UVM Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Can you believe it's the last day of the 2024 Inclusive Excellence Symposium!? We are honored to close out an incredible week of learning with and his lecture, "The Immense Power of Telling Your Authentic Story." Doors open at 9:30am for brunch. Register for in-person or online at go.uvm.edu/ies

What a week it's been! Join us today at 4pm for the Wanda Heading-Grant Keynote with Dr. Durryle Brooks. This is a FREE event. Register at go.uvm.edu/ies to grab one of the few remaining in-person seats, or to get the link to stream Operationalizing Love: Centering Love in Our Intersectional Justice Work.

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Today we are so lucky to hear scholar and activist Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and her lecture "Native Nations, Relations, and Higher Education." There's still time to register to tune into today's session at 10am. Register and get more info at go.uvm.edu/ies

Today we are kicking off the 2024 Inclusive Excellence Symposium with speaker Delma Jackson III and his presentation, "That's Mighty White of You: The Story of White Supremacy in Roughly 8 Acts." Delma made his IES debut in 2022, leaving such an impression with his powerful lecture that we couldn't wait to invite him back!
We hope you'll join us at noon for this incredible opening session for IES.
More info at go.uvm.edu/ies

How do you lead with love? Join the 500+ people who have registered for this year's Inclusive Excellence Symposium to hear how acclaimed scholars, artists, activists, and speakers pursue social justice work centered in love instead of division. Details at go.uvm.edu/ies or use the link in bio to learn more!

Registration for the 2024 Inclusive Excellence Symposium is live! This year's theme is leading with love in pursuit of justice. Acclaimed speakers Delma Jackson III, Megan Red Shirt-Shaw, Durryle Brooks, and Jasiri X will share what it means to work at the intersection of love and social justice. Sessions run from March 19-22 with in-person and streaming options available. Free refreshments at every session!

$10 UVM Fac/Staff | $25 General Public
FREE for all students!
Visit go.uvm.edu/ies or visit link in bio for more info.

Image description:
Head shots of all four IES speakers in a collage with Inclusive Excellence Symposium logo along with Symposium dates and website. IES logo has a green box with a yellow heart made up of a dashed and solid line ending in an arrow. Logo text is green n white background and reads: Inclusive Excellence Symposium Leading with love in pursuit of justice.

DEI is pleased to announce Dr. Damon A. Williams for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Keynote on Thursday, January 25th at 4pm. Join us at Ira Allen Chapel or online to listen to thought leader and strategic leadership expert Dr. Williams talk about King's dream of creating a beloved community.
This event is free and open to the public. Register at go.uvm.edu/mlk

DEI is pleased to debut 's first-ever Comprehensive Inclusive Excellence Action Plan. This data-driven DEI strategic plan came together through the work of people and divisons spanning the entire university. Read more at go.uvm.edu/compieap

Join Drs. Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy on September 22, 2023 for an Inclusive Teaching Workshop at .

Offering both hybrid and in-person options, this workshop will explore the need for high course structure and model techniques designed to elicit equity in the classroom.

Both sessions are open to UVM faculty, teaching staff, predoctoral students, and postdocs.

Register now at Go.UVM.edu/inclusiveteaching.

The and are excited to announce that we are accepting proposals for the 2023 Health Equity Summit, Closing the Margin: Avenues to Health Equity.

🚨Full details are available at go.uvm.edu/hes2023🚨

We are seeking proposals for one-hour plenary and concurrent sessions connected with the annual theme and overall learning objectives for the conference.

We are also seeking abstracts describing research, quality improvement, or innovation in areas of health equity for posters or oral presentations. Competitive proposals will be thought-provoking and accessible to a broad technical and lay audience.

Today we celebrate Bev Belisle: the mentor, advocate, and legendary Director of the Mosaic Center for Students of Color!

After 22 years, Bev leaves behind a legacy of inclusion and belonging for many future generations of students. From her poetry to the peace that she shares we everyone around her, her presence will be missed on campus.

Please join us as we extend a thank you from all of the students, staff, and faculty who have had the privilege of working with Bev.

We wish you peace and joy in retirement!

Today begins the celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Check our story throughout the month for photos, historical information, and fun facts about Asian American and Pacific Islander culture.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at for breakfast this morning! We look forward to hosting again.

Eid Mubarak! Wishing everyone who is celebrating a very happy & joyful .

is coming to !

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater grew from a now-fabled performance in March 1958 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Led by Alvin Ailey and a group of young African-American modern dancers, that performance changed forever the perception of American dance.

The Ailey company has gone on to perform for an estimated 25 million people at theaters in 48 states and 71 countries on six continents – as well as millions more through television broadcasts, film screenings, and online platforms.

