Racism

Podcast - EP44: The absurd fallacy of a hierarchy of human value

Damian Cristodero — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 17:45:45 +0000

Podcast - EP44: The absurd fallacy of a hierarchy of human value Damian Cristodero Wed, 11/16/2022 - 12:45

In This Story

When Gail Christopher, executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity and a senior scholar in ��AV’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, talks about “ensuring a future,” she’s really talking about creating a system of equity that produces opportunities for everyone to “actualize their potential.” In her second podcast with Mason President Gregory Washington, Christopher expands on the idea that academic institutions are essential for shifting the cultural ethos to one that is not racist, and discusses the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Conference recently held at Mason.

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Access to Excellence podcast

Podcast Episode

podcast

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Sociology: Higher education; inequality and mobility; culture; race

Climate change might be fueling ethnic violence. PhD candidate Emily Sample explores why

Mariam Aburdeineh — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 19:49:37 +0000

Climate change might be fueling ethnic violence. PhD candidate Emily Sample explores why Mariam Aburdeineh Fri, 02/04/2022 - 14:49

In This Story

Douglas Irvin-Erickson

Emily Sample. Photo by Shelby Burgess/Strategic Communications/��AV

As a junior and senior at Annandale High School in Virginia, Emily Sample spent her summers as a docent at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. She was a teenager who had just lost a friend to police violence, she said, and joining the museum’s Young Ambassadors Program resonated with her.

“I was fascinated and continue to be fascinated by this highly illogical idea of genocide,” said Sample, a PhD candidate at ��AV’s Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.

Since then, Sample has built her career around atrocity prevention. In addition to earning a master’s in human rights and genocide studies from Kingston University London, she has worked as a genocide scholar and educator for Holocaust Museum Houston in Texas. She currently works for the Fund for Peace, where she said she supports their portfolio on human rights and international peacebuilding.

“The best way to prevent genocide is to help make violence not an option,” Sample said, explaining that an “us-versus-them” mentality can develop when people believe there is scarcity of resources, and are manipulated into thinking ethnic violence is an answer.

She’s further studying this at Mason, with a case study in West Nile, Uganda, where she lived and conducted research while enrolled at Kingston. Her dissertation examines structural mass atrocity prevention through the lens of climate change adaptation and gender.

Emily Sample (right) and her research partner Lina Zedriga in Uganda in 2013. Photo provided.

“If we make the climate better, if we empower women and have better access to clean water, then [Ugandans] will not be forced into making decisions about whether or not their family lives and the next family dies,” said Sample, who is interviewing Ugandans over Zoom.

Sample is also looking at the effects of environmental racism, where negative environmental impacts disproportionately affect people of color.

“The day-to-day life of someone in Uganda may be much more impacted [by climate change than a Westerner’s] because they’re having to adjust their farming season, and the type of seeds and livestock they’re buying,” she said.

These impacts have gendered implications, Sample said, as women often tend the gardens, cook, and walk to retrieve water.

Increasing education and environmental justice, such as reparations for environmental racism, while reducing scarcity fears, could alleviate many atrocity issues, she said.

Sample said she came to Mason because she wanted to dive deeper into the genocide prevention field.

“My hometown university has one of the best [conflict resolution] programs in the country,” said Sample, who also works with Mason’s Raphaël Lemkin Genocide Prevention Program.

“The Carter School is extremely unique in how many scholar-practitioners we have,” she said. “They integrate students into their work in unique and really pivotal ways that allow students to become practitioners.”

Though the PhD journey is demanding, Sample said her studies have been worthwhile.

“Every single professor is approachable, interesting and has contributed to me seeing the world in a variety of different ways,” she said.

“Emily is a rising star in genocide studies and conflict resolution, and the nexus of these fields with the practice of peacebuilding,” said Douglas Irvin-Erickson, director of Mason’s Genocide Prevention Program. “She’s a brilliant social analyst with many years of ethnographically informed research experience, and her deeply rooted sense of justice endears her to those with whom she works the closest.”

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sample conducts interviews for her dissertation virtually. Here, two Ugandan men communicate with her from Africa via Zoom using a smartphone (bottom right). Photo provided.

