Anti-Racism and EDI Teach-In with Faculty and Staff focuses on racial equity change at Tulane
Faculty and staff are invited to join the 2022 Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Teach-in for Faculty and Staff on Friday, May 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students, alumni and community members are also welcome to attend this free and virtual event, which is an excellent opportunity for Tulanians to come together as a community to explore five key learning goals:
1. Becoming anti-racist
2. Understanding how oppression works
3. Knowing intent vs. impact
4. Understanding class marginalization, paternalism and patriarchy
5. Building community and organizing against racism
This event is led by Anneliese Singh, Tulane chief diversity officer and associate provost for diversity and faculty development, and the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in collaboration with the Anti-Racism Professional Development Council members Shelby Norman, Danette Saylor, Carolyn Barber-Pierre, Angel Carter, Sienna Abdulahad, Laura Osteen and Benji Brubaker.
“The day will be full of practical information that Tulane faculty and staff can use to engage in the everyday work of anti-racism to create empowering and thriving environments for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students, faculty, staff, alumni, and our community partners,” Singh said.
The content of this year’s teach-in has been updated and is specific to an academic environment, said Jonathan Small, associate vice president of the Office of Human Resources and Institutional Equity, for those who also attended last year.
“From an educational perspective … it supports the mission and values of the university. There will be some good takeaways that the faculty and staff can come to incorporate [with] how they lead and interact with members of their team, internally and externally,” he said.
“The educational outcomes, and the content have very positive long-term and short-term implications as to how Tulane evolves as a leader and a supporter of the growth of students,” Small added.
The morning session will begin with a welcome from President Michael A. Fitts, followed by a morning keynote panel with Mariah Moore, trans rights activist and founder of House of Tulip, a nonprofit that addresses housing solutions for trans and nonbinary people in Louisiana; and Keith M. Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson of the Plessy and Ferguson Foundation, which uses the landmark Supreme Court case as a tool to create unity and understanding. Interdisciplinary panels exploring various aspects of systemic racism and how we can dismantle racism in our university, local, regional and global communities will follow.
The afternoon session will begin with a brief dance performance by Full Radius Dance, an Atlanta dance company that brings together disabled and nondisabled dancers. The afternoon keynote dialogue features physician and former president of the American Association of Public Health Dr. Camara Jones, moderated by School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine Dean Thomas LaVeist. Additional panels on how to counter anti-Asian/Pacific Islander and anti-Latinx racism, as well as a session designated for affinity groups, will follow.
The first 200 registrants will receive a workbook from Ibram Kendi (Be an Anti-Racist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection, and Action). These registrants will receive an email on May 10 in order to pick up their books from the Provost’s Office in 200 Gibson Hall. Registrants may also view three documentaries before and after the teach-in.
- “The Veil” recounts Black student experiences on the Tulane campus and was created by Tulane senior Raven Ancar. Registrants will receive a link via email on May 1 and will be able to view it between May 14 - May 21.
- “Anti-Racism Leadership at Tulane,” produced by the EDI office and the Anti-Racism Leadership 2021 Cohort, will be available throughout the year for viewing.
- “By Invitation Only” by Rebecca Snedeker, Clark Executive Director at the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South, will be available throughout the year for viewing.
