ABRI Final Report 2020-21 by UMD College of Behavioral & Social Sciences

Final Report 2020-2021

ABRI Report Preface I would like to thank Dr. Rashawn Ray and the over 40 faculty, staff, and students in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences who answered last year’s call to form the Anti-Black Racism Initiative (ABRI) to strengthen our teaching and research, and to support dialogues to promote long-term change in the College. Their hard work, under the very trying circumstances of 2020-2021, has identified some of the strengths and weaknesses of BSOS in four key areas: Community Engagement and Policy; Research and Events; Pedagogy; and Professional Development. Rather than summarize the findings of the report, I would like to acknowledge a few of the ABRI recommendations that are particularly compelling as goals for our college. The pursuit of excellence in teaching is a most central concern of BSOS, and several ABRI recommendations to expand inclusion speak to this goal. The Pedagogy Subcommittee (led by Professor Jessica Goldberg and Dean Kim Nickerson) offers many valuable suggestions on how to facilitate access to resources useful for enhancing the classroom experience and our mentoring and teaching environment. Also, the same subcommittee’s report recommends the creation of an anti-Black racism minor within BSOS, to be developed and implemented by the Department of African American Studies, that might also draw on common goals and strengths also found in the Department of American Studies in the College of Arts and Humanities. As noted by the Research and Events subcommittee (chaired by Dawn Down and Hoda Mahmoudi), there is a need for ongoing and sustained commitment to both academic events and faculty research that support ABRI's pursuit of greater racial justice. Moreover, such activities should be pursued in a truly collective effort across all units in the college, rather than expecting faculty/staff of color, or a small subset of our academic units, to shoulder most of the work. As a prominent university with the capacity for a wide variety of research and development, BSOS indeed has a unique responsibility for establishing and strengthening relations with our surrounding communities, in ways that help us promote racial justice. The Community Engagement and Policy Subcommittee (led by Professors Isabella Alcañiz and Joseph Richardson) offers valuable suggestions on how to enhance the university’s presence among the relevant networks in our communities, beginning with Prince Georges County. While over the last decade or two, BSOS has made significant progress in enhancing the overall representation of women and underrepresented minorities among its faculty, the Professional Development Subcommittee (led by Professor Antoine Banks and Dr. Nazish Salahuddin) calls appropriate attention to a severe underrepresentation of Black faculty in the college. I have launched a major effort to address this issue (over the last year BSOS was able to support the hire of 5 African American TTK faculty), and the college will continue to focus on developing appropriate procedures to address this issue more effectively in the future. I am directing BSOS to pursue some of these key objectives by incorporating them more fully into the working portfolio of the dean's office senior staff. For example, Dr. Katherine Russell (Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education) will be working with colleagues across ABRI and the college to enhance access to special pedagogical workshops and website materials, as well as the develop new educational programs like the ABR minor. Dr. Jean McGloin (Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies) will continue to develop new opportunities to facilitate the access of faculty and graduate students to both campus and external sources of research support as well as catalogue common areas of research interests and strengths. Dr. Patricio Korzeniewicz (Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Dr. Kim Nickerson (Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) have been working to critically assess hiring and

promotion procedures and will be collaborating with colleagues across BSOS and the university to identify more productive ways of enhancing our efforts to attain greater diversity. But in some critical areas, pursuing the recommendations of the ABRI report will require BSOS to commit appropriate resources to address the type of staffing needs required for a more sustained effort. I will consult with the leadership of ABRI and senior colleagues at BSOS on how to move most effectively in this regard, but it is clear to me that hiring an ABRI coordinator, supported by graduate Research Assistants, would provide a critical initial step to ensure greater continuity in the future organization and coordination of the type of activities (from data collection and analyses to the organization of lecture series) recommended by the Report. Through the ABRI report, faculty, staff, and students across the college have provided valuable insights into how to advance racial equity and social justice concerns within BSOS and our campus. I take their recommendations to heart. Sincerely, Greg Ball Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences

Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 5 Subcommittee Activities .......................................................................................................................... 5 Future Outlook and Subcommittee Recommendations ......................................................................... 7 Subcommittee Members ......................................................................................................................... 8 Appendix: Community Engagement and Policy Subcommittee Report ................................................... 10 Appendix: Events and Research Subcommittee Report ........................................................................... 14 Appendix: Pedagogy Subcommittee Report ............................................................................................. 17 Appendix: Professional Development Subcommittee Report.................................................................. 32 Appendix: Events Report ........................................................................................................................... 39

INTRODUCTION In response to the recent tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and other African Americans—in many of these cases at the hands of law enforcement—The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland formed The Anti-Black Racism initiative to further coordinate, publicize, and enhance our efforts to identify, disrupt, and prevent anti-Black racism. The Anti-Black Racism initiative is designed to promote long-term change in the college and on the campus, and beyond. Grounded in the behavioral and social sciences, our mission is to elevate the status and experience of African Americans. To do so, we are engaging in supporting scholarship, teaching, and dialogues of all types to fight against anti-Black racism in our society at all levels—individual, structural, and cultural. As a college, we are self-examining and promoting changes in how we engage anti-racism; how we teach about these issues at the undergraduate and graduate levels; and how we hire, mentor, support, and retain faculty and staff. A top priority of our work is to identify pathways and avenues for lasting change. In Summer 2020, over 40 faculty, staff, and students with representation from every department in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences answered the call to volunteer to form the AntiBlack Racism Initiative and stand up for racial equity and social justice. We have committed to investigating, discussing, and taking action to recognize and to prevent systemic racism, antiBlack racism and violence. We are especially focused on research and action related to social policies and reforms. Our research on anti-Black racism focuses on topics such as policing and police brutality, judicial processes, sentencing, voting and social movements, work and the economy, violence, family, health, geography, and climate. Drawing from our diverse disciplines and the expertise of our faculty, administration, students, staff, and alumni, we seek to provide programming and dialogue that will address these and many more topics in solution- and change-oriented ways. The Anti-Black Racism Initiative is led by Professor Rashawn Ray in the Department of Sociology. In Summer 2020, Dr. Ray said, “This initiative firmly places the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences in a position to help our university, county, state, and country move forward toward racial equity. BSOS faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students are committed to ameliorating systemic racism. This starts in our own departments and classrooms and expands to the broader communities that we live in. University of Maryland has the potential to be a national model on these fronts and we look forward to continuing to play a part in this process.” One primary goal of the Anti-Black Racism Initiative is to address racism on our campus and in our local community, produce scholarship that advances a national conversation and policy agenda on social justice, and empower students to envision and create a racially equitable future. While the Anti-Black Racism Initiative is new, faculty, staff, and students in the College of Behavioral and Sciences have engaged in anti-racist research for years. Of note, the Anti-Black Racism Initiative builds upon centers and programs including: • The Critical Race Initiative in Sociology; • The Baha’i Chair for World Peace in the college; • The Department of African American Studies; 2

• • •

The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice and Ethics; The new Graduate Program in Public Safety Leadership Administration in the Departments of Sociology and Criminology and Criminal Justice in conjunction with the law school in Baltimore; and The BSOS Summer Research Initiative to diversify the PhD pipeline.

