DEI Resources

Defending DEI: University Leaders Share Lessons Learned and Strategies for Moving Forward  

The Revival of Anti-Racism: Considerations for Social Work Education 

To Overcome Resistance to DEI, Understand What’s Driving It

DEI Programs in universities are being cut across the country. What does this mean for higher education?

What's With the Objection to DEI Work?

Why Politicized Attacks on DEI in Schools are Occurring, And How They’re Bad for America 

Advocates Continue to Fight Proposed Anti-DEI Legislation 

Anti-DEI Laws Threaten College Social Work Programs 

An Educated Guess: Anti-DEI Legislation Raises Legal and Practical Concerns for Colleges and Universities  

DEI Came to colleges with a bang. Now these red states are on a mission to snuff it out.  

Is DEI Officially Dead?

Book Banning

Book bans are on the rise in U.S. schools, fueled by new laws in Republican-led states 

Book bans in the US public schools increase by 28% in six months, Pen report finds  

Florida school districts removed roughly 300 books last school year 

Georgia school district is banning books, citing sexual content, after firing a teacher

Over half of 2022’s most challenged books have LGBTQ themes 

• “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer
• Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists)
• ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio
• The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
• The Combahee River Collective Statement
• “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston |
• Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
• “Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)
• ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
• “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)

• Adams, M. (Ed.). (2000). Readings for diversity and social justice. Psychology Press.
• Feagin, J. (2013). Systemic racism: A theory of oppression. Routledge.
• Linder, C., Harris, J. C., Allen, E. L., & Hubain, B. (2015). Building inclusive pedagogy: Recommendations from a national study of students of color in higher education and student affairs graduate programs.
• Johnson, A. G. (2001). Power, privilege, and difference. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
• Lau, M. Y., & Williams, C. D. (2010). Microaggressions research: Methodological review and recommendations. In: D. W. Sue (Ed.). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics and impact (pp. 313–336). New York, NY: Wiley
• Nadal, K. L., Wong, Y., Griffin, K. E., Davidoff, K., & Sriken, J. (2014). The adverse impact of racial microaggressionson college students’ self-esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 461-474. doi:10.1353/csd.2014.0051
• Ross, L. (2016). Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses. Macmillan.
• Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation. John Wiley & Sons.
• How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
• Antisemitism in Americaby Leonard Dinnerstein
• Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and Whiteby Frank Wu
• Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Bodyby Rebekah Taussig 
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoningby Cathy Park Hong
• Disability Visibilityby Alice Wong
• Here and Nowby Deborah Lipstadt
• National Museum of African American History and Culture: Talking about race web portal 
• https://www.raceforward.org/
• 21 Day Equity Challenge
• Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
• Redefining Realness by Janet Mock 
• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
• The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
• Guide to Allyship
• Racial Equity Tools
• Racial Equity Glossary
• What You Need to Know About Addiction in the BIPOC Community

• 1619
• About Race
• Code Switch
• Intersectionality Matters!
• Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
• Pod For The Cause
• Pod Save the People
• Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist(Unlocking Us)
• Whistling Vilvaldi
• The Takeaway: Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Anti-Asian Violence Spikes Across the U.S.
• The Humanity Archive
• Self Evident
• Uncivil
• Pass the Mic
• Jewish Questions
• Seeing White
• Parenting Forward podcast episode ‘Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt’
• Fare of the Free Child podcast
• Integrated Schools podcast episode “Raising White Kids with Jennifer Harvey”

• I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown(Art of the Sermon)  
• White Awake by Daniel Hill(FSP Chicago)
• Asian Americans(TV Series documentary)
• 13th(Ava DuVernay)
• How We Can Win(David Jones)
• 5 Tips for Being an Ally
• Eyes on the prize 
• We need to talk about injustice by Bryan Stevenson 
• The Urgency of Intersectionality by Kimberle Crenshaw
• PBS: The Origin of Race in America
• Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be Anti-Racist at UC Berkely 
• Robin DiAngelo discusses White Fragility 
• Race Matters – Dr. Cornell West at the University of Washington
• TEDxRainier – Let’s get to the root of racial injustice by Megan Ming Francis
• How to tell someone they sound racist by Jay Smooth
• Race Forward – Moving the race conversation forward
• TED – Color Blind or Color Brave by Melody Hobson
• New York Times – Peanut Butter and Jelly Racism

