The Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion collaborates with students, faculty, administrators, staff, and members of our surrounding community to promote and implement the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's mission, strategic diversity, and inclusion initiatives. |
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February is Black History Month
Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is the celebration of the contributions and achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans.
Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the prominent minister Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other peoples of African descent. Known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the group sponsored a national Negro History week in 1926, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures. In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began issuing yearly proclamations recognizing Negro History Week. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, Negro History Week had evolved into Black History Month on many college campuses.
President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Since then, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. (History.com)
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At age twenty-two, Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. For the January 20, 2021 Presidential inauguration, Amanda recited her poem, “The Hill We Climb”. She says the poem was written to call for "unity and collaboration and togetherness," among the American people and to emphasize the opportunity that the future holds. |
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When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
…When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it
-Taken in part from the poem, “The Hill We Climb”
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Take the 21-Week Equity Challenge |
The 21-Week Equity Challenge is an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of how inequity and racism affect our lives and communities.
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Participants will receive an email at the beginning of each week, starting Monday, Feb 1 and ending Monday, June 21.
- Weekly topics take participants through a journey that starts with understanding internalized racism and explores how racism permeates person-to-person interactions, institutions and social structures.
- The experience is intended to deepen understanding, suggest ways to take action and help launch what we hope will be a lifelong commitment to improving equity and inclusion in our communities.
Individuals are encouraged to take on the challenge themselves or form groups for discussion and reflection.
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Join OMSA in celebrating Black History Month
Black History Month recognizes the history and contributions African Americans have made to society. Join us as we celebrate Black culture, engage in critical conversations, and honor the legacies that prevail today.
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Student Activism Across the Past 5 Years
Did You Know?
According to EAB the top 5 Common Racial Justice Demands are:
- Increase faculty and staff of color
- Increase diversity-focused training for the campus community
- Add a diversity-focused course requirement
- Increase transparency and student representation in university decision-making
- Remove symbols of oppression on campus
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The Illusion of Inclusion
Faculty satisfaction data reveal big gaps between how white and nonwhite professors experience campus diversity and inclusion efforts.
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Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council
The Student Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion advisory council is an integral part of creating a more inclusive and welcoming climate at UW-Parkside. The purpose of the council is student advocacy. This group will review existing practices, advocate for change, and provide a platform for students to voice concerns about campus culture and climate.
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We Want You Opinion!
Undergraduate students watch out for the Student Climate Survey coming to your email box soon. We want to know how your Parkside experience is going so beginning February 8. You will have the opportunity to share your opinions on how we are doing as a campus by participating in this survey.
The results of your feedback will be used campus wide to help create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone.
Once you complete the survey your name will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 gift card, there will be multiple winners each week through March 26, when the survey ends.
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Sign-up for an EDI Presentation
Did you know that the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion provides learning opportunities for departments? Interested sign-up below:
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Most recently Parkside's new campus ambassadors took the EDI workshop! |
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Have a Suggestion?
The University provides a comment box where students, faculty, and staff are able to provide feedback, ask questions, or offer up suggestions anonymously.
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OFFICE OF EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
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