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Law School takes on 21-day racial equity challenge

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 13 May 2021 20:48:39 +0000

Law School takes on 21-day racial equity challenge Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 05/13/2021 - 16:48

Jina Hwang, JD ’05. Photo provided.

With racial tension high in the United States, and the need for equity growing ever stronger, students and faculty at ��AV’s Antonin Scalia Law School participated in a 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge virtually in March and April.

The challenge, created by diversity expert Eddie Moore Jr., focuses on the Black American experience and is "designed to advance deeper understandings of the intersections of race, power, privilege, and oppression, and guide participants in becoming more aware and engaged regarding racial equity."

“Wherever one might be in their diversity, equity and inclusion journey, there is always a new perspective to learn,” said Jina Hwang, JD ’05, an adjunct professor and attorney for a federal agency who proposed the challenge to the school after experiencing it herself.

The challenge consists of 21 exercises, roughly 15 to 30 minutes long each, over 21 consecutive days. The exercises include articles, videos, podcasts, music, poetry, and other media that expose participants to perspectives on Black history, identity, culture, and racism. About 30 students and faculty attended.

Senior Associate Dean Alison Price

“The readings take a few minutes per day, but the awareness you get stays with you perhaps forever,” said Marissa Fariña-Morse, a juris master’s student at Scalia Law.

In addition to the personal growth that comes from empathy and learning about diverse experiences, Fariña-Morse said the challenge had professional implications.

“As a mental health professional working in the criminal justice system, racism has a large impact on many of those I serve,” she said. “Providing effective mental health services can only be done by better understanding the past of this country by becoming exposed to perspectives of Black history.”

“One of the most interesting things to me was learning how to be an ally and how to respond to micro-aggressions,” said Senior Associate Dean Alison Price. “I feel more comfortable speaking up when I witness a micro-aggression or talking with a colleague or student who has been the subject of a micro-aggression.”

Price said other exercises that resonated with her included an article on how to not accidentally raise a racist, a poem that painted a vibrant picture of the African American experience, and readings on what it is like to be Black and trying to get a mortgage, or living through homelessness.

Juris Master's student Marissa Fariña-Morse. Photo provided.

Mason launched the challenge with a virtual screening of “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality,” which follows the attorney’s struggle for racial justice with wrongfully convicted inmates on death row. Hwang facilitated virtual discussion groups for participants to share and expand upon their learnings and experiences.

“My hope is that people have a desire to learn more, and more importantly, to share that information and experience with others,” said Hwang, adding that one student brought his 14-year-old daughter to join the discussions, and others forwarded the challenge to colleagues.

The challenge speaks to Mason’s values, which view diversity as a strength.

“[Mason and Scalia Law] are part of this global community, and it’s time for us to think about how we can do better together,” Price said.

It’s about providing renewed perspective.

“I’ll never know through my own experiences what it’s like to be Black in America, and the vulnerability that poses,” Hwang said. “But I can empathize and educate myself on the circumstances to be a better ally.”

Price said she hopes the school will repeat the challenge next year, as it’s a valuable opportunity for learning, self-reflection, and action.

“I may think I’m not racist,” she said. “This helps you realize we can all do better.”

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Students

Antonin Scalia Law School

Mason team brings to life untold narratives of anti-lynching heroes

Mariam Aburdeineh — Wed, 12 May 2021 17:05:54 +0000

Mason team brings to life untold narratives of anti-lynching heroes Mariam Aburdeineh Wed, 05/12/2021 - 13:05

In This Story

Charles Chavis

Charles Chavis. Photo by: Ron Aira

Students and researchers at ��AV’s John Mitchell, Jr. Program (JMJP) are working hard to create a digital museum that sheds light on civil rights pioneers with largely untold stories.

Thanks to an $8,000 grant from Virginia Humanities, the team is building a digital exhibit on the life of anti-lynching advocate John Mitchell, Jr., and his colleagues Frederick Douglass and Ida B. Wells. The grant is part of $181,500 in funding awarded to 25 nonprofits.