Netflix

• 13th (Ava DuVernay)
• American Son (Kenny Leon)
• Dear White People (Justin Simien)
• See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol)
• Selma (Ava DuVernay)
• When They See Us (Ava DuVernay)

Hulu

• Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada)
  via Cinemax
• If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)
• The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.)
  via Cinemax

HBO

• King In The Wilderness
• True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s FIght for Equality*

Parenttoolkit.comm: How to talk to kids about race and racism

NPR: Why all parents should talk to their children about race and social identity

Raceconcious.orrg: Raising race conscious children

Readbrightly.com: How to talk to kids about race and books that can help

NYT: These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids

USA Today: Looking for books about racism? Experts suggest these must-read titles for adults and kids

NYT: An Antiracist Reading List 

• Antiracism Center: Twitter
• Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 
• Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 
• Muslim ARC*: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook 
• Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Stop AAPI Hate(Take action against Asian American Pacific Islander hate in the wake of Covid-19)
• Show Up: Your Guide to Bystander Intervention(PDF)
• SPLC - Southern Poverty Law Center
• ADL: Fighting Hate for Good
• Anti-Racist Educator Self-Questionnaire and Rubric
• "Collectors, Nightlights, and Allies, Oh My!"(Marisela Martinez-Cola, JD/PhD)
• UMass ISSR Racial Justice Education Project

Articles

• Identity-Affirming Schools Need Race-Conscious Educators by Erica Buchanan-Rivera
• The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement by Shawn Ginwright
• When SEL is Used as Another Form of Policing by Cierra Kahler-Jones
• Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Toward SEL in Service of Educational Equity and Excellence by Robert Jagers, Deborah Rivas-Drake, and Brittney Williams
• 74 Interview: Researcher Gloria Ladson-Billings on Culturally Relevant Teaching, the Role of Teachers in Trump’s America & Lessons From Her Two Decades in Education Research
• How to Be an Antiracist Educator by Dena Simmons
• Why COVID-19 Is Our Equity Check by Dena Simmons
• Decolonizing our Minds and Actions by Waziyatawin and Michael Yellow Bird
• We’re In a Moment of Collective Trauma. But There are Glimmers of Hope by john a. powell

Books

• Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators by Elena Aguilar
• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
• “Multiplication Is for White People”: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit
• Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond
• Teaching to Transgress by bell hooks
• Mindful of Race by Ruth King
• The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Gloria Ladson-Billings
• We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Bettina Love
• Common Beliefs Survey: Teaching Racially and Ethnically Diverse Students
• Mindful Reflection Process for Developing Culturally Responsive Practices
• Understanding Justice
• Dimensions of Difference and Similarity Reflection
• Strategies for Teaching Fearless SEL for Societal Change
• Reading Ourselves Whole: A Contemplative Choral Reading Method
• I See You. Everyone Matters.
• Why Marginalized Students Need Hope to Succeed by Dante Dixson
• Three Social-Emotional Skills You Need to Discuss Race in Classrooms by Amy L. Eva
• How to Help Diverse Students Find Common Ground by Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu
• How to Change the Story About Students of Color by Dena Simmons
• Why Teachers Are More Likely to Punish Black Students by Jeremy Adam Smith
• Four Ways Teachers Can Reduce Implicit Bias by Jill Suttie
• Why Don’t Students Take Social-Emotional Learning Home? by Vicki Zakrzewski

