anti-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

Honors College expands its anti-racist discussion initiative intended to build community

Colleen Rich — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:46:50 +0000

Honors College expands its anti-racist discussion initiative intended to build community Colleen Rich Fri, 09/03/2021 - 12:46

The “Honoring Our Community” program provides opportunities for students to have honest conversations about racial and social justice with the goal of cultivating an anti-racist culture and tighter sense of community. Photo courtesy of the Honors College

��AV’s Honors College has expanded an initiative launched last year to help cultivate an anti-racist community through discussion groups. The program, called “Honoring Our Community,” provides opportunities for students to have honest conversations about racial and social justice with the goal of cultivating an anti-racist culture and tighter sense of community.

“This program is important because, as a society, we desperately need more people who understand how to engage with others who don’t see the world as they do,” said Zofia Burr, dean of the Honors College and associate professor of English.

The initiative started last year, with about 40 participants from the Honors College that met once a month. This year, the program has expanded with an estimated 100 Honors College participants, all of whom will be divided into small groups of about four students. Each group will meet biweekly and have several facilitators trained to encourage student dialogue."

“Because the program is designed to be for a year, students, with the help of facilitators, have time to develop trust with each other.”

Galilea M Sejas-Machado, a junior majoring in criminology, law and society, said last year was a great experience because of how accepting her group was.

“That helped me be more vulnerable when talking about racism and oppression,” she said.

Honors College participants are divided into small groups of about four students to encourage dialogue. Photo courtesy of the Honors College

Johan Jeson, a sophomore who also participated last year, said that the program helped students learn to look within themselves.

“We thought about how we can activate change and promote a safe space for students at Mason,” said Jeson, an information technology major.

This year, facilitators include Honors College leadership, students who went through the program last year and graduate students from the College of Education and Human Development’s Diversity Research and Action Consortium.

Sam Steen, associate professor and co-academic program coordinator for Mason’s Counseling Program and director of the Diversity Research and Action Consortium, got involved last year, as he reflected on how the consortium could contribute. Last year, CEHD graduate students training to be therapists volunteered to co-facilitate groups. This year, through funding, facilitators are getting stipends.

Steen said the initiative is in its pilot stage and that they are creating a loose curriculum to help guide the sessions.

“It’s a more robust initiative this year, but we’re not finished,” said Steen. “We’re still developing it, flying the plane while building it. We’ll keep growing the initiative because it offers an important opportunity for racial healing that can happen in group spaces.”

Lauren Kane, a master’s student in Mason’s Counseling Program, helped facilitate a small group last year and signed up again this year.

“I had a really positive experience last year,” Kane said. “I was able to help students with important conversations about anti-racism and white privilege. These groups give opportunities for people to hear different perspectives on these issues which doesn’t always happen in day-to-day life.”

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Students

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

Honors College

anti-racism

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

President Washington: We stand with our Asian community after senseless act of violence in Atlanta

Melanie Balog — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 12:41:26 +0000

President Washington: We stand with our Asian community after senseless act of violence in Atlanta Melanie Balog Thu, 03/18/2021 - 08:41

In This Story

Gregory Washington

Dear Patriots,

Tuesday’s mass murder in Atlanta returns us to terrible, familiar ground, as we try again to make sense of violence, and calm the terror that was already building within an entire cultural community.

Whether it was intentional or incidental that six of the eight victims were Asian-American women, the tragedy has had the same effect. These vicious killings have shaken the nation’s Asian communities to their cores. The murders came as hate and violence rise against communities scapegoated for the pandemic. The increase in reported attacks mark another painful moment in the long history of exclusion, segregation, and violence in America.

Two weeks ago, we held our second university town hall addressing anti-racism and inclusive excellence at Mason. Tuesday’s acts of targeting and violence remind us how much is riding on that vital work. Because today, members of our Asian communities feel unsafe in their own places of business, their own neighborhoods, and their own homes.

To the Asian communities at ��AV, I offer this: Mason is your home, and you are loved and supported here. Your safety and sense of belonging are of utmost importance to everyone. As always, our personnel are on watch to ensure your security and wellbeing, so you can resume what you came here to do: to simply learn, live, and grow to your fullest potential.

