Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Events

March 21, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ET

School of Social Work Guest Lecture and Workshop by Nikkita Oliver

Join the Nikkita Oliver guest lecture and workshop on community participation, and grassroots organizing in policy and politics.

Co-sponsored by the School of Social Work, Community Action and Social Change Minor, and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

RSVP here »

Lecture: Community Participation in Policy and Politics

Thursday, March 21st, 12:00 - 1:30PM, RSVP Required

Educational Conference Center, Lunch Provided

Inspired by the events of the November 2018 primary election, the lecture will provoke discussion on the role and importance of representation in the electorate, and strategies to engage community in the political process. Guest speaker Nikkita Oliver will share her story as the first political candidate of the Seattle People's Party, in her run for Mayor of Seattle in 2017. Through her story, participants will learn more about her journey as a political candidate, and the importance of continued community participation in social and political action. The program will present discussion about the role of community practitioners in political advocacy at the intersection of grassroots community organizing, and the use of politics and policy to promote social justice.

Workshop: Political Grassroots Organizing and Social Action

Friday, March 22nd, 9:00AM - 12:00PM, RSVP Required

Educational Conference Center, Breakfast Provided

Guest speaker Nikkita Oliver will lead an interactive workshop on community participation and grassroots political organizing and action. Participants will gain knowledge of tacit skills, tools and approaches to engage community through political education and advocacy in local governing structures.

In order to join each program, complete the online reservation form.

justice is just us being us

Nikkita Oliver is a Seattle-based creative/artist, community organizer, educator, and attorney. Working at the intersections of arts and organizing she strives to create experiences which draw us closer to our humanity. Her work asks us to engage what we see happening now and to imagine what we hope to see in the future. Nikkita holds a J.D. and Masters of Education from the University of Washington. She is also the case manager for Creative Justice, an arts-based alternative to incarceration, and has worked for arts organizations such as Writers in the Schools and Arts Corps. Nikkita is one of the Seattle Mets 2018 50 Most Influential Women in Seattle, the recipient of the 2018 UW Women's Center Women of Courage Award, 2018 UW Evan's School of Public Policy NOW (Network of Womxn) Award, 2017 City Arts Artists of the Year, Gender Justice Power Award (2017), Seattle King County NAACP President's Leadership Award (2017), Columbia Legal Services Imagine Justice Visionary of the Year (2017), the University of Washington Women's Law Caucus Outstanding Achievement as a Young Lawyer Award (2017), the Seattle Office of Civil Rights Artist Human Rights Leader Award (2015), and the 2014 Seattle Poetry Slam Grand Champion.

March 14, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET

The Office of Global Activities hosts bi-weekly coffee hour for all international students and visitors at the School of Social Work. It is a time to relax and get to know each other. 

Please join us! Boba tea will be provided if you RSVP before 10 AM on the day of the event. 

RSVP Here >>

February 28, 2019 - 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM ET

The Common Roots planning committee is proud to announce our first event, the Faculty and Staff of Color Meet and Greet. This event gives students an opportunity to connect with one another and provide networking opportunities for the School of Social Work's faculty and staff of color.

Common Roots is a planning committee consisting of members from the Office of Student Services, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, the LatinX Social Work Coalition, the Associaition of Black Social Workers and the Black Radical Healing Pathways.

For more information please feel free to contact the planning committee, [email protected]. 

Dinner will be served and doors will open at 5:00 PM, the event will formally begin at 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM. 

 

RSVP

February 27, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM ET

Join the students from the Fall 2018 Facing Race mini-course in a conversation around racial equity as we explore themes of: accountability, decolonization, challenging viewpoints, digging deeper and changing the narrative. Let's share what we can commit to doing to 'change the game' to address racial equity in the School of Social Work and beyond. This is a collaborative space for students, faculty, and staff.

RSVP here »

February 25, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 2:45 PM ET

The Association of Black Social Workers would like to invite you to a Black Panther Viewing Party. Join us for some fun, soul food, and a brief discussion following the film! There will be catering through Cuppy's Best Soul Food restaurant located in Ypsilanti.

This event was supported in collaboration with the Center for Educational Outreach, SSW DEI Office, Office of Student Services, and professor Daicia Price.

February 21, 2019 - 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET

Celebrate Black History Month with the DEI Office in friendly competition with a trivia night! Dinner and prizes will be provided. 

RSVP Here »

February 18, 2019 - 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET

Ignacio G. Hutiá Xeiti Rivera (they/them) is a trans and queer activist of color with over 20 years of experience in anti-oppression and sexual liberation work including topics of: consent, sexual survivorship, and sex after sexual violence. Their work continues to center those at the margins, particularly people of color and those with queer and trans identities.

