Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The WorkLife Office Team has committed to using an hour per week of our allocated work time dedicated to educating ourselves on diversity in all aspects. As a team, we have committed support to educating ourselves together with others on the experience of oppressed peoples (Black Lives Matter, Native American communities, Indigenous peoples, APIDA, LGBTQA+, Latinx communities, people with disabilities, religious groups and others) and to continuing our own work on what it means to be anti-racist.
We will do this by:
- Dedicating an hour per week of our allocated work time to educating ourselves on diversity in all aspects
- Setting aside time during staff meetings to reflect and share what we have learned from our educational activity
- Sharing our learning, insights and resources used through blog posts on our website
- Team training on biases, LGBTQ+ awareness, anti-racism, becoming allies, and similarly relevant knowledge
- We align with Michigan State’s Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives
We invite the community to join us in these efforts, taking time to explore, share, reflect and learn toward the creation of a positive, welcoming and fully inclusive community.
Education and Development Resources
Faculty & Staff
Understanding Implicit Bias Certification program →
A series of three courses allows participants to experience thoroughly examined implicit bias and begin the work of interrupting their own biases as well as those embedded within systems at MSU.
Standalone Workshops, Customized Trainings, Dialogue Opportunities, and Campus Diversity and Inclusion Education Partners →
Available through MSU’s Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives.
MSU ElevateU: Online DEI Learning Module Offerings →
Students
The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center →
The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center is a student-centered campus resource that works to celebrate, affirm, and empower LGBTQIA2S+ members of the Michigan State University community. Through education, engagement, advocacy, and student support, we work to create an inclusive campus culture for people of all genders and sexual identities.
Multi-Racial Unity Living Experience and Intercultural Aide Program and DEI Intercultural Aide Peer Educators →
DEI roundtable discussions across all five neighborhoods on various DEI topics each week.
The Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions →
Supports individual students in their navigation of cross-cultural encounters and in their own understanding, exploration, and development of cultural identity.
DEI Engagement Opportunities
The Womxn of Color Initiatives (WOCI) →
An effort to organize events for womxn of color and their allies on MSU’s campus and in the greater Lansing community. The initiative’s speaker series brings nationally recognized academic, creative and/or political womxn of color speakers to the MSU campus each semester
Annual Gender, Women’s Suffrage, and Political Power (GWSPP) Conference →
Occurs each November
Asian Pacific America Studies Initiatives →
Hosts various speakers/workshops that highlight various Asian Pacific Islander Desi American scholar-activists and activists
Muslim Studies Program →
Supports teaching and research about Muslims around the globe from an interdisciplinary perspective
The Annual Womxn of Color Community Conference →
For faculty and staff
The Annual Queer Conversations Symposium →
A half-day symposium inviting conversations and collaboration on queer issues and research that highlights the queer work students ae doing across disciplines and departments
The Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel →
Hosts the annual Rabin/Brill Lecture each February
More on building inclusive communities from the Inclusion Office
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.
HERC on Diversity and Inclusion
The Michigan State University WorkLife Office hosts the Michigan Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC). See HERC’s statement on diversity and inclusion
HERC stands in solidarity with people of color in their ongoing struggle against institutional racism, hateful rhetoric, and violence perpetrated by individuals in power. We remain steadfastly committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education. We strive to actualize this vision by assisting individuals of all backgrounds identify meaningful professional opportunities and by facilitating equitable hiring practices and inclusive cultures at our member institutions. HERC believes that higher education has the responsibility and the opportunity to embody the ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Other Resources
Resources are not intended to state a position or endorse positions taken by any of the authors, but are provided as an opportunity for readers to gain perspective on the current events.
By : Sarah Anthony, State Representative
By: Corrinne Hess
By: Jennifer E. Cobbina, MSU Today’s 360 Perspective
By: Wenei Philimon
By: Nicole Kobie
The National for June 01, 2020 →
*starts around the 12:50-minute mark*
By : CBC News
By: The New York Times
By: MSU College of Social Science New
By: The Conversation, The Telegraph, Black Voice News, & MSU Today
An audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling.
By: NY Times
By: Jennifer E. Cobbina, NYU Press Blog
By: Julie Mack
What Is It Like to be Black and Living in the U.S. →
By: Wenei Philimon
An audio series on how slavery has transformed America, connecting past and present through the oldest form of storytelling.
By : El Mercurio
By: Thinking Out Loud Radio Show
By: 8 O’clock Buzz
By: Thinking Out Loud Radio Show
Special thanks to Jennifer Cobbina, Criminal Justice Professor at MSU, for gathering these resources.