The Baha’i Chair for World Peace has a speaking series on Systemic Racism and the Root Causes of Prejudice. Drs. Hoda Mahmoudi and Ray have a forthcoming book featuring articles from series speakers who are some of the most renown race scholars in the country. The Department of African American Studies in collaboration with CRI, Baha’i, and the Judge Williams Center has a speaking series on reparations. It has featured Congresswoman Barbara Lee who has a Truth and Reconciliation Bill in Congress. The Departments of Psychology and Economics have impactful programs for students that aim to help students matriculate and view research as a desirable career path. Dean Kim Nickerson not only runs the BSOS Summer Research Initiative, but he started the Black History Tour on campus to tell the story of the role of African Americans in the founding of the university. The Critical Race Initiative, currently led by Dawn Dow in sociology and students across campus, hold a symposium every year in honor of Congressman Parren Mitchell. Mitchell was the first Black student to obtain a graduate degree while taking courses on campus. The Critical Race Initiative also has a professional development and writing workshop for graduate students and has helped conduct research on the university that further bolstered the ability to name the Art-Sociology Building after Congressman Mitchell and change the name of the stadium previously dedicated to a former president who refused to admit Black students. Members of the Critical Race Initiative have also testified on legislation at the state level, such as the Lt. Collins Hate Crime Bill, to ensure that hate and racism have no place on our campus and in our state. The University of Maryland is located in Prince George’s County, which is home to workingclass Black and Latinx communities, as well as the most affluent African American community in the United States. It also has a large and growing immigrant population, which creates opportunities for building bridges across ethnic and geographic divides. However, it has longstanding racial inequalities that manifest on the bodies of Black people. Despite the affluence of people in the county, it has one of the starkest income divides in the nation. The county also has the most COVID-19 cases in the state and continues to be plagued with misconduct lawsuits from residents about police brutality and from over 100 Black and Latinx officers about internal problems with promotion and discipline in the county police department. These outcomes are most stark in the killings of people that include Lt. Richard W. Collins III, William Green, Korryn Gaines, and Leonard Shand, which all occurred in the BaltimoreWashington Corridor. ABRI addresses four main areas: • Research and Events led by Professors Dawn Dow and Hoda Mahmoudi • Pedagogy led by Professor Jessica Goldberg and Dean Kim Nickerson • Professional Development led by Professor Antoine Banks and Dr. Nazish Salahuddin, and • Community Engagement and Policy led by Professors Isabella Alcañiz and Joseph Richardson, which is outward facing to serve the needs of the community.

The following pages include reports from each of the committees listed above. As we continue our work, we are committed to investigating, discussing, and taking action to recognize and to prevent systemic racism, anti-Black racism and violence. It starts in our own departments and classrooms and expands to the broader communities that we live in. We take our inspiration from the words of our 34th President, Darryll J. Pines: “We stand in solidarity and united against injustice.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Subcommittee Activities Events and Research • • •

Increased attention to racial injustice among departments that have not focused on this topic Most work on anti-Black racism is concentrated among four main entities Existing efforts are often subsidized and underwritten by faculty of color. These faculty often use their research funds and time to promote ABRI-related initiatives out of a commitment to these issues and/or synergies with their research

Community Engagement and Policy • •

Engaged in efforts to address the disenfranchisement of Black residents of historic Lakeland Surveyed community engagements with a focus on racial justice in which BSOS staff, students, and faculty participated

Pedagogy • •

Established partnership for ABRI minor with BSOS and ARHU Compiled list of course offerings that could become part of an ABRI minor

Professional Development • •

Conducted research on race and gender patterns of TTF and PTK Conducted Assessment of BSOS and UMD to peer institutions

BSOS TTK Faculty in 2020

All Departments NonBlack 94%

Excluding AASD Black 3%

Black 6%

NonBlack 97%

Excludes AASD: 6 Black faculty out of 174

10 Black faculty out of 180 total.

These charts show the racial composition of faculty in the entire college in 2020. The left panel shows the entire college (all department): Black faculty (of any rank) made up 6% of all BSOS TTK faculty. Non-Black faculty made up 94%. The right panel displays the college but excludes the department of African American studies: you can see that excluding the department of African American studies, Black faculty makes up 3% of TTK faculty in the college. For reference, the US Census Bureau estimates Blacks make up roughly 13.4% of the US population. 30% of Maryland residents are Black, and 60% of PG county residents are Black. Demographic Comparison to the State of Maryland % of TTK Faculty

% of State Population

White

69%

58%

Asian American

11%

American Indian

.6%

Latinx

11%

Black

31%

Future Outlook and Subcommittee Recommendations Events and Research •

• •

African American Studies and Asian American Studies Program will co-sponsor yearlong series on the relationship between Black and AAPI communities to address anti-Black/anti-Asian racism Hire full-time permanent staff member to coordinate different tasks of ABRI Staff person be provided with the resources to hire one or two Graduate Assistants

Community Engagement and Policy • • •

BSOS take a more active role to strengthen relationship with Prince George’s County Develop community course to be part of ABRI minor Subcommittee needs to be supported with significant resources such as a course buyout each academic year for the subcommittee co-chairs, 15% support for summer salary, and a graduate research assistant to support the necessary data collection and analyses for proposed research

Pedagogy • •

Ensure development of ABRI minor with African American Studies leading to work with American Studies in the College of Arts and Humanities PTK Faculty member to help develop, organize, and implement minor