Sincerely,

Gregory Washington

President

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Campus News

anti-racism

Statement: Office of the President

Podcast - EP20: Doing the work: Anti-racism, inclusion and disrupting inequality

Kelly Hansen — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 17:58:28 +0000

Podcast - EP20: Doing the work: Anti-racism, inclusion and disrupting inequality Kelly Hansen Mon, 02/22/2021 - 12:58

How are anti-racism efforts building on college campuses? How will Mason affirm its core values and mission of inclusion? President Gregory Washington speaks with Wendi Manuel-Scott and Shernita Parker, co-directors of Mason's Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force about the university's commitment to be a national leader in this dialogue.

Topics

anti-racism

Office of the President

Access to Excellence podcast

Podcast - EP19: "It's Important Who Tells the Stories"

Kristin Heydt — Fri, 19 Feb 2021 17:50:42 +0000

Podcast - EP19: "It's Important Who Tells the Stories" Kristin Heydt Fri, 02/19/2021 - 12:50

In this fascinating conversation, President Gregory Washington speaks with Kevin Clark, director of original animation for preschool programming at Netflix, about how technology and economics are helping fuel the rich entertainment content highlighting people of color, and how that programming can be a conduit for anti-racism efforts.

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Podcast Episode

Access to Excellence podcast

College of Education and Human Development

At Netflix, Kevin Clark will continue his life’s work … through storytelling

Colleen Rich — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 17:05:57 +0000

At Netflix, Kevin Clark will continue his life’s work … through storytelling Colleen Rich Thu, 02/18/2021 - 12:05

Topics

Campus News

College of Education and Human Development

Kevin Clark

Netflix

anti-racism

Access to Excellence podcast

Listen to the Podcast

Kevin Clark recently sat down with President Gregory Washington to record an episode of the Access to Excellence podcast. Photo by Ron Aira/Creative Services

Kevin Clark had planned to take only a year-long sabbatical when he signed on as director of original animation for preschool programming at Netflix.

But the professor in the Learning Technologies Division in ��AV’s College of Education and Human Development said he soon realized the position was his dream job, and he has decided to retire from the university.

“It’s a dream job because I get to create content,” Clark said. “I get to be involved in what young people and their families see, especially at the preschool level. This is some of the first media they are exposed to besides books and stories that their parents and caregivers communicate to them, so we have to get it right.”

Clark, 54, who worked at Mason for 20 years and created the Center for Digital Media Innovation and Diversity, has been one of the university’s most visible faculty members.

With expertise in interactive and digital media in education, broadening participation in STEM career and disciplines, and issues of diversity in children’s media, Clark has consulted for entertainment, technology and toy companies such as PBS, Cartoon Network, Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Facebook, YouTube Kids, Amazon Studios and Nickelodeon.

In 2014 he was named a Champion of Change by the Obama White House for his efforts to increase diversity and access in STEM fields.

“We need some superheroes, and you’re one of them,” Mason President Gregory Washington told Clark in the latest Access to Excellence podcast.

Clark has his hands in several Netflix projects, including “Bookmarks” and the forthcoming “Antiracist Baby,” among others.

“We include issues of diversity and inclusion within the content we’re creating,” Clark said. “We are deliberate about making sure we cover themes that have global appeal, that we involve creators and writers and animators that are representative of our audience and global population. It’s our goal to integrate it into our everyday practices.”

Netflix’s global reach is the bonus, Clark said.

“We make a show, we put it on our platform and it’s instantly available in 190 countries and territories and translated into more than 30 languages,” he said. “That we create content that has a global impact and reach is another reason I’m excited about being at Netflix.”

That said, Clark is taking at least a piece of Mason with him.

“The thing about Mason is because it was so entrepreneurial and encouraged you as a faculty member to take risks and follow your goals … that led to the work I’m doing now,” he said. “I have to think beyond what we see today. I have to be entrepreneurial. I have to be innovative. So, for me, being at Mason prepared me and equipped me for the work I’m doing now.”

Podcast - EP13: We all have skin in the game

Kristin Heydt — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 16:55:56 +0000

Podcast - EP13: We all have skin in the game Kristin Heydt Fri, 01/29/2021 - 11:55

Tehama Lopez Bunyasi, assistant professor in the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, explains how using our democratic freedoms will help overcome racism in America.

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Podcast Episode

podcast

Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

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