February 14, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

A client's spiritual beliefs can significantly influence their behavior, cultural norms, schemas, how they deal with trauma, etc. Not to mention how spirituality impacts our personal lives as social workers! Come join the Interfaith Alliance in Spirituality Speed Dating where we will discuss spirituality and its impact on our work as social workers, our client's lives, our own lives, and how we can incorporate spirituality in our DEI and social justice efforts. A panel discussion will follow.

Lunch is provided.

RSVP Here »

February 9, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM ET

This event will look at social work/social science fields through the black struggle. The event was inspired by current/past experiences navigating academia, so it's focus is primarily centered on listening to understand black voices, as often black/poc experiences/pain are utilized as tools for others' learning. We have come together to organize a community event to present social work beyond a white professional framework, and dive into exploring the Black Struggle and the optics of Our contribution towards liberation. This is a free event and all are welcome.

RSVP here »

February 6, 2019 - 5:00 PM ET

The University of Michigan School of Social Work is pleased to present Juliana Huxtable live in performance at the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre for the 2018 Martin Luther King Symposium. Huxtable is a NYC-based artist, DJ and poet whose work probes the perception and presentation of identity, history and online communities.  Her performance marks Michigan Social Work’s first commissioned artist in over 20 years, as a part of the Social Justice Art Collection.

Huxtable will present a new iteration of her performance work highlighting her compelling use of language, and collaborations in music, projection, and lighting design.  Featuring instrumental performances by her frequent collaborators, the pianist, percussionist, and composer Joe Heffernan, Detroit-based harpist Ahya Simone with lighting design by Michael Potvin. Through Huxtable’s explorations, one may contemplate the power and powerlessness of the body as well as its dispossession in relation to technology, violence, and blackness.

In conjunction with SW713 :  Art and Design for Social Work, Social Justice and Community Change Instructed by Professor Larry Gant.

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Doors at 4:30 PM

5 PM Performance

Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

Free

Related Projects Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today

Huxtable’s work is also included in the University of Michigan Museum of Art’s presentation of Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today. Organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, the exhibition examines the radical impact of internet culture on visual art since the invention of the web in 1989. This exhibition presents more than forty works across a variety of media—painting, performance, photography, sculpture, video, and web-based projects. It features work by some of the most important artists working today, including Judith Barry, Juliana Huxtable, Pierre Huyghe, Josh Kline, Laura Owens, Trevor Paglen, Seth Price, Cindy Sherman, Frances Stark, and Martine Syms.

December 15, 2018, to April 7, 2019

University of Michigan Museum of Art

Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series

Huxtable will also give a Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series Lecture.

February 7, 2018,  5:15 PM

Michigan Theater

Sponsors

Major funding was provided by The Faculty Alliance for Diversity at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Michigan Social Work gratefully acknowledges for their support, The Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design, The University of Michigan Museum of Art, The Institute for Research on Woman and
Gender, and The Spectrum Center.

February 6, 2019 - 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM ET

You're invited to join the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for our winter open house! Come drop in to learn more about what the office has been working on, and the upcoming initiatives planned for this semester. Participants can come and go freely during this event. Light refreshments will be available. Students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to participate.

January 30, 2019 - 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM ET

Join the students from the Fall 2018 Facing Race mini-course in a conversation around racial equity as we explore themes of: accountability, decolonization, challenging viewpoints, digging deeper and changing the narrative. Let's share what we can commit to doing to ‘change the game' to address racial equity in the School of Social Work and beyond. This is a collaborative space for students, faculty, and staff.

RSVP Here »

January 24, 2019 - 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET

SURJ UMich works to motivate and make known transformative education opportunities that sharpen the analysis, organizing skills and leadership of white anti-racist organizers and the broader University of Michigan community. Please join us as we come together to begin setting our agenda and intentions for this semester's chapter. We will also be hosting a one-time training on the topic of, 'how to initiate conversations about white supremacy and anti-racism'.

December 11, 2018 - 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM ET

On October 29, 2018, MSW students gathered for the Student Forum on School Climate. This event featured an overview of the school climate survey results from a survey conducted last year. Following the climate survey results, students were able to de-brief the results in small groups. After the small group de-briefs, students expressed an interest in furthering the conversation. Attending students wanted more time to discuss the issues and to begin problem solving. 

The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion would like for students to join the 2nd Student Forum on School Climate. The structure of this upcoming event will be much like a hackathon. Students will break out into small groups to problem solve on the following topics: Addressing Privilege & Oppression, Community & Connectivity, Curriculum & Classroom Experience, Student Recruitment & Welcoming, and Support for Students.