Professional Development • •

Departments make commitments and investments in hiring and retaining Black faculty Develop college-wide center focused on anti-Black racism in line with ABRI

Subcommittee Members

Community Engagement and Policy Subcommittee

Isabella Alcañiz, Co-Chair, Department of Government and Politics Joseph Richardson, Co-Chair, Department of African American Studies Gary LaFree, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Jennifer St Sume, Department of Government and Politics Rachel Ellis, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Andrea Lopez, Department of Anthropology Alyssa Whitcraft, Department of Geographical Sciences

Events and Research Subcommittee

Dawn Dow, Co-Chair, Department of Sociology Hoda Mahmoudi, Co-Chair, Bahai Chair for World Peace Genesis Fuentes, Department of Sociology Rebecca Hunsaker, BSOS Dean's Office Patricio Korzeniewicz, BSOS Dean's Office Marlaina Martin, Department of Anthropology Stella Rouse, Department of Government and Politics Thurka Sangaramoorthy, Department of Anthropology Kameron Van Patterson, AW Center for Education, Justice, & Ethics María Vélez, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Jennifer Wessel, Department of Psychology

Pedagogy Subcommittee

Jessica Goldberg, Co-Chair, Department of Economics Kim Nickerson, Co-Chair, BSOS Dean's Office Bob Choflet, Department of African American Studies Nicole Cousin-Gossett, Department of Sociology Kyle Dorsey, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Michael Dougherty, Department of Psychology John Drabinksi, Department of African American Studies Angel Dunbar, Department of African American Studies Matthew Hansen, Department of Geographical Sciences Judith Hellerstein, Department of Economics Chris Justice, Department of Geographical Sciences Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Department of Anthropology Sally Simpson, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Marshal Washington, Department of African American Studies

Professional Development Subcommittee

Antoine Banks, Co-Chair, Department of Government and Politics Nazish Salahuddin, Co-Chair, Department of Psychology William Reed, Department of Government and Politics Sarah Tahamont, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Alexis Foley, Department of Psychology

Appendix: Community Engagement and Policy Subcommittee Report Co-chairs:

Dr. Joseph Richardson Dr. Isabella Alcañiz

(African-American Studies) (Government and Politics)

Members:

Andrea López Jennifer St. Sume Alyssa Whitcraft Gary LaFree Rachel Ellis

(Anthropology) (Government and Politics) (Geographical Sciences) (Criminology and Criminal Justice) (Criminology and Criminal Justice)

Goal and purpose for the subcommittee The subcommittee is tasked with surveying both best practices for racial justice policy and levels of current community engagement within BSOS. The committee’s goal is to provide BSOS with recommendations on how to strengthen the university’s active role to promote racial justice both on campus and in the surrounding Prince George’s County.

Subcommittee activities For academic year 2020-2021, the Community Engagement & Policy Subcommittee for the BSOS Anti-Black Racism Initiative had two projects: 1. Engage in efforts to address the disenfranchisement of Black residents of the historical Lakeland Community in College Park. 2. Survey existing community engagements with a focus on racial justice in which BSOS staff, students, and faculty participate. 1-Engagement with the Lakeland community Lakeland is a historical African American community of College Park that was formed in the late 1800s next to the University of Maryland, known as the Maryland Agricultural College at the time. The neighborhood is nestled between the University, Lake Artemesia, and the Berwyn neighborhood. Beginning in the 1970s, the Black Lakeland community has been displaced by gentrification and urban renewal policies.

The goal and purpose of the subcommittee was to investigate the history of structural racism and its effect on Black residents of Lakeland and in what ways if any the University of Maryland may have been complicit in the structural oppression of Lakeland residents.

We proposed listening sessions with Black residents of Lakeland to understand the ways the University of Maryland may have engaged in forms of structural racism that impacted Black residents’ quality of life, housing, employment, health and social outcomes and wealth. The data collected from these listening sessions would be used to inform the development of restorative justice policies and programming for Black residents of Lakeland. Co-Chairs of the SubCommittee, Dr. Joseph Richardson (African-American Studies) and Dr. Isabella Alcañiz (Government and Politics) contacted several Black churches in the Lakeland community via email and phone but received no response. We attribute the lack of response to the impact of COVID on places of worship. During the academic year 2020-2021, state regulations required that places of worship remain closed to congregants.

We pivoted from this approach, when it was brought to the attention of the co-chairs that the City of College Park had created recently a Restorative Justice Committee. This committee seeks to address the legacy of structural racism, racial inequity and racial injustice in the Lakeland Community perpetrated by the state in the form of urban renewal policies which significantly reduced the housing stock in Lakeland and displaced residents. In February 2021, Dr. Richardson applied for membership to the City of College Park Restorative Justice Steering Committee. His application was accepted. An article published by the Diamondback on the Restorative Justice Steering Committee can be found here: https://dbknews.com/2021/02/10/college-park-lakelandrestorative-justice-steering-committee-council/

In Spring 2021, Drs. Richardson and Alcañiz also attended virtual events sponsored by the Lakeland Community Heritage Project (LCHP) to learn more about the history of Lakeland. LCHP was created in 2007 as a preservation project of the history of the Lakeland neighborhood. More information can be found at https://lakelandchp.com/.

In Spring 2021, Dr. Richardson met with Maxine Gross (President of LCHP) and Dr. Mary Corbin Sies (Associate Professor, Department of American Studies) to discuss ways that the ABRI Community Engagement & Policy sub-committee could support the efforts of the LCHP. Since 2009, Professor Sies has collaborated with the Lakeland Community Heritage Project to guide community engaged scholarship focusing on the history of Lakeland. Part of this work involves coursework in which students help to document the history of Lakeland in primary sources, record oral histories, and work with community members to develop interpretations centered on Lakelanders’ experiences and voices. Part of it involves rethinking and transforming the theory and practice of historic preservation to comprehend both the tangible and intangible heritage of groups that have been marginalized or treated inequitably in the United States and to forge a preservation practice that centers social justice considerations.

