Volume 2, Issue 11: November 12, 2020
R.I.S.E.* Up Newsletter
*Reinforcing Inclusion through Skill-building and Education
Land acknowledgement - JCU sits on land traditionally stewarded by many Great Lakes tribes. We honor them and the land.
From the Desk of the Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion - with photo of Tiffany Galvin Green
Commemorating Native American Heritage Month

Much is being made of the fact that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the first woman, first Black person, and first person of South Asian heritage to serve in the role. However, did you know that she will NOT be the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color) to serve as our nation's vice president?

Herbert Hoover's vice president from 1929 to 1933, Charles Curtis, was a registered member of the Kaw Nation, raised by his maternal grandparents on their Kansas reservation. This history, related in an article in today's Washington Post, has particular poignancy in an election year where a record-breaking six Native American candidates won their respective races, meaning the 117th Congress will have more Native Americans than any previous Congress. However, in other sectors of American society, there is still an ongoing lack of representation and visibility of Indigenous people and voices, and Native American communities are among the most under-resourced in the country.

When there is little or no Indigenous representation in a community's awareness, it can be all too common to hear Native American people, communities and traditions described in terms more appropriate to ancient history or caricatures than to living cultures. There are still more than 500 federally recognized Indigenous tribes in the United States, with many vibrant efforts underway in these communities to reclaim and reestablish traditional languages and cultural practices. Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity for education, and to recognize the vibrant cultures, community resilience, history, and experience of Native peoples.  

In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, we are inviting members of our community to learn more about the history, culture and contributions of Indigenous scholars, writers, artists and social and political leaders by taking our "Native Voices Challenge." Read more below.

Don't miss many other interesting announcements in this week's newsletter, including our LGBT 101 workshop on Monday with facilitators from the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland, student programming from CSDI, and much more!

Sincerely,

Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.,
Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Infographic with facts about Native Americans in the US - 6.9 million people. 324 reservations. 574 registered tribes. 142972 military veterans.
Take the November Native Voices Challenge!
photo of a modern woven blanket made by Native artist Ramona Sakiestewa
What is the last book you read by a Native American author? How many Indigenous writers, leaders, politicians, or artists can you name?

During this Native American Heritage Month we are calling on all members of the JCU community to notice where Native voices and perspectives are missing from our own awareness and disciplines.

From the list below, commit to taking at least three actions during the month of November. We will follow up periodically throughout the month to hear what you are learning!
Join the challenge!

Action Ideas for the Native Voices Challenge:

  1. Read a book by a Native American author.
  2. Watch a film by a Native American filmmaker.
  3. Find and follow at least 5 Native social media influencers.
  4. Read up on the disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Native American communities.
  5. Find and read an article by a Native American scholar in your academic discipline.
  6. If you are faculty, identify a Native author or scholar whose writing you can incorporate into a course syllabus for spring semester.
  7. Commit to making use of some of the resources for considering Thanksgiving from a Native point of view in the Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families.
Division Announcements
Monday: Virtual Workshop
LGBT 101 for Allies
Join us this coming Monday for our first RISE Safe Zone program of the 2020-21 academic year: LGBT 101 for Allies, facilitated by our partners from the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland.

Date: Monday, November 16
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm
Where: Virtual via Zoom
Open to: JCU students, faculty and staff
Promo image for LGBT 101 program
photo of clay lamps lit to celebrate Diwali
Photo by Benoy on Wikimedia Commons

We would like to wish a very happy Diwali to all of our JCU community members who will be celebrating in the coming days!
Happy Diwali!
This Saturday begins the five-day festival of Diwali, the Festival of Lights.

This festival is a major celebration across India and the global Indian diaspora, marked by religious celebrations in Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other traditions, and incorporates many rituals and practices centered on light, joy and abundance. Diwali's many lights symbolize the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
DEI staff featured in
Campus Ministry "Faith that Does Justice" podcast
logo for the Faith that Does Justice podcast
If you haven't yet checked out JCU's Campus Ministry podcast, "Faith that Does Justice," we encourage our community to check it out! Several DEI division staff have been featured on this podcast in recent weeks.

The podcast's Oct. 16 episode featured an interview with CSDI Director Salo Rodezno, speaking on spirituality, cultural roots, and resilience. The podcast's most recent episode features an interview with Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. Tiffany Galvin Green and Administrative Coordinator for Diversity and Equity, Megan Wilson-Reitz, on the subject of community, faith and justice.
3rd Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance at JCU
November 20, 5:00 pm
Transgender Day of Remembrance is recognized annually on November 20th to honor the memory of those murdered in acts of anti-transgender hate.