Lunch will be provided. 

RSVP

December 10, 2018 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET

Come celebrate with the School of Social Work’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for a ceremony to honor the award winners for the DEI Impact Awards, recognizing individuals or groups in the School who have made significant contributions to advancing diversity, equity & inclusion.

RSVP Here

December 3, 2018 - 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET

The School of Social Work Research Office and the Michigan HIV/AIDS Council invite you to World AIDS Day and Awards. We will come together to unite in the ongoing fight against HIV. More than 36.7 million individuals are living with HIV worldwide; 1.1 million in the USA and 16,218 in Michigan. RSVP 9 a.m. Continental Breakfast and Registration 9:30 a.m. Why World AIDS Day? - Rogério Meireles Pinto, Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Social Work 10:15 a.m. The State of HIV in Michigan - Dawn Lukomski, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services 11 a.m. Awards Ceremony - Michigan HIV/AIDS Council 11:15 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Jeanne White-Grinder, mother of Ryan White 11:45 a.m. Create a paper tile for our commemorative quilt (see the sample to right). 12:10 p.m. Larry Gant, Professor School of Social Work - Brief description of the curated social justice art collection. 12:15 p.m. Lunch and View the School of Social Work's social justice art collection.

November 30, 2018 - 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET

Join us in room 2733 SSWB for our next SSW Book Club meeting.

We will discuss the award-winning novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis.

You are welcome to join us whether or not you have attended before, and whether or not you have finished the book.

All members of the SSW community are invited. Feel free to bring your lunch.

November 29, 2018 - 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET

A drastic change in the public charge rule proposed by the Trump administration would substantially restrict access to green cards and various types of visas for immigrants who are not already well-off financially. Learn more and join us in fighting back.

November 15, 2018 - 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET

Join Anishinaabe Elder Mona Stonefish for an evening of healing and restoration of the self through tradition and culture, as we learn about the experiences of North American Indian women. Feast will be cooked by Jonathan Fowler, Native chef.

Anishinaabe Elder Mona Stonefish (Bear Clan) is a Doctor of Traditional Medicine and an international activist for peace, Indigenous, women’s and disability rights. She is Senator of the Anishinaabemowin Teg – language preservation, a Keeper of Wisdom, and a Grandmother Water Walker. She is also a member of the Native American Museum of Washington D.C., a traditional dancer, and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013). She and her granddaughter Sky Stonefish support and teach one another, confront discrimination, and fight to tear down barriers in their travels together.

November 14, 2018 - 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET

Reyna Ortiz has been working for over four years at Taskforce Prevention & Community Services: however, she has been involved with the transgender community since 2000. When she began to frequent other transgender women who were sex workers, Reyna then started to share her knowledge and help find resources available for the community.

November 8, 2018 - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET

You're invited to join the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for our open house event Coffee & Conversation! 

The event will feature the staff, students and faculty of the DEI office. Each member of the team will be in attendance during select times. Participants can come and go freely during this Open House event. 

Refreshments will be available on a first come, first served basis. Students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to participate.

November 7, 2018 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, which outlawed the widespread practice of housing discrimination. Please join historian and founder of the Black Scroll Network, Jamon Jordan, as he discusses the court case involving the family of Ossian and Gladys Sweet, one of the most remarkable fights for civil rights in Detroit's history and it's lasting impact.

RSVP here »

November 1, 2018 - 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET

Despite the fact that ADHD is one of the most researched of psychiatric disorders, and neuroimaging studies show that it is a neurobiological disorder, ADHD myths continue to pervade our national discussion, fueled by sensationalized media and the opinions of mental health professionals. For this event, five ADHD experts will come together for a panel discussion to not only set the record straight, but also to share how they work as a team to provide their clients a scaffolding of support. Using a strengths-based, multi-dimensional approach, this team of experts helps students and adults living with ADHD find their paths to healing and personal fulfillment. RSVP Here

Panelists Include:

Sari Solden, M.S., is a psychotherapist and author of Women with Attention Deficit Disorder (2005) and Journeys Through ADDulthood (2002) and an international keynote speaker

Geraldine Markel, Ph.D., is an educational psychologist, author, and ADHD productivity coach at Managing Your Mind Coaching and Seminars

Terry Matlen, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, consultant, and coach, specializing in women with ADHD

Regina Carey, M.Ed., founder of Carey On, LLC specializes in working with adults with Invisible Disabilities and Women Empowerment

Susan Hunsberger, M.A., is the owner of Strategize Organize, LLC, where she partners alongside adults and students struggling with chronic disorganization and/or ADHD as a Professional Organizer