Proposal: Dr. Richardson’s meeting with Ms. Gross and Dr. Sies was quite productive and spurred the idea of developing a course on the History of Lakeland that could potentially support the BSOS ABRI minor which is currently housed in AASD and co-facilitated by the Department of African-American Studies and the Department of American Studies. The subcommittee enthusiastically supports the proposal of a course on Black Lakeland and that this course should be supported with resources from the ABRI. Course buyouts for (1) AASD Faculty (1) American Studies faculty for course development. 11

Furthermore, the subcommittee for Community Engagement & Policy also supported the John B. Slaughter Reparations Series sponsored by the Department of African-American Studies. This year long virtual series convened five panels to discuss reparations for the ancestors of enslaved Africans in the US. Panel discussions centered on reparations policies (local, state and federal), global models of reparations, the psychological cost of racial trauma and the economic cost of reparations. National and international scholars on reparations served as panelists. The discussions on the case for reparations were robust and engaging. To our knowledge, this is the first series sponsored by the University of Maryland on reparations. The events were widely disseminated and attended by members of the local community. Flyers for the events are attached.

2-Survey of BSOS Staff, Students, and Faculty In October of 2020, the subcommittee for Community Engagement & Policy fielded a survey across the BSOS college. We surveyed graduate students, staff and faculty to assess whether they engaged with community programs focused on racial justice. The survey was conducted digitally and asked BSOS members to report whether they engage in community programs focused on racial justice, which programs and if the programs had a presence in Prince George’s County. Response rate was low. However, those who participated reported a variety of engagements. Out of a total of 20 responses (4 staff, 4 students and 12 faculty), 7 individuals reported engaging in some form of community program with a focus on racial justice, 6 of which were engaged in Prince George’s County. The types of engagements reported in the survey included mentoring or education related work; networking groups; immigrant community group; university-related initiatives; protests; voting initiatives; and church-related programs.

Proposal: Although some BSOS members already engage in community programs that emphasize racial justice, more coordination can be done. If the College and University take a more active role in working with Prince George’s County to provide opportunities for faculty, students, and staff to offer their support, individual efforts will be more streamlined and cohesive. As a prominent university with the capacity for a wide variety of research and development, establishing and strengthening relations with organizations and government bodies will enable joint efforts to promote racial justice and strengthen our community

2021-2022 Outlook COVID restricted much of our ability as a subcommittee to meet with residents of Lakeland however we believe that over the course of this academic we made great inroads towards beginning the process of restorative justice for Lakeland. As we move forward, to continue this important work this subcommittee must be supported with significant resources such as a (1) course buyout each academic year for the subcommittee co-chairs, 15% support for summer salary and a graduate research assistant to support the necessary data collection and analyses for proposed research (e.g., listening sessions). For the 2021-2022 academic year, the Department of African-American Studies and the Asian American Studies Program will be cosponsoring a year-long series on the relationship between the Black and Asian American communities and anti-Black and anti-Asian racism. This series will also require resources from 12

the ABRI (e.g., speaker honoraria). In summary, the co-chairs and committee members should be recognized by the college for their efforts to address anti-Black racism in the local community. Lakeland has suffered from the historical erasure of structural violence. As a land grant flagship state university, the University of Maryland has the social responsibility to address the needs of its residents particularly those who have suffered from structural racism and oppression.

Flyer for the John B. Slaughter Reparations Series sponsored by the Department of African American Studies held on February 23, 2020 that was supported by the subcommittee for Community Engagement & Policy.

Appendix: Events and Research Subcommittee Report Prepared By: Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi and Dr. Dawn M. Dow In July 2020, in response to the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many other African Americans, often at the hands of law enforcement, the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) at the University of Maryland announced The Anti-Black Racism Initiative (ABRI) led by Dr. Rashawn Ray to coordinate, publicize and enhance its efforts to identify, disrupt and prevent anti-Black racism. The initiative aims to work with existing campus entities that share its mission to raise awareness and address structural racism directed at the Black community. Some of these entities include The Baha'i Chair for World Peace, The Critical Race Initiative (Sociology); the Department of African American Studies; The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice, and Ethics, among other entities.

OUR MANDATE The research and events (R&E) committee co-chaired by Dr. Hoda Mahmoudi and Dr. Dawn M. Dow was among several committees created by Dr. Ray to investigate current resources related to the aims of ABRI, identify needs, and make suggestions for how to move forward. The research and events committee's initial mandate was to identify campus events and research produced by faculty and graduate students aligned with the aims of ABRI. The committee aimed to understand how information about events and research is currently disseminated in BSOS and how such dissemination could be improved to better facilitate engagement by campus stakeholders (students, faculty, staff, administrators) and collaboration with faculty, departments, and programs. In addition to collecting information about these issues, we also benefited from the insight of our committee members who represent various constituencies on campus (faculty, staff, administrators, students)

INITIAL FINDINGS During the first semester of ABRI, the R&E committee identified a consistent set of departments, programs, and centers that either independently or by co-sponsorship organize events focused on raising greater awareness of racial injustice. These entities include: The Critical Race Initiative (Sociology). The Baha'i Chair for World Peace. Department of African American Studies. The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice, and Ethics.

See Appendix: Events Report for a selection of events from the 2020-2021 academic year.

In addition, we noted that some departments who have not traditionally hosted events on these topics have begun to do so, seemingly in response to the increased awareness and attention to 14

racial injustice- what has been referred to as our country's "racial reckoning". To our knowledge, these departments have not regularly hosted events focused on addressing Anti-Black Racism in the past.

This increase in the recently organized ABRI-related events by various departments and programs is an important finding by our committee. This finding speaks to the current moment of "racial reckoning." Our committee feels that it is important for us to determine whether the recent increase in ABRI-related events and research initiatives within BSOS are temporary measures that may fade away over time. We believe that for BSOS to adequately address AntiBlack racism, we need a long-lasting systematic process of ongoing and sustained commitment to both events and research supporting ABRI's objectives.

In addition to collecting data on current events related to ABRI's mission, we have also started to think about how we might best capture ongoing Anti-Black racism research by faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. Although BSOS has faculty engaged in a range of substantive areas that focus on addressing Ant-Black racism, faculty in different departments are often unaware of overlapping research agendas that might foster fruitful collaborations. There is a need to establish a structural process whereby information about faculty research interests and projects are communicated college-wide.

