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The symposium invites its participants to reflect on what is illuminated or interrogated when comparative analysis brings together the varied experiences of different social groups during the same period of US history. Find more information here.

October 11, 2017 - 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM ET

The unconscious mind is a powerful and intrinsic force in helping to shape our overall behavior in our everyday lives. This interactive session is designed to examine how unconscious bias can affect one's perceptions, decisions, and interactions. This training will help you to examine your own background and identities to interact more authentically with co-workers, customers and the community, and to create stronger and more positive work relationships with others. This training is geared towards faculty and staff.

RSVP here »

October 9, 2017 - 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM ET

Association of Black Social Work Students, Latinx Social Work Coalition, Radical People of Color Collective, & the DEI Office Presents:

A Tea Circle

A potluck event for students of color to create a community. Please note: This tea circle is a safe space for Michigan Social Work Students of Color, and we appreciate your understanding and respect for this space. First and second-year Students of Color welcome. Doors are also open to any Alumni of Color. 

October 6, 2017 - 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET

Join other social work students as you explore how to purposefully enter into, engage with, and exit from communities through meaningful service. In this interactive workshop, you will explore motivations, impact of social identities, and strategies for engaging in reciprocal, ethical, and respectful ways.

RSVP here »

October 6, 2017 - 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM ET

Come out and see how dogs can help people. The objectives in this annual activity are to raise consciousness about and reinforce the animal-human bond with the intent of making the academic, hospital, and surrounding local community feel comfortable with and appreciative of therapy and service dogs and their various roles in helping human beings. In addition, for the past ten years, we have Invited various service and therapy dog organizations (e.g., Paws with a Cause: Canine Companions; Leader Dogs, Therapaws, etc.) to come to campus in October, to interact with members of the community, especially students and hospital patients, all of which is a wonderful learning experience for our campus and surrounding community. We established several venues for dog viewing (and patting) around campus and in the hospital. We also fielded questions as well as offers from individuals to enroll their own pets in the therapy dog program or to foster and socialize puppies until they were old enough to undergo training as service dogs. Conclusions: By presenting positive, detailed information about the training and ultimate helpfulness of various types of service and therapy dogs and by providing "hands-on" interactions with these canines, we have promoted the idea of bonding between dogs and people, both emotionally and as valuable assistant to individuals with disabilities.