Join us Tuesday, May 2nd at 7:30pm in the illustrious .

Tickets are available at flynnvt.org!

Anti-semitism is on the rise, in the US and around the world, leading to both verbal and physical assaults on Jews and Jewish institutions of all kinds. In this panel discussion, faculty members from History, Political Science and Religion will explore the roots and contemporary expressions of anti-semitism, contextualized historically and in both religious and political movements.

Date/Time: Thursday, April 20, 5:30 pm
Location: Kalkin 007, UVM campus

Join us for Anti-Semitism Today: A Faculty Roundtable.
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Anti-semitism is on the rise, in the US and around the world, leading to both verbal and physical assaults on Jews and Jewish institutions of all kinds. In this panel discussion, faculty members from History, Political Science and Religion will explore the roots and contemporary expressions of anti-semitism, contextualized historically and in both religious and political movements.

Date/Time: Thursday, April 20, 5:30 pm
Location: Kalkin 007, UVM

New month, new opportunities to engage!

April is packed with events! We welcome you to join us as we celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion at the and beyond.
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April 13, 2023

Edgar Gomez Presents: Fuera Machismo

This talk will unpack the history of machismo culture and explore why putting an end to it is important.
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April 15, 2023
Crowned in Culture Reigning Diamonds Ball

Crowned in Culture has been a staple event for the UVM Womxn of Color Coalition (WOCC). In the past, it has been a cultural beauty pageant. However, the WOCC’s executive board decided to remove the pageant. Instead, they will host a celebration and gathering of all cultures. As the name suggests, Crowned in Culture is a night where everyone can proudly represent their cultures.

To learn more, please reach out to .
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April 28, 2023
Free Webinar Watch Party: Coping with DEI Fatigue & Burnout

This webinar was designed to help faculty, staff, and administrators of color who navigate the stresses of leading DEI initiatives at New England Colleges and Universities.

Today we are proud to honor International Transgender Day of Visibility! We celebrate the joy, resilience, and talent that exists within trans and non-binary communities by elevating stories, voices, and experiences.

Thank you to , , , and for the knowledge and life experiences you shared with the community.

We welcome you to visit each of their websites to learn more.

Next year’s Inclusive Excellence Symposium is scheduled for March 18-22, 2024.

Meet Sound Healer]! Also known as Maimouna Youssef, she is a GRAMMY-Nominated, Indigenous Music award-winning, Musical Ambassador for the US State Department, elected governor of The DC Chapter of The Recording Academy & an Ambassador of The Black Music Collective.
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Join us tomorrow as Sound Healer] presents Feminism From an Indigenous Perspective!
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Mumu Fresh has toured internationally as a critically acclaimed Afro-Indigenous singer, Emcee, songwriter, activist, workshop facilitator and audio engineer who’s been called a “quadruple threat” by The Roots’ Black Thought and “groundbreaking” by Oscar-winning artist, Common.

In 2021, Maimouna partnered with AFROPUNK x Netflix to illuminate and celebrate Black women muses and was the voice behind the ACLU Systematic Equality campaign. In 2020, she was asked to lend her soulful voice to the ESPYs tribute to Black Lives because WE Matter. Some of her other standout moments in 2020 include her contribution to Salaam Remi’s album “Black On Purpose”, along with their single “EMOGs” which surpassed 2 million streams on Spotify alone upon release in 2020. She hit the ground running in 2021 with her viral feature on Tobe Nwigwe’s song “Tundah Fiyah” from their album “Cincoriginals” which immediately surpassed one (1) million views on Instagram on release day.

Meet D’Lo! A queer/transgender Tamil-Sri Lankan-American actor/writer/comic whose work ranges from stand-up comedy, solo theater, plays, films, short stories and poetry.
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Join us for The Transformative Power of Comedy: Storytelling as Healing Praxis tomorrow at 4pm EST.
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His solo shows Ramble-Ations, D’FunQT, D’FaQTo Life and To T, or not To T have toured theaters and festivals nationally, and he is a regular performer/speaker on the college/university circuit as well.

His acting credits include: LOOKING, TRANSPARENT, SENSE 8, Mr. ROBOT and Issa Rae-produced MINIMUM WAGE. Currently, he has a series based on his life that is set up at BTR Media and Paul Feig’s Powderkeg Media. Most recently, D’Lo was awarded the Artist Disruptor Fellowship through the Center for Cultural Performance and 5050x2020 an initiative started by Joey Soloway, and he is also a Senior Civic Media Fellow through USC’s Annenberg School of Innovation funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

As a writer he has been published in various anthologies and academic journals, and he is the creator of the “Coming Out, Coming Home” writing workshop series which have taken place with South Asian and/or Immigrant LGBTQ Organizations nationally, which provide a transformative space for workshop participants to write through their personal narratives and share their truths through a public reading.