Supporting Anti-Black racism is a stated priority of BSOS. As such, events and research initiatives related to that aim do not exclusively benefit Black faculty or students and should involve all BSOS students and faculty. Our review of events and research in the College found that these efforts are often subsidized and underwritten by faculty of color. These faculty often use their research funds and time to promote ABRI-related initiatives out of a commitment to these issues and/or synergies with their research. While this use of funds is commendable, faculty members should use their funds to advance their research efforts. As committee chairs, we strongly recommend that BSOS address this form of racial inequity among its faculty and create a climate that supports faculty research focused on Anti-Black racism. While there are, at times, important synergies between faculty research and ABRI events, it is crucial to recognize that this work is often not valued and recognized by University administration. This work has a significant positive impact on all students and directly benefits their solid academic experience and learning. Also, the College does not compensate faculty of color the disproportionate amount of time they spend organizing events and conducting research. Indeed, among those on our committee, members of color have recounted a range of service activities for which they are not currently compensated that benefit the college and university as a whole. Currently, diversity work carried out by individual faculty members in BSOS is not prioritized by administrators, chairs, committee chairs, and non-Black staff and faculty. Recent events have shown us that this work cannot be isolated to one group of people or one discipline but needs to be integrated throughout the college.

RECOMMENDATIONS From our review of the ongoing efforts on campus, and in consultation with the R&E committee members, we recommend that BSOS devote resources to hiring one full-time permanent staff member to coordinate all of the different tasks that fall under the categories of ABRI Research 15

and Events. We also recommend that the staff person be provided with the resources to hire one or two Graduate Assistants, as needed, to assist with the work assigned to this full-time position. One of the tasks of the new staff members is to identify faculty members who are engaged in ABRI-related work. The information collected by the staff should also be included on an ABRI website regularly. The committee also suggests having a regular multi-day conference where faculty research on anti-Black racism is featured to raise awareness in the College and create a space where scholars can meet and discuss similar research interests.

Also, the staff person should be responsible for raising awareness about and promoting ABRIrelated events and research efforts on campus and more broadly. Finally, the staff should be well informed about grants, fellowships, scholarships, and the like and assist faculty and graduate students in acquiring the resources to pursue their research interests and projects.

Appendix: Pedagogy Subcommittee Report Executive summary

The Pedagogy Subcommittee identified four areas of focus, and has compiled resources and preliminary recommendations in each. The areas of focus are: ● ● ● ●

Minor in Anti Black Racism Syllabi Classroom management Mentoring

In each case, the Subcommittee has reviewed examples of programs and resources already available at UMD, as well as those offered by peer institutions, especially other Big 12 schools. This document includes background information, links to internal and external resources, and recommendations to the full committee. Our basic recommendations are: 1. Support the creation of a minor within BSOS that builds on the proposed minor in Diversity and Inclusion developed by the Department of African American Studies and Sociology, and is developed and implemented in collaboration with the Department of American Studies. 2. Disseminate resources about diversifying and decolonizing syllabi to all departments, and create examples and inserts that instructors may adapt and adopt for their own use. 3. Encourage Departments to incorporate existing training from TLTC and ODI about difficult conversations and classroom management for all instructors. 4. Recommend that all departments create faculty-led mentoring programs for outstanding students from underrepresented groups, and support preview weekends to recruit prospective graduate students from underrepresented groups.

Minor in Anti Black Racism

Executive summary. The committee strongly endorses the creation of a new minor in Anti Black Racism to be provided and managed by African American Studies (BSOS), but collaboratively developed and co-listed, with American Studies (ARHU), and recommends that the BSOS Dean’s office immediately fund a position in African American Studies for summer and fall 2021 to help develop a formal proposal. To support the departments’ work towards this proposal, the subcommittee collected information on existing programs at other institutions and identified existing courses within BSOS broadly related to Race, Culture, and Social Justice. 1. Description of Information Collected from External Sources 2. Summary of External Sources 17

3. Description of Current Course offerings within BSOS Links to other internal documents Programs and curricula at other institutions. BSOS courses related to Race, Culture, and Social Justice

1. Description of Information Collected from External Sources With the help of a research assistant in Economics, we collected non-exhaustive information on topics that are related to anti-black racism. Many of these fall under more general headings like diversity and inclusion, social justice, etc., but one can imagine how they could be narrowed and focused to address anti-Black racism. The information comes from a subsample of Big10 universities and some other (non-randomly selected) institutions, and includes information on 1) Coursework related to anti-black racism at both the undergraduate and graduate levels mostly in BSOS-related disciplines also lists general education requirements. 2) University Research Centers, University Initiatives etc. at both the undergraduate and Ph.D. levels 3) Mentoring programs 4) Curricula, Certificate programs, majors, minors 5) Other related information (workshop series, teaching resources, etc.) We also collected information on related programs offered by Professional Associations in BSOS disciplines. For academic institutions, colleges, and departments, curricula/certificate programs/majors/minors fall along a spectrum ranging from purely course-based to purely experiential, with a number of programs somewhere in between. All of this information is collected in a Google Sheet. We note again that it is by no means exhaustive, even for the institutions we sampled. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KQhRxOCc39DxDJnF42CrB8dubHiX1qu5rWoFPnKP 688/edit?usp=sharing

2. Summary of External Sources The final tab on the sheet (labelled “Certificate programs, majors, minors, misc. info”) contains a summary of information that is key to our subcommittee(s) core task, as it identifies structured programs that have curricula, certificates, etc. The University of New Mexico has what we found to be the certificate program that is perhaps closest to what a course-based anti-Black racism certificate would look like, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels: https://race.unm.edu/certificate.html. The program is new 18

as of Fall, 2020. The graduate certificate program is open to non-UNM community members as well. There are clearly defined learning goals and clearly defined student learning outcomes that are listed on the website. At the other end of the spectrum is the entirely experiential program offered by the University of Minnesota: http://mcse.umn.edu/programs/social-justice-leadership-certificate-program. This program is also open to non-UMN community members. The University of Illinois’ “LENS Diversity Certificate Program” is a one-year program combining coursework, workshops, cohort meetings, journaling, and an service action project. This may be the most ambitious type of program in structure, but it might also be the most successful in meaningfully engaging students.

