Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Events

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. 

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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.

October 5, 2017 - 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM ET

Immigration has been an important topic in elections in Europe since the rise of the Front National in France in the 1980s. In the last year the far right has seen mixed results, but immigration has played an important role for populist politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, Islamic terrorism and the refugee issue has played a key role in raising the salience of the immigration issue. In the U.S., undocumented immigration from Latin America and the spread of immigrants to new regions of the country has also raised the salience of the issue. Using evidence from previous research, including research examining the importance of the salience of the immigration issue, Professor Givens will examine the connection between immigration, religion and race and the rise of populist politicians in the U.S. and Europe.

October 5, 2017 - 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM ET

All of us have things we are good at, things we aren't, and things we'd like to do but they are hard for us for whatever reason. The idea of "disability" carries with it the idea what cannot be done. How is technology changing that? How is technology changing the idea of what we can or can't do? These four speakers from U-M address the ways in which technologies are empowering individuals in their lives, changing the idea of what is a disability, and literally reinventing normal.

Panel speakers:
Connie Chang, Managing Director, Fast Forward Medical Innovation
David Chesney, Computer Science and Engineering,
Michelle Meade, Director, UM Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

October 4, 2017 - 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM ET

Students bring a diversity of needs to our classroom. Teaching with accessibility in mind can help us include and accommodate them all. In this session, you will learn how to incorporate inclusive teaching principles and practices that promote accessibility to all students.

October 2, 2017 - 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET

There are many hidden ways in which culture influences behavior. Starting with an understanding of American culture, this session focuses on cultural differences between countries and how "common sense" assumptions we make about others may be flawed.

You will learn to:

Determine some American cultural values and norms that might differ from other cultures.

Discuss some of the challenges persons from other cultures might face at a US educational institution, as a student or employee.

Identify examples of verbal and nonverbal communication, symbolic meaning, cultural norms and cultural values.

You will benefit by:

Obtaining a general framework for understanding culture.

Increasing self-awareness and improving competency in both inter -and intra-cultural communications

September 27, 2017 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET

In light of recent hate incidents on campus and in our community, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and CAPS are providing a safe space to come together, reflect, and focus on self-care in these difficult times. RSVP Here »

September 22, 2017 - 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM ET

This professional development workshop will help students and professional social workers learn and appreciate the role of language in social work practice. All social workers, monolingual and multilingual alike, perform the role of language interpreter (and/or translator) in practice. Ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in practice calls for methods, philosophies, and tools that can allow us to build relationships across class, gender, immigration status, sexuality, language and race. Interpretation- facilitating communication across lines that might otherwise divide communities is essential to working towards our commitment to DE&I. Participants will learn methods and strategies for interpretation with special attention to the potential for power imbalances that influence the way in which communication is mediated through an interpreter.

RSVP here »