Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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| Dear Community,
As we begin the spring semester, I welcome our newest members and welcome back those who are returning to our Silver community. The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion newsletter serves as a vehicle for knowledge, resources, and renewal of self and community care at Silver. Let the reflective questions associated with Silver's ACTT pillars (accountability, community, transparency, and trust) guide our praxis in the service of social work.
It has been quite a year across the nation and around the globe, with mass shootings, hate speech and attacks, violence against LGBTQIA+, and the fight for women's rights domestically and around the world. There are so many areas of need that require cultural humility in our social work practice. While some of the challenges from 2022 will continue, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will remain a key partner to provide students, faculty, staff, and alumni with resources that advance Silver’s mission to value the dignity and human worth of every person.
I encourage you to check in with colleagues and students experiencing trauma, grief, anger, and sorrow associated with the recent violence and deaths in the AAPI community, the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police officers, and the local NJ synagogue arson attack. I stand in solidarity with you and encourage you to seek self-care and community care to support you, including Wellness Exchange for students (212.443.9999 or wellness.exchange@nyu.edu), the Employee Assistance Program for employees, the Office of Global Spiritual Life, and the Office of Global Inclusion.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Richeleen Dashield
Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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| AccountabilityHow are we holding each other accountable for antiracism?
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| Spreading the Hate: The Global Rise of White Supremacist Terrorism
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Spreading Hate covers the evolution of the white nationalist movement in America, emphasizing its attraction, menace, and numerous failures as it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon. Daniel Byman chronicles the milestones in the formation of the white power movement in the United States and globally and delves into its numerous elements today. [Read the Brookings Institution’s Review]
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Podcast: Applying a racial justice lens to mental health and wellbeing
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In this podcast, Sana Chehimi, director of policy and advocacy for Prevention Institute, and Isha Weerasinghe discuss the importance of supporting mental health and wellbeing for communities of color to achieve an equitable COVID-19 recovery and as part of dismantling systems that perpetuate structural violence and racism. Isha describes how applying a racial justice lens to center lived experiences and community leadership broadens the understanding of mental health and develops policy solutions that are overlooked
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| CommunityHow are we creating an environment for healing and working together? Are we resisting isolation and allowing ourselves to be seen?
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Community Spotlight: Accessibility Research and Awareness by Michelle Fletcher
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| TrustHow are we following through on our responsibility to antiracism? What actions are we taking to ensure all members of the Silver community are protected against bias?
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Globally Inclusive Holiday & Observance Calendar
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Silver is proud to be a diverse community of cultural and faith traditions. To foster an inclusive environment and help community members make scheduling decisions, the Office of DEI has created the Global Holidays & Observances Calendar, which is available for subscription in Google Calendar. This calendar is based on the Calendar of Observances created by the Anti-Defamation League.
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Video: Restorative Justice and Intergenerational Healing
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Jenna Kress and Sandra Rodriguez of Impact Justice, a law-enforcement and justice reform advocacy group, hosted a conversation that explored how communities of color use restorative justice to heal from intergenerational trauma.
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| TransparencyHow, when, and to whom are we communicating important information? Are we only communicating when it is easy or also when it is not?
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Documentary: Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness
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This new documentary, executive produced by acclaimed director Ken Burns, centers on the mental health crisis affecting young people across the country. The two-part series features first-person accounts from more than 20 young Americans between the ages of 11 and 27 and touches upon issues of awareness, discrimination, and stigma. The film seeks to advance the public perception of mental illness and provide hope for those struggling.
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Digital Peacebuilding and Prevention Ecosystem Map
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Want to expand your global awareness of peace building? An interactive digital tool developed by NYU’s Center on International Cooperation offers a visual map displaying the activities of peacebuilding projects from around the world. The map detects human rights violations and indicators of pending conflicts in real-time.
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Angela Davis Speech on Refugee Movement in Berlin
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In October 2022, Angela Davis, the revolutionary activist, gave a speech at Oranienplatz, a square in Berlin, Germany, during an arts and culture festival commemorating ten years of refugee and migrant occupations there and at the nearby Gerhart-Hauptmann Schule. She discussed the migrant and refugee movements that have been organized all over the world and said the surge of radical women, women of color, and leadership of grassroots movements against racial capitalism indicates new possibilities and a cause for hope.
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Brief: How can we transform the educational experience of undocumented students?
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USC Race and Equity Center in partnership with College Futures Foundation launched a series of briefs focusing on practical solutions to pressing racial equity problems and everyday challenges. One of the themes the series addresses is “Humanizing, Caring, and Supporting People’s Identities” and the first brief draws attention to undocumented students in the state of California. The high number of undocumented students reflects the need to build a better systemic response to adequately serve these communities. This brief draws on the history of legislative progress and the significant number of undocumented students to recommend actions in supporting the unique needs of these communities in the micro, mezzo, and macro level
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| Radio Story: A representation of vulnerability, love and joy: Memorial honoring the Kings
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The Embrace monument, designed by Black artist Hank Willis Thomas, lies within Freedom Plaza in Boston, which also honors local civil rights heroes. The bronze art represents vulnerability and security, inspired by a photo of Dr. King and Mrs. King embracing after he won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. The artist captured Mrs. King holding the weight of Dr. King in her arms, and is a tribute to the power of Black women, being the keepers of movements.
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| Article: Brittney Griner Freed, Fight For Wrongly Incarcerated Black Women Must Continue
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Dr. Shaun Harper, a professor at the University of Southern California, in his article on Brittney Griner's wrongful imprisonment, shines a light on a global issue that disproportionately impacts Black women in the United States. Dr. Harper discusses how racism, sexism, poverty, religious discrimination, homophobia, transphobia, and other social forces place Black women at particular vulnerability for the miscarriage of justice in legal processes.
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| Here are six podcasts to listen to in honor of NYU Martin Luther King Jr.
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The Latinx Project at NYU Opens 5th-Anniversary Exhibitions
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The Latinx Project at NYU will present two exhibitions celebrating its 5th anniversary, “Behind the Cloud: Interrogating Digital Technologies” and “Tinkuy: Converging Ecologies,” February 8-May 12.
“Behind the Clouds” explores our relationships with digital technologies, questioning the role of digital technologies as they permeate our lives. “Tinkuy: Converging Ecologies” presents a selection of paintings and collages that converge relationships between the artist’s Kichwa ancestral histories and New York City’s urban and natural ecologies.
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Article: Health and housing inequalities compound legacy of structure racism
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Housing stability is essential to improved health for NJ residents and the State's economic well-being. Reports confirm the lived experience of tenants who face horrid conditions and displacement every day. The government (state and federal) needs to listen to tenants directly and enact policies that meet their needs. Action is needed to expand transparency and accountability for institutional investor ownership, promote community-based wealth, and reduce the NJ racial wealth gap. A multi-pronged approach is needed to fund more affordable housing while promoting community-based wealth building.
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| INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine
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Left to right: Richeleen Dashield (Director, Office of DEI), Fatima Mabrouk (Silver Climate Peer Advocate), Aysha Aliyar (Social Work Intern), Gerri Connaught (Silver Climate Peer Advocate)
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| Share Antiracism Resources!If you have antiracism resources you would like to share for the next edition of the newsletter we have limited spots available. Please email silver.DEI@nyu.edu with the subject "DEI Newsletter Submission."
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