“As a conflict resolution school, we believe there’s so much power in history and understanding leaders like Mitchell, as we look to deal with and engage with the modern-day issues we’re facing around race,” said Carter School professor Charles Chavis.

Mitchell, among other leaders, laid the foundation for the transformational work in the 1950s and ‘60s around civil rights, Chavis said. The Mitchell Program’s namesake was a prominent anti-lynching advocate, journalist, newspaper owner, and teacher.

Laura Brannan. Photo provided.

“Our main charge with the Mitchell Program is to complicate historical narrative,” Chavis said. “As leaders are oftentimes overlooked—or their words are only understood as speaking to historical issues—this exhibit sheds light on how we can learn so much, not only from the rhetoric, but from the lives of these individuals who risked their lives to fight for human rights.”

The exhibit also highlights international impact, said Carter School PhD student Ajanet Rountree, as these leaders extended their anti-lynching advocacy abroad.

The grant will allow the team, which also includes Mason PhD student Laura Brannan, who is studying history, and American University master’s student Jack Del Nunzio, to consult with leading historians on the exhibit, and gather oral narratives from living descendants of Mitchell. The exhibit will go live on the JMJP website in Fall 2021, and they have partnered with TheirStory to produce 50 oral histories.

“These are strategically silenced narratives, so the source materials we’re relying on are seeking to dismantle some of the silences,” Del Nunzio said, adding that in addition to oral histories, they’re sourcing political cartoons, Black newspapers, written correspondences, and more.

“I’m incredibly humbled to help support this initiative,” said Kimberly Wilson, the great-great niece of Mitchell and chief human resource officer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Ajanet Rountree. Photo provided.

“I hope people take away that [Mitchell] was a man who gave everything to people, and really wanted to make a difference for everyone,” she said. “I’m hoping it will inspire conversation about his work and how it applies today, and that [JMJP] will help students learn how to use their voice to be advocates and allies, but also to set policies.”

Brannan, who is helping upload and contextualize exhibit materials, said connecting history to the present is of critical importance for inspiring change. The exhibit will also serve as a powerful tool for educators across the country.

“This work honors those who were doing peacebuilding because they were trying to survive and because they believed in the American Dream in spite of it,” Chavis said. “Their sacrifice has to be honored and studied.”

Topics

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Carter School Faculty

John Mitchell Jr Program for History Justice and Race

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest

Mariam Aburdeineh — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:16:18 +0000

Fighting the fires of social and racial unrest Mariam Aburdeineh Thu, 01/21/2021 - 15:16

In This Story

Gregory Washington

To honor the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognize those on campus who actively live out his vision, ��AV will host the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Evening of Reflection and awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.

“This year, it is particularly important to continue on with the Evening of Reflection, as we consider the state of our nation,” said Hamal Strayhorn, director of the Office of Coalition Building and Diversity Education at Mason. “Our nation has experienced the loss of 400,000 lives to COVID-19, social and economic disparity in full view, the continuation of black bodies being murdered by police without accountability and racial unrest. On Jan. 6 we all witnessed a failed insurrection in our nation’s capital, which was rooted in divisiveness and racism.”

“Our hope is that students and attendees will understand that in our nation and world there is still a lot of work to do around issues of social justice, equity and inclusion and that ‘the time is always right to do what is right,’” Strayhorn said, quoting Dr. King.

Mason President Gregory Washington will be the event’s keynote speaker and will address this year’s theme of “The Burning House,” which comes from another Dr. King quote:

“I’ve come upon something that disturbs me deeply. We have fought hard and long for integration, as I believe we should have, and I know we will win, but I have come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house…”

“How will our commitment to anti-racism work be like the ‘firefighters’ preventing the ‘house’ from burning completely down?” Strayhorn said. “[President Washington] will also look at how the work of anti-racism touches and affects our students, professional members, the local community, the commonwealth and eventually our nation.”

Following the keynote address, representatives from the student body will have the opportunity to ask questions relating to the theme, the work the university is doing around anti-racism, or how they can play a part in keeping Dr. King’s vision at the forefront of social change, Strayhorn said.