To learn more, visit dlocokid.com.

Meet Attorney Rabia Chaudry: lawyer, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book Adnan’s Story.
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Tune in to UVM’s Inclusive Excellence Symposium tomorrow at 10am EST to experience Rabia Chaudry]’s talk on Building Common Ground Through Uncommon Stories.
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Rabia Chaudry] is also Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary series titled The Case Against Adnan Syed.

Attorney Chaudry is a 2021 Aspen Institute/ADL Civil Society Fellow and was previously a 2016 Aspen Ideas Scholar and on the Vanguard Board at the Aspen Institute. She is a Fellow of the Truman National Security Project, a Fellow of the American Muslim Civic Leadership Institute, a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, and a former Board member of the of Connecticut and Maryland. Rabia is the recipient of the Truman National Security Project’s 2015 Harry S. Truman Award for Communications & Media Influence, is a 2015 Carnegie Corporation Great Immigrant, and is the recipient of the 2015 Healing & Hope award by the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. She is currently a founding board member of the Inter-Jewish Muslim Alliance, and the Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, both of which focus on building Muslim-Jewish coalitions around pressing policy issues, and educating across communities to break barriers.

Rabia received her Juris Doctorate from the George Mason School of Law and practiced immigration and civil rights law for over a decade before moving into the CVE policy sphere. Her practice focus was asylum and family immigration, and civil rights defense of Muslim immigrants against federal law enforcement agencies.

To learn more about Attorney Chaudry and her work, visit: rabiachaudry.com.

Each day this week we’ll feature a Get to Know You post about our four upcoming speakers.

First, we have Dr. : , Public Intellectual, and Professor.

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To hear Dr. Ross speak live tomorrow at noon, please visit uvm.edu/diversity/IES. Calling in Community: Creating Positive Social Change will be a live virtual event.
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As stated on her website, Dr. Ross has been a member of the since 1978, when she worked at the first r**e crisis center in the country and learned about women's human rights, reproductive justice, white supremacy, and women of color organizing.

To this day, Dr. Ross is still, “sharing what I've experienced with emerging activists in hopes that you will join the transformative human rights movement that has changed the world.”

Dr. Ross is also a professor at and offers Calling in Courses to interested community members and professionals.

For more information on Dr. Ross and her amazing work, visit her website: lorettajross.com.

It’s not too late to register for the Inclusive Excellence Symposium!

Topics are:

Tuesday, March 21st - Calling in Community: Creating Positive Social Change with Loretta J. Ross

Wednesday, March 22nd - Building Common Ground Through Uncommon Stories with Rabia Chaudry

Thursday, March 23 - The Transformative Power of Comedy: Storytelling as Healing Praxis with D'Lo

Friday, March 24 - Feminism From an Indigenous Perspective with Maimouna Youssef, AKA Mumu Fresh

You don’t want to miss this year’s lineup. Learn more at uvm.edu/diversity/IES.

Less than a week remains before the Inclusive Excellence Summit begins.

This year’s lineup is incredibly dynamic and will share experiences from a plethora of backgrounds.

Did you know you can attend all sessions from the location of your choice? Each talk includes hybrid and remote options.

This event is free for UVM students and scholarships are available for others.

We hope to see you there next week!

Save the date for the 2023 Inclusive Excellence Symposium! From March 21-24 we will explore what it means to be in community with our Common Ground values with presenters Loretta Ross, Rabia Chaudry, D'Lo, and Maimouna Yossef. Find out more at http://go.uvm.edu/ies

Recruitment is underway for Project RESILIENCY! For our new PhD program, we are seeking experienced professionals with a master’s degree in either special education, social work, counseling, or cognitive science. Please visit https://go.uvm.edu/resiliency for more information.

UVM Graduate College
UVM Center on Disability & Community Inclusion

Today's the day! Join the community at 4pm for the Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Keynote with Dr. Carolyn Finney. In addition to her lecture, "The Fullness of Ourselves," today's event includes a Q&A, book signing, and musical guests .

Tickets are free and required. Reserve your spot in person or online at go.uvm.edu/mlk23

Registration is now live for our 2023 MLK Celebration Keynote! Come listen to storyteller and cultural geographer Dr. Carolyn Finney as she gives her keynote address, The Fullness of Ourselves. Dr. Finney's lecture will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Date: Thursday, January 26
Time: 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Location: Ira Allen Chappel and Livestream

Tickets are free and required--get yours today! More info at go.uvm.edu/mlk23