3. Description of Current Course offerings within BSOS We asked BSOS departments to identify potential courses relevant to the topic of Social Justice and Race Relations, and to classify those courses into one of three categories: Race, Immigration, and Culture (broadly). Courses that did not fall into one of these three categories were identified as ‘other’. Course lists can be found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K6nqfMkbgOzARk_acb1VxCGBspYXdxWIQxVfFEdmr0/edit?usp=sharing

Number of graduate and undergraduate courses by categorization. Race

Immigration

Culture (broadly)

Other

Undergraduate

Graduate

Number of UG courses by Department and Categorization Race

Immigration

Culture (broadly)

Other

AASP

ANTH

CCJS

ECON

GVPT

HESP

PSYC

SOCY

*Race and/or social justice; ^Race and ethnicity and social justice

Number of UG courses by Department and Level 100

200

300

400

AASP

ANTH

CCJS ECON

1 (honors)

GVPT HESP

PSYC

SOCY

3 1

1 4

2. Syllabi

Overarching ethos: View the creation of the syllabi as a first step in decolonizing the classroom. The syllabus both establishes the overall ethos of the class (punitive and

hierarchical vs. co-creative and equitable), signals which voices are important and welcomed, and contextualizes the field within the broader context of colonialism and white supremacy.

Resources First and foremost, read. There are many resources out there that address the production of anti-racist and decolonizing syllabi. Here are a few, see additional resources below. ● ● ●

You might want to start with the Keele Manifesto for a discussion of what, exactly, “decolonizing” means in the context of pedagogy. Next, take a look at Loyola University Chicago’s checklists for preparing to decolonize your syllabus, and designing the outline of your syllabus. For further reading, check out Tuck and Yang’s Decolonizing is Not A Metaphor, Wilson’s Revolutionizing My Syllabus, and Taylor et al’s “Social Justice Design Tool”, and other resources below.

Tips and Guidelines ● ●

●

Feel encouraged to engage with this work collaboratively, but do not ask others to do this work for you. This work takes time and effort, but it is worth doing yourself. Decolonizing syllabi is not just about including readings by BIPOC people as a way of providing “alternate viewpoints”, it’s about examining every aspect of your course from the viewpoint of anti-racist work, and critically evaluating the roots of your particular discipline in white, Western theory and worldviews. Syllabi should be designed to critically explore this history, and course objectives should be designed to specifically address systems of oppression and marginalization in your particular discipline. Carefully consider how your course goals, outcomes, and expectations are centered on student learning, and reducing harm to BIPOC and other marginalized students. Study Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work on intersectionality so that you can identify how “interlocking systems of oppressions (e.g., racism, sexism, xenophobia, nationalism, classism, ableism) set up BiPOC students and all students on the margins of teaching and learning, exposing them to societal harm” (Loyola 2020). Think about the inclusivity of the language you use in your syllabi. Your syllabi signals to students and others whether or not they will feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to the classroom space. See below for examples of inclusive language statements that you may wish to modify for your own syllabi. Think about your positionality within the classroom space, as well as the positionality of your students and the authors you read. Directly address your positionality and how your intersectional identities affect your engagement with the course material. Include biographies of authors in the course material and engage in discussions about the impact of author positionality on research and knowledge production. Think about course requirements, assessments, and learning outcomes--are they punitive or are they learner-centered? Higher education institutions in the United States were established as tools of colonialism and therefore reflect the colonialist and white 21

● ●

supremacist ideals on which they were founded (read Ebony and Ivy by Craig Wilder for further reading). Is your syllabus and course structure punitive and hierarchical or. cocreative and equitable? Who wields power and who is empowered by the way you have designed your course? Are you allowing space for co-creation in the course goals, and content? Consider how knowledge is produced in your discipline, as well as in the classroom. Decolonization is a continuous and open-ended process--it is a verb, not a noun.

Syllabi Statements of Inclusivity and Respect

There are a number of options in creating a statement of inclusivity for class syllabi, from using checklist/questionnaire approaches in developing a built for purpose statement to incorporating existing example statements directly.

Clemson has a list of examples that cover a range of approaches here: https://www.clemson.edu/otei/documents/Teaching%20Review%20Resources/Diversity_Inclusi onSyllabiSamples.pdf

The following three examples highlight some of the variation in statements, and any such statement could be modified to include context specific to the course material or broader discipline. Iowa Education - example inclusive, mutual respect, straightforward message It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, that students' learning needs be addressed both in and out of class, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally or for other students or student groups. In addition, if any of our class meetings conflict with your religious events, please let me know so that we can make arrangements for you.

CMU - Adds resource options if any student experiences a hostile or unfair situation, so a more activist message

We must treat every individual with respect. We are diverse in many ways, and this diversity is fundamental to building and maintaining an equitable and inclusive campus community. Diversity can refer to multiple ways that we identify ourselves, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, language, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information. Each of these diverse identities, along with many others not mentioned here, shape the perspectives our students, faculty, and staff bring to our campus. We, at CMU, will work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion not only because diversity fuels excellence and innovation, but because we want to pursue justice. We acknowledge our imperfections while we also fully commit to the work, inside and outside of our classrooms, of building and sustaining a campus community that increasingly embraces these core values.

Each of us is responsible for creating a safer, more inclusive environment.

Unfortunately, incidents of bias or discrimination do occur, whether intentional or unintentional. They contribute to creating an unwelcoming environment for individuals and groups at the university. Therefore, the university encourages anyone who experiences or observes unfair or hostile treatment on the basis of identity to speak out for justice and support, within the moment of the incident or after the incident has passed. Anyone can share these experiences using the following resources: ...

Brown - an example of acknowledging the historical context of bias, followed by positive commitment to inclusive learning. In an ideal world, science would be objective. However, much of science is subjective and is historically built on a small subset of privileged voices. I acknowledge that the readings for this course, including the course reader and BCP were authored by white men. Furthermore, the course often focuses on historically important neuroscience experiments which were mostly conducted by white men. Recent edits to the course reader were undertaken by both myself and some students who do not identify as white men. However, I acknowledge that it is possible that there may be both overt and covert biases in the material due to the lens with which it was written, even though the material is primarily of a scientific nature. Integrating a diverse set of experiences is important for a more comprehensive understanding of science. Please contact me (in person or electronically) or submit anonymous feedback if you have any suggestions to improve the quality of the course materials. Furthermore, I would like to create a learning environment for my students that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.) To help accomplish this:

●

If you have a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official Brown records, please let me know!