Join us for a reading of names, poetry, and quiet prayer.

If you would like to participate in this program as a reader or artist, please contact Salo Rodezno.

For more information about Transgender Day of Remembrance internationally, visit www.tdor.info.
Image for JCU commemoration of Transgender Day of Remembrance Nov 20
Meeting ID: 922 1344 3019
Passcode: 992027  
Baby Changing Stations Coming to Campus!
‌
icon of adult changing diaper

We are pleased to announce that starting January 2021, four new baby changing stations will be available on campus in an effort to be family-friendly and inclusive.

Two stations will be installed in the Dolan Center for Science and Technology (Muldoon Atrium-level) and another two stations will be available in the DJ Lombardo Student Center/RecPlex (next to the Varsity Gym).

This project is made possible by the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, Facilities and Auxiliary Services and Staff Council's Working Parents and Legal Guardians employee resource group. This project is funded by the Mandel Foundation Grant for Conversation and Inclusion.
CSDI Workshop: Next Generation Fashion in the Workplace
Friday, November 13, 5:00 pm
promo image for Next Generation Fashion in the Workplace program
Between misgendering and overcharging, the variety of discrimination marginalized people experience buying and using fashion requires creative and inclusive solutions, especially for workplace business attire.

Speaker Gabi Mirelez's solution was Sweetlime Alterations, a shop and community space supporting and uplifting everyone that steps foot in her door. She will share tips for fits, body positivity, and her story of establishing her business as a seamstress in Queer Tailoring in Cleveland. Door prize drawing for attendees will include gift certificates for Sweetlime Alterations! For more information contact azarrelli@jcu.edu.

Meeting ID: 966 2022 3774
Passcode: 831418
Course Registration has begun!
Take a course focused on diversity, equity or inclusion this spring!
image of Dr Nakano teaching Japanese
We asked our faculty to tell us which courses on the Spring 2021 schedule addressed topics such as cultural diversity, racial justice, equity, economic justice, accessibility and ableism, and other topics in the DEI sphere.

We heard back from dozens of our faculty offering information about courses in many disciplines that address these issues. We have compiled a preliminary list of Spring 2021 courses using the information they have shared with us.

Students: if you are looking for more courses in these areas for Spring, take a look at this list and see the many areas where you can learn more about these important issues as part of your JCU curriculum!

(If you are aware of any other courses for Spring 2021 that should be added to this list, please email them to us at diversity@jcu.edu .)
R.I.S.E. Higher: Featured Article of the Week
Ready to Be an Ally for Black Academics? Here’s a Start
Twelve ways that white faculty members can better support
Black academics in their department and across the campus.
Ebony O. McGee, Chronicle of Higher Education, November 11, 2020

Black academics find ourselves in an unexpected new reality. When white faculty members speak up about us, we’re used to hearing questions like, “Why are you always complaining?” and “And can’t you smile more?” But this year, we are finally at a point where many white professors are singing a different tune: “We see your pain. How can we help?” For me, as a Black faculty member at a historically white university, that’s music to my ears.

Hard work is a prerequisite of faculty work — teaching, research, publishing, grant writing, campus and national service. But if you’re a Black faculty member, or from another demographic underrepresented in academe, you have all of those work obligations plus more. Often we are...
.... (click below to read more)
Announcements from our network:
OUT Competing
Virtual Film Festival
November 11-15
OUT competing film series promo image
The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is partnering with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland to host OUT Competing, a virtual film series celebrating LGBTQIA athletes who are changing perceptions in sports.

The series runs Wednesday, Nov. 11- Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020 on a digital stream platform.

If interested in group tickets, or if you have any questions, email Dom Mittiga (dmittiga19@jcu.edu)
Ignatian Solidarity Network "Solidarity on Tap"
Wednesday, November 19, 9:00 pm ET
The Ignatian Solidarity Network will present another program in its "Solidarity on Tap" series next week featuring Sr. Peggy O’Neill, S.C., director of Centro Arte para la Paz (Center of Arts for Peace), a regional educational cultural center promoting peace through dance, art, and theological reflection, in Suchitoto, El Salvador. 
photo of Sister Peggy O'Neill