On behalf of NIRSA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission, I invite you to take some time this week to review the resources below. Whether you choose to integrate them into an upcoming staff training or you’re simply reading them to expand your understanding of the vital topics of equity, diversity, or inclusion, these resources can help shape your perspective on social justice.

By Clint Smith | TED Talk

This “The Danger of Silence” resource is another TED Talk video from 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference speaker Clint Smith. In this four-minute video, Clint speaks about the importance of speaking up against injustice. He speaks out on the silence of others and the impact this silence can have on perpetuating a climate of prejudice.

I find this video particularly relevant since, as educators, we often struggle to find our voices in different settings, where people can feel intimidated in the face of microaggressions or overt discrimination. This video can be used during staff discussions about allyhood and even bystander intervention as a first step to helping create positive changes on our campuses and in our society.

 

By Chescaleigh | YouTube

This resource is an animated video from Franchesca Ramsey and Kat Blaque. Franchesca Ramsey is a comedian, activist, and YouTube personality who speaks on issues of diversity and inclusion in a coherent and often entertaining fashion. Franchesca uses an animated story of a caterpillar and a snail to discuss the different struggles people can have related to privilege, as well as the importance of perspective. The video illustrates privilege in a way that is not focused on assigning blame, which can often be a pitfall that makes conversations about privilege difficult to have.

This three-minute video is a great introduction for conversations about diversity and inclusion; it helps break down what can be a complex subject in a non-confrontational way.

 

By Allan Johnson | Privilege, Power, and Difference

A huge part of allyhood is understanding different ways that privilege is sometimes perpetuated by resisting or denying its existence. Resisting privilege can take many forms and affects even the most well-intentioned. Nonfiction author, novelist, sociologist, public speaker, and workshop presenter Allan Johnson—who has written especially in relation to issues of social justice rooted in gender, race, and social class—discusses denial and resistance of privilege and other challenges in his book Privilege, Power, and Difference. The resource linked below is a pdf version of the eighth chapter of that book, hosted by the Iliiff School of Theology.

This resource can be used for training or discussions with full-time staff on ways to work toward allyhood; it can also be used to gain a better understanding of the complexities surrounding privilege and strategies for working past them.

 

Add your voice to the conversation

We encourage you to connect with colleagues from across North America on this important topic. Join NIRSA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Community of Practice today to find more resources or to participate in the online discussion.

Associate Director of Recreational Sports Programs at | NIRSA Profile

Marcus Jackson is currently Associate Director of Recreational Sports Programs at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor; he also serves on NIRSA's Commission for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. You can reach him at mjacksn@umich.edu.