●

If you feel like your performance in the class is being impacted by your experiences outside of class, please don't hesitate to come and talk with me. I want to be a resource for you. Remember that you can also submit anonymous feedback (which will lead to me making a general announcement to the class, if necessary to address your concerns). If you prefer to speak with someone outside of the course, Dean Bhattacharyya, Associate Dean of the College for Diversity Programs, is an excellent resource.

●

I (like many people) am still in the process of learning about diverse perspectives and identities. If something was said in class (by anyone) that made you feel uncomfortable, please talk to me about it. (Again, anonymous feedback is always an option).

Reading/Resources

UMD ODI Anti-Racism Teach-In Series: https://diversity.umd.edu/training-education/anti-racism-series/

UMD Resources for Combating Racism and Promoting Inclusiveness https://oiep.umd.edu/highlights/umd-resources-combating-racism-and-promoting-inclusiveness

Tuck and Yang’s “Decolonization is not a Metaphor”: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/18630

Keele Manifesto: https://www.keele.ac.uk/equalitydiversity/equalityawards/raceequalitychar

Loyola Checklist for Decolonizing Syllabi: https://www.luc.edu/fcip/anti-racistcoursedesign/decolonizingyoursyllabus/

Revolutionizing my Syllabus: https://www.brynmawr.edu/tli/syllabusdesign/theprocess

The Social Justice Syllabus Design Tool: 24

https://journals.shareok.org/jcscore/article/view/87

Example Statements of Inclusive Teaching: https://cae.appstate.edu/inclusive-excellence/sample-syllabi-statements

Sample Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statements: https://www.clemson.edu/otei/documents/Teaching%20Review%20Resources/Diversity_Inclusi onSyllabiSamples.pdf

Classroom Management Resource: Teaching & Learning Transformation Center (https://tltc.umd.edu/discussions)

Description of resource: TLTC has a very helpful website, in which they have a page dedicated to providing guidance on sensitive topics. They suggest tips for moderating productive conversations, what to do if you are caught off guard, and even offer other campus resources for faculty and students to utilize for help with moderating tough classroom discussions. Over the summer, they had a workshop on this exact topic, and it was very helpful and interactive. I'm sure they will have it again in the future, so I can reach out to my TLTC consultant and ask when the next one is coming up. If there is not already one in the books, I will kindly request one and let them know that people are interested in taking this workshop.

Description of best practices for classroom management: When a difficult conversation arises in a classroom, the first thing to do is to take a step back from the nature of the conflict, and remember that your role in the situation is the course instructor. Some things to consider are: -Stay within your area of expertise. Contribute robust research findings and state facts, and then move on. If at any point, you start to share your personal opinions, make it clear to the students that you are speaking on behalf of yourself and that these opinions do not represent the University. You should assume that anything you say in class might be recorded and shared without your knowledge, so be mindful as you speak and direct the conversation. -Recognize your own biases in the conversation. We all have our own explicit and implicit biases, assumptions, and beliefs. It is crucial to acknowledge and understand these biases because our individual ideologies, identities, and perspectives are going to influence how we interpret and understand the conversation at hand. It is important to recognize that you should orient the classroom and the discourse towards inclusion, critical thinking, and engagement 25

across differences. -Our student population at UMD is quite diverse, so there is going to be a wide range of opinions, perspectives, and reactions. Keep in mind that students come from different backgrounds and upbringings, and it is important to make sure that the classroom is a safe space for each individual. Always be mindful of the different perspectives that students may have, and be sure not to silence anyone in the room. -All students will experience and react to the conversation differently. As the instructor, it is important to recognize that even if there are certain views that seem obvious and widely endorsed by verbal or nonverbal communication (such as nodding), that there could be people remaining quiet because they feel uncomfortable or outnumbered. It is crucial to remember that there are a wide range of perspectives, backgrounds, and personal opinions. Remember, it is up to you to make this a safe space for everyone. Safe does not mean that the conversation will not be difficult or that they will not be challenged to think - it means that no one feels attacked, devalued, or unwanted.

As an instructor of the course, know your options! You are in control of the classroom and the discussion, so there are a few ways that you can proceed. If an opportunity arises for a difficult conversation to happen, you can proceed in one of three ways: -You could use this opportunity to facilitate a meaningful discussion. If you think the conversation is important and productive, have it. It is crucial to recognize that having difficult discussions opens up the door for people to feel uncomfortable. Be sure that you are moderating the discussion and making it a productive one. -You could use this opportunity to acknowledge what was said and then provide students with university resources that are available to them in regards to processing and discussing their thoughts and feelings about the topic. If a difficult topic was brought up, perhaps by a student or perhaps by something you said, you can simply express your concern for the well-being of anyone affected, and decide not to directly discuss the matter in class. Encourage students to check in with you or their peers to ensure that they are okay, and then provide them with resources (example: the counseling center) so that they can seek help if needed. -You could move on from the issue without addressing it. Sometimes, students and/or instructors may not want to address the matter in class. As the instructor, you can redirect the students’ attention to the course material, and carry on as planned. Of course, this option should be used with caution. You would not want to come off as dismissive of an issue that arises, and perhaps you should consider being more flexible with classroom discussions, given the current state of our world today.

As the instructor of the course, note that if you do decide to engage in the difficult conversation, it is your responsibility to moderate it effectively and make it productive. Here are some recommendations: -In your syllabus, establish a culture of discussion in the classroom. Set guidelines, ground rules, expectations, and let the students know what sorts of things will not be tolerated. Establish boundaries, and set the tone for how discussions are to be run in your classroom. Let students know what the consequences will be for not following the guidelines and respecting the boundaries. It would be best to have this written in your syllabus, but to also state this verbally in 26

the beginning of the semester. -Maintain a professional balance, in which you model empathetic listening and ask open ended questions to students. Remain fair and consistent across different perspectives. So, if someone says something that you do not agree with, and you ask them questions about why they believe that particular thing, or how they came to believe it, be sure to do the same for the students that say things that you do agree with. It should not appear that you are challenging those who have different perspectives in an unbalanced manner. -Take time to think about how you want to handle the conversation, and the best direction that you can push it in for it to be productive. TLTC refers to this as “slowing down the conversation.” They recommend taking a minute to think before you respond, and also allowing the students to have a minute to think before they respond. This will maximize the thoughtfulness, organization, and tactfulness of the conversation. -A lot of these difficult discussions are guaranteed to strike emotional chords with some students. You must be prepared to have a wide range of reactions, and allow for students to express themselves in a productive manner. The important thing for you to do is validate their feelings and experiences, whether you personally agree with them or not. Sensitive topics can generate feelings of anger, anxiousness, sadness, and a whole range of other emotions. It is crucial to acknowledge each and validate them accordingly. -Arguably, one of the most important elements of having these difficult discussions in class is to make it an opportunity for students to learn and engage. Use this opportunity to teach critical thinking and how to assess the quality of evidence.