• The Nap Ministry
• Liberate meditation app (by and for Black, Indigenous and People of Color)
• Black Girl in Om
• Shine (has a black lives matter meditation)
• The Underbelly Yoga
• Beronda Montgomery (mentoring, leadership)
• Women's Health in Women's Hands http://www.whiwh.com/ 
• The Black Health Alliance http://blackhealthalliance.ca/ 
• A list of Mental Health Resources Available for People of Color https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/06/9849013/mental-health-services-black-people-of-color 
• Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective https://www.beam.community/ 
• Project Lets Race and Mental Health https://projectlets.org/race-and-mental-health
• 12 Black Mental Health and Wellness Resources to Follow on Instagram https://www.vogue.com/article/black-mental-health-wellness-instagram-accounts 
• Grief is a Direct Impact of Racism: 8 ways to support yourself https://theconversation.com/grief-is-a-direct-impact-of-racism-eight-ways-to-support-yourself-91750
• Raising Hope: Parenting in an anti-Black environment https://theconversation.com/raising-hope-parenting-in-an-anti-black-environment-87070 
• Therapy for black men https://therapyforblackmen.org/ 
• Association of Black Psychologists http://www.abpsi.org/ 
• Therapy for Black Girls https://therapyforblackgirls.com/ 
• Legacy of Trauma: Context of the African American Existence
• Lumos Transfomos https://lumostransforms.com/ 
• Therapy Resources for People of Color https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dWShg0TZ7nJz5YJsCa1DyGCGTJMrUEd8du5vC6boVhs/mobilebasic 

Free emotional well being resources

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org 
• Mindfulness Resources, The Center for Mindful Living: mindfullivingla.org  
• Guided Meditations in English & Spanish: uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations 
• Breathing and Mindfulness Phone Apps: Breathe, Calm, Headspace.
• Online Yoga, All Levels: doyogawithme.com
• Crisis Text Line: free 24/7 text-based crisis intervention: text HOME to 741741 https://www.crisistextline.org/ 

Mindfulness & Guided Meditation

• AfroFlow Yoga: https://www.afroflowyoga.com/ 
• The Center for Mindful Living- inspiring videos, free mindfulness teachings, and guided meditation: mindfullivingla.org
• Meditations led by Tara Brach, PhD- Guided meditations in various categories, such as basic meditations, heart meditations, open awareness, difficult times, and a guided meditation for times of pandemic: tarabrach/guided-meditations/
• UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center- free guided meditations in English & in Spanish: uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations
• UCSD Center for Mindfulness- mindfulness videos, mindful poetry, guided audio & video mindfulness practice: medschool.ucsd.edu/som/fmph/research/mindfulness/mindfulness-resources/Pages/default.aspx  
• Bilingual Center for Mindfulness- Spanish language information of mindfulness and guided meditations: bilingualmindfulness.com/es/
• Mindful Heart Center- Japanese speaking mindfulness community resources: mindfulheartcenter.com/meditation 

Student Counseling Center

Student Services

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helpline/coping-tips

https://time.com/6322238/how-to-help-israel-gaza-war-victims/ 

• The Conscious Kid Instagram | The Conscious Kid Patreon
  • Why White Parents Need to Do More than Just Talk to Their Kids About Race
  • Are Your Kids Too Young to Talk About Race? Nope. Silence about race can reinforce racism by letting children draw their own conclusions
• Liz Kleinrock - Teach and Transform Instagram
• Rachel Cargle Instagram - building an intellectual legacy through teaching, storytelling & critical discourse
• Naomi O'Brien - Read Like A Rockstar Instagram

• The Conscious Kid: is creating Parenting and Education Resources through a Critical Race Lens. Our goal with Patreon is to create a small, intimate community where we can get to know each other better, create space for in-depth, personal discussions, and respond to specific questions and concerns you have as you navigate intersections of race, equity, parenting, and education.
• The POC Families’ Guide For Talking About Racism: We created The White Families' Guide for Racism: How Can We Grow to Be Anti-Racist and heard from non-Black families of color that realized the need for a guide like this for their families. Black, Indigenous, and other people of color also face discrimination and racism. We recognize that. This book is focused around equipping your children to understand that as well as the racism that affects the Black community.
• A White Families’ Guide for Talking About Racism: White families, if you’re here, we hope it’s because you’re ready to start having important conversations with your children about racism and actively planning what your family can do to help.
• Little Justice Leaders Subscription Box: When you sign up for Little Justice Leaders, each month you will receive a box of carefully selected resources to help your child or your students learn about a social justice issue. We use arts and crafts, projects, books, and other activities to help your child or students understand complex issues. This box is made specifically for kids in grades K-5, so the content is fun, educational, and age-appropriate. Talking about social justice issues can be hard. We want to make it easier. With conversation starters, activities, and other goodies, you can make these tough conversations fun and interesting for your young child or students.

• Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism
• Let’s Talk about Race (by a kindergarten teacher)

• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
• How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
• So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
• An Anti-Racist Reading List Compiled by Ibram X. Kendi

• List of Books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Black Authors: 
• List of Books Celebrating Black Boys
• Books about Race, Racism, & the Resistance
• Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram X. Kendi
• Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
  • Something Happened in Our Town follows two families — one white, one Black — as they discuss a police shooting of a Black man in their community. The story aims to answer children’s questions about such traumatic events, and to help children identify and counter racial injustice in their own lives. Includes an extensive Note to Parents and Caregivers with guidelines for discussing race and racism with children, child-friendly definitions, and sample dialogues. Ages 4–8.
• Let's Talk about Race by Julius Lester (Author) Karen Barbour (Illustrator)
  • In this acclaimed book, the author of the Newbery Honor Book To Be a Slave shares his own story as he explores what makes each of us special. A strong choice for sharing at home or in the classroom. "This stunning picture book introduces race as just one of many chapters in a person's story" (School Library Journal). "Lester's poignant picture book helps children learn, grow, discuss, and begin to create a future that resolves differences" (Children's Literature).
• The Other Side Jacqueline Woodson (Author) E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)
  • Clover's mom says it isn't safe to cross the fence that segregates their African-American side of town from the white side where Anna lives. But the two girls strike up a friendship, and get around the grown-ups' rules by sitting on top of the fence together.
• Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins by Carole Boston Weatherford (Author) Jerome Lagarrigue Lagarrigue (Illustrator)
  • There were signs all throughout town telling eight-year-old Connie where she could and could not go. But when Connie sees four young men take a stand for equal rights at a Woolworthas lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, she realizes that things may soon change. This event sparks a movement throughout her town and region. And while Connie is too young to march or give a speech, she helps her brother and sister make signs for the cause. Changes are coming to Connieas town, but Connie just wants to sit at the lunch counter and eat a banana split like everyone else.
• These Hands by Margaret H Mason (Author) Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)
  • Joseph's grandpa could do almost anything with his hands. He could play the piano, throw a curveball, and tie a triple bowline knot in three seconds flat. But in the 1950s and 60s, he could not bake bread at the Wonder Bread factory. Factory bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by the hands of the African Americans who worked there.In this powerful intergenerational story, Joseph learns that people joined their hands together to fight discrimination so that one day, their hands--Joseph's hands--could do anything at all in this whole wide world.
• Say Something by Peggy Moss (Author) Lea Lyon (Illustrator)
  • The girl in this story sees it happening, but she would never do these mean things herself. Then one day something happens that shows her that being a silent bystander isn't enough. Will she take some steps on her own to help another kid? Could it be as simple as sitting on the bus with the girl no one has befriended (and discovering that she has a great sense of humor)? Resources at the end of the book will help parents and children talk about teasing and bullying and find ways to stop it at school. One child at a time can help change a school.
• Say Something! By Peter H. Reynolds (Author)
  • In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!

This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work

• “Gain a deeper understanding of your anti-racist self as you progress through 20 chapters that spark introspection, reveal the origins of racism that we are still experiencing, and give you the courage and power to undo it. Each chapter builds on the previous one as you learn more about yourself and racial oppression. 20 activities get you thinking and help you grow with the knowledge. All you need is a pen and paper.”

• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds

• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) releases data on pass rate disparities based on race, age, and first-language
• National conversations begin about how to address inequities, including at UMSSW

National Deans and Directors convenes working group with SSW leaders

UMSSW Convenes task force

SSW enhances LMSW exam study preparation and hires a well-respected Black business owner to provide services to all MSW students

UMSSW Taskforce report provided to Dean Postmus

Bills SB0871 and SB0145 are introduced to Maryland Senate March 30: Hearing

SB0871 passes the senate with major revisions. Most significant aspect was the formation of a legislative task force to further examine the causes and potential remedies of pass rate disparities

Task force is formed via the Maryland General Assembly. First meeting scheduled for October 2023

Work of monitoring, advocating, and advising UMSSW is restructured within the Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

LMSW exam licensure preparation materials made available to all MSW students (and alumni as requested) via Advanced Social Work Solutions

Continue to advocate for an equitable path to licensure by:

1. Implementing internal recommendations
2. Advocating at the legislative level
3. Collaborating across stakeholder group to increase our efficacy