Hosted by: The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in collaboration with the Divisions of Academic and Student Affairs
In June 2020, we invited our Rowan community and community partners to join us for courageous conversations that we believe will lead to sustainable change. The We Are Not Ok: Injustice, Action, and Healing Series focused on educating, supporting, and providing resources and next steps for the Rowan community and beyond.
This series is now available virtually for continued conversations and education. We encourage our Rowan community to rewatch the series and continue to contribute to the development of action plans that lead to sustainable change.
Our goal in this session is to increase the awareness and understanding of the historical context of systemic racism, policing and resistance in this country. Participants will develop tools to critically examine recent events within a historical and socio-political context. Everyone will leave this session with strategies and resources to facilitate individual and collective progress.
Moderator: Dr. Monika Williams Shealey
Welcome: Dr. Houshmand
Panelist: Dr. Shelley Zion, Dr. Bill Carrigan, Dr. Sandra Joy, Arielle Gedeon
In this session we center the voices of students, faculty, and staff of color in an effort to increase awareness and understanding of racial battle fatigue and trauma. In addition, participants will explore coping mechanisms that improve their overall well-being and strategies that facilitate collective care.
Moderator: Richard Jones
Panelist: Kha Sadler, Rahbe Simmons, Michael Nash, Wilson Nyah, Marie-Ange Munyemana
This session will build upon faculty members’ awareness of systemic racism while exploring anti-racist pedagogy and what its application across disciplines will entail. Participants will engage in critical self reflection in order to effectively implement anti-racist pedagogy in their classroom. Finally, participants will explore critical components to designing an anti-racist course and professional approach: incorporating the topics of race and inequality into course content, teaching from an anti-racist pedagogical approach, and anti-racist organizing within the campus and linking our efforts to the surrounding community. Participants will leave this session with strategies and resources to develop anti-racist learning outcomes, classroom
culture and dynamics, classroom strategies, methods, and assessment.
Moderator: Dr. Kristen Barrett
Welcome: Dr. Tony Lowman
Panelist: Chanelle Rose, Rachael Shapiro, Kenzo Sung, Josh Stolz
This session will examine the ways in which white people continue to benefit from systemic oppression. Participants will explore strategies for abandoning white guilt in order to re-center the needs of people of color. Everyone will develop a toolkit of anti-racist resources and action items to effect social change.
Moderator: Roxie Patton
Panelist: Andrew Havrisko, Kevin Koett, Kate Kedley, Abigail Brous
This session completes the series and will provide participants with an opportunity to engage in problem solving strategies in collaboration with key community constituents. Participants will be provided with a tool to facilitate their action planning.
Co-Moderators: Dr. Kevin Koett and Richard Jones
Panelist: John Wallace, Loretta Winters, John Polillo, Adam McCain, Ayala Gedeon, Drew Harrison, Lou Manzo, Kevin Brown
Additional Speakers: Rowan President Ali Houshmand, Monika Williams Shealey, Zakiya Smith Ellis