Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
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| Dear Community
As we celebrate Social Work Month and Women’s History Month, the confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the United States Supreme Court served as a testimony for the continued fight for justice in the highest of courts and in our local communities. The confirmation hearings illustrated the narrative of millions of BIPOC women in this country who endure public microaggression and oppression. Despite the unjust treatment by members of Congress, we witnessed the brilliance of Judge Jackson and the compassion of Senator Cory Booker to hold space for her to shine.
Silver also created space for the community as we celebrated the alums and their fellow authors of Latinx in Social Work with the discussion panel Una Conversación con Las Madrinas. “Madrinas” means “godmothers” in Spanish, and these women are trailblazers as lauded leaders in their communities and mentors in their professions. We celebrate the Madrinas who honor the dignity and the worth of people and communities.
However, too many continue to struggle with violence and uncertainty at home and globally–especially those living in and escaping conflict in Ukraine and elsewhere and those threatened by bias-based violence towards BIPOC people. Violence hits home for too many in the AAPI NYU community. We mourn the loss, one year later, of the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings and stand with our friends and colleagues in fighting hate. In these difficult and fragile times, social workers are needed more than ever. I implore anyone who is in need of support to browse the Wellness Center's website for self-care with resources such as “Stress Management During Uncertain Times” and the “API Students Support Space.” Also, check out NYU’s A/P/A Institute site for other events, features, and research.
In addition to honoring women, I had the pleasure of co-hosting Adjunct Lecturer Terrence Coffie’s inaugural session of his reading, reflection, and discussion series, The Fire Next Time: The Revolution of the Social Justice Movement, inspired by the writing of author James Baldwin. In his 1963 best-seller, The Fire Next Time, Baldwin holds the mirror up to his fellow Americans in an attempt to get them to understand what’s real–the true narrative and consequences of America’s oppressive and inequitable history. This month social workers reflect on their roots as the protectors of marginalized communities. I hope this month’s issue of our newsletter inspires you to seek truth and embrace your narrative.
Sincerely,
Richeleen Dashield
Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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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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NYU BeTogether is a university-wide initiative that was launched by the Office of Global Inclusion in 2020 to commit to center global inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and access in every aspect of university life—with the knowledge that this will mean working through contestation, difficulty, and disagreement. The initiative aims to make sustainable changes institutionally and also encourage sustainable change in individual schools, departments, and offices.
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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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Asian Mental Health Collective Resources and AAPI Racial Justice Toolkit
Violence and hate against Asian individuals and communities remains on the rise. Please refer to the AAPI Racial Justice Toolkit put together by Vanderbilt University (and recommended by Liz Chon, Associate Director, MSW Program) to view a variety of Anti-Asian racism resources and ways to support AAPI communities. If you identify as AAPI and are looking for direct assistance or counseling, we recommend looking into the Asian Mental Health Collective.
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Real Conversations - Shifting the Narrative: Reclaiming Your Life Story
April 4, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
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Real Conversations! is a drop-in wellness group for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students from the BA, MSW, DSW, and PhD programs that takes place on Mondays at 5:00 PM this semester with Dr. Tiffany Llewellyn of the Student Health Counseling & Wellness Services, Peer Advocates - Aadya Bhatia and Gerri Connaught, and DEI Director Richeleen Dashield. Join the upcoming session, Shifting the Narrative: Reclaiming Your Life Story, on April 4 at 5:00 PM.
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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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Latinx in Social Work Discussion Series and Continuing Education Seminars
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Familismo, Personalismo, Comunidad: Learning From the Narratives of Latinx in Social Work
March 31, April 8, & May 13, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Culturally sensitive and relevant services are crucial when working with various ethnic groups. This series of workshops will share the narrative of Latinx social workers and will offer strategies for providing culturally humble best practices. The series will focus on key cultural themes (e.g. familismo, personalismo, comunidad) related to Latinx communities. Presenters will share personal stories and experiences that relate to their work in social work, and how these translate to working with Latinx individuals, groups, families, and communities.
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Re-Imagine Justice Conference
April 7 & 8, 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM
The Re-Imagine Justice Conference focuses on implementing collective action in order to move towards necessary change and will feature leading criminal justice professionals exploring the history, present day, and potential future of crime and incarceration. There will be opportunities to learn more about prison reform, impacts of the pandemic, cannabis laws, trans-rights, as well as abolition. Presenters include Terrence Coffie (NYU Silver BSW and MSW ‘17) and Dr. Kirk “Jae” James (NYU Silver Clinical Assistant Professor).
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| AccountabilityHow are we holding each other accountable for antiracism?
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Powering Structural Change: A Conference Challenging the Public Sector's Status Quo
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Silver DEI Director Richeleen Dashield will join the panel of other leading NYU directors and OGI’s Senior Associate Vice President of Global Engagement & Inclusive Leadership, Monroe France, at Powering Structural Change. This is a virtual-first conference occurring between March 28 – April 1 convened by the Wagner Diversity Council (WDC), and in partnership with other student groups and alumni to discuss their lived experiences inside and outside of the classroom.
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The Fire Next Time: The Revolution of the Social Justice Movement
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James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, a 1963 national bestseller, galvanized the nation and gave a passionate voice to the civil rights movement. Activist, educator, NYU Silver alum and Adjunct Lecturer Terrence Coffie, BS ’16/MSW ’17, was awarded a Humanities New York Reading & Discussion grant to lead a six-part Reading & Discussion series on Baldwin’s timeless work and its prophetic impact on the social justice movement today. Coffie was joined by Silver’s Richeleen Dashield, Laura Morrison of Communications, Dr. Kirk “Jae” James, and MSW student Sejal Mehta. Learn more about the series and look out for upcoming readings.
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Grief Garden: An Immersive Exhibit based on Khaty Xiong’s Poem “On Visiting the Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens”
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Grief Garden is an immersive exhibit based on Khaty Xiong’s Poem, “On Visiting the Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.” Khaty Xiong is the Spring 2022 Artist-in-Residence at NYU’S Asain/Pacific American Institute. Her poem, which is the inspiration for this exhibit, is based on her journey to the afterlife in search of her recently deceased mother. Read more about the exhibit and plan a visit.
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Micro Behaviors: Micro-Affirmations vs. Micro-AggressionWe tend to focus more on small negative moments rather than small positive moments. Micro-Affirmations can be thought of as the opposite of Micro-Aggressions. Small positive moments have the power to make people feel welcomed, proud, confident, empowered, supported, and valued. Read more to learn about accentuating positivity and incorporating Micro-Affirmations into your practice.
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Podcast Episode: You’re Wrong About: the “Ebonics” Controversy
The You’re Wrong About podcast covers a wide variety of topics including this episode about how an idea in a single school district started nationwide racial panic.
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Brookings Institute Reporting Bystander Intervention on Social Media
This report from The Brookings Institute examines hate speech and cyberbullying related to race and racism and also shares effective strategies that target these types of behaviors and actions online.
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INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine
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First row (left to right): Richeleen Dashield (Director, Office of DEI), Liz Galimore (Administrative Aide II), Sharifa Amin (Social Work Intern)
Second row (left to right): Aadya Bhatia (Silver Climate Peer Advocate), Gerri Connaught (Silver Climate Peer Advocate), Lilia Vidal (Social Work Intern)
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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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