Students, faculty and staff who are doing influential work centered on Dr. King’s vision will also be honored with the Spirit of King Awards.

“The MLK Evening of Reflection shows that ��AV is committed to diversity, excellence, and inclusion and to addressing the hard questions of where we are as a people and nation,” Strayhorn said.

Topics

Spirit of King awards

anti-racism

Racism

systemic racism

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

Campus News

ARIE

President Washington announces membership to the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force

John Hollis — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 09:00:00 +0000

President Washington announces membership to the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force John Hollis Thu, 09/03/2020 - 05:00

The Complete List of Members of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force

John Hollis — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:45:00 +0000

The Complete List of Members of the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Task Force John Hollis Wed, 09/02/2020 - 12:45

List of Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force Members

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Racism

diversity

School of Integrative Studies

Community Partners

President's Task Force on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence

ARIE

Confronting racism and racist symbols in Virginia and beyond

Colleen Rich — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Confronting racism and racist symbols in Virginia and beyond Colleen Rich Thu, 03/05/2020 - 05:00

Topics

Freedom and Learning

Racism

Campus News

New campus center to focus on racial healing and social justice

John Hollis — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 10:00:00 +0000

New campus center to focus on racial healing and social justice John Hollis Tue, 02/11/2020 - 05:00

��AV is set to open a campus center focused on creating awareness about the effects of racism, as well as preparing the next generation of leaders dedicated to promoting racial and social justice.

In January, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) announced it had selected Mason to host a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center. Mason joins 23 other colleges and universities hosting TRHT campus centers across the United States.

Mason is the only school in Virginia to be selected as a site for a TRHT campus center.

“At Mason, diversity is our strength,” said Interim President Anne Holton. “Being selected to host this center gives us an opportunity to lead the way on the challenging but crucial work of confronting racism and promoting equality.”

In 2017, 10 colleges and universities were selected to establish TRHT centers focused on racial healing. This year, the association announced it had picked 13 more colleges and universities, including Mason, to host TRHT centers. Other schools selected include Adelphi University, Stockton University and the University of Puget Sound.

“We are very excited about the potential here to be a leader in the work of racial healing in Virginia,” said Rose Pascarell, Mason’s vice president for University Life. “As the largest and most diverse public university, we have the responsibility to engage our students to address racism and to ready them to be leaders on these issues in their communities, their workplaces and their families.”

Mason was selected based on its vision for the center, its demonstrated commitment of campus leaders and the community to the goals of a TRHT center and its ability to prove that the community needed a TRHT center.

“AAC&U is proud to partner with ��AV in advancing our shared objective of demonstrating how higher education can lead the way in jettisoning the belief in a hierarchy of human value, “ said AAC&U president Lynn Pasquerella in a statement.

Each center is charged with creating a positive narrative change about race in the community, promoting racial healing on campus and in the community, dismantling the belief in a hierarchy of human value and eradicating structural barriers to equal treatment and opportunity.

The TRHT Campus Center project is administered through the AAC&U, in partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Newman’s Own Foundation and Papa John’s Foundation. Gail Christopher, a senior scholar at Mason’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, was the architect behind the TRHT Campus Center project when she served as vice president at the Kellogg Foundation.

In June, teams from the 13 newly selected colleges and universities will gather for a training program in Atlanta, Georgia, where Mason’s team will refine its plans for the next two years and practice designing and co-facilitating Rx Racial Healing Circles.

The AAC&U describes Rx Racial Healing Circles as a way to engage participants in building trust and understanding among diverse groups. Using the circles, Mason’s center is expected to involve the community in allowing participants to immerse themselves in the commonalities of a shared human journey, while acknowledging the consequences of exposure to racism and honoring diverse cultures and experiences.

“The intention is to facilitate authentic engagement with people who might be perceived as very different and build community as a result,” said Christopher, who also serves as executive director of the National Collaborative for Health Equity.

Last summer, Creston Lynch, Wendi N. Manuel-Scott, Angela Jean Hattery, Lauren B. Cattaneo, Nance Lucas and Charles L. Chavis, Jr. participated in the 2019 TRHT Institute.

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