You must be prepared for the unexpected. There will be times when a student makes a comment or asks a question that you were not expecting. You should have a general mental script ready in case this happens, whether you decide to address it then, later on, or not at all. Here are some way of responding that the Teaching & Learning Transformation Center recommends: ●

● ●

●

“I think I understand why you have brought that up, but I think it is outside the scope of this particular course so I feel it is best that we do not use class time to address that here. However, I would be happy to refer anyone who would like to discuss that to some more appropriate venues or resources.” “You know, that’s an important question and really timely. Before we can have a thoughtful conversation about it or I can offer a meaningful answer I’d like to take some time and reflect on it. Let me get back to you next class meeting.” “I’m not sure if everyone here thinks/feels the same way, but rather than ask people to react on the spot, let me think about how we can best have a productive conversation about this when we next meet as a class. Until then, please consider coming to meet with me to discuss it more.” “It sounds like you are having a hard time right now, and while I might not be the best person to help you personally, I want to make sure that you know there are resources to support you on campus like the Counseling Center."

Proposed recommendations for BSOS: (1) Similar to how the university has created the “Security Awareness Training” module on ELMS for all instructors to complete, we could mimic this, and create a training and perhaps require every BSOS instructor to complete it by a certain date. We could collaborate with TLTC to make this a module on ELMS, using the information provided on this website. (2) We could ask the TLTC center if they have a pre-recorded video of one of the consultants giving the “Having Difficult Conversations” training to a group of people. If they have one already, we could request permission to distribute the recording as an informal training for classroom instructors. (3) We can request a meeting with a TLTC consultant and see if we can propose for them to develop a new training, where they navigate how to manage difficult conversations that are specific to each department in BSOS. For example, a “difficult conversation” about race in a anthropology class might be very different from a “difficult conversation” about race in a criminal justice class. So, perhaps making it discipline-specific would be beneficial. (4) At the very minimum, we should create a link on the BSOS website and each individual department’s website that will take instructors to this TLTC website (https://tltc.umd.edu/discussions), which provides guidance on sensitive topics. Instructors can use this as a resource for managing conversations about race, ethnicity, injustice, and an array of social issues of interest. (5) We could make a simple sheet or even a Power-Point presentation that we could distribute to BSOS instructors

Resource: Office of Diversity & Inclusion (https://diversity.umd.edu/training-education/diversity-training/)

Description of resource: There is a workshop that discusses diversity and inclusion, implicit bias, and cultural competency. This could definitely be useful in regards to proper classroom management, as I am sure that some instructors might feel as though they do not have the ability to navigate and/or moderate these conversations as well as others, especially when unprompted.

Proposed recommendations for BSOS: (1) On the website, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion states that they can facilitate training upon request. Perhaps we could request one for each department, so members of the same department can all attend at the same time, and make it more disciple-specific.

Mentoring

Overview

UMD and peer institutions use four models of mentoring programs targeted to underrepresented undergraduate students: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Intensive faculty-led mentoring (often, focused on research) at the department level Student-led affinity groups Preview weekend programs for prospective PhD students Summer research opportunities

We recommend encouraging all BSOS departments to adopt intensive faculty-led mentoring programs that explicitly recruit Black students to academic careers, following the examples of PREP and PADE at UMD, and STAR at the University of Michigan. Awarding academic credit for participation in these programs can formalize and reinforce their status and importance to participants and departments.

We also recommend that BSOS support preview weekends for all departments to increase the recruitment of Black PhD students, and of course continue to support the SRI.

Programs for undergraduate students UMD Economics: PADE https://econ.umd.edu/undergraduate/promoting-achievement-and-diversity-economics-pade ● ● ● ●

Focus is pipeline to graduate school for students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in economics Weekly academic support meetings with a graduate TA, intensive faculty mentoring Professional development activities Two-year program, with credit granted for one unit of 399/semester

UMD Psychology: PREP https://psyc.umd.edu/undergraduate/psychology-research-empowerment-program%28prep%29 ● ● ●

Focus is pipeline to graduate school for students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in psychology, including first-generation college students Research-focused, including assistance applying to work in labs and a group research project Four-year program (3 years + PREP+), with credit granted for one-credit courses 29

UMD School of Engineering: Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering https://eng.umd.edu/minorities ● ● ● ● ●

Comprehensive, staffed, externally-funded center with extensive programming for UMD and K-12 students LSAMP -- NSF-funded academic advising and support for undergraduates Summer internships for undergraduates Pre-professional student organizations Bridge program for graduate students, though LSAMP

UT Austin: Equal Opportunity in Engineering https://www.engr.utexas.edu/eoe ● ● ●

Established in 1970! Programming for pre-college and undergraduate students to attract students to the major and provide academic support Strong industry connections

University of Michigan: STAR Scholars (Psychology) https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/undergraduates/research/star-scholars-program.html ● ● ● ●

Emphasis on research, targeting students with little or no research experience Fall semester seminars: what is research and how to get involved Winter (aka spring) semester workshops and mentoring activities (professional development, CV writing, etc., plus small-group mentoring by PhD students) One year program

UIUC: The Association of Minorities in Political Science https://ampsuiuc.wixsite.com/ampsuiuc ● ● ●

Undergraduate student-run organization Facilitates connections between students and alum Organizes presentations and peer mentoring

UC Berkeley: Underrepresented Minorities in Economics https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~ume/ ● ● ● ●

Undergraduate student-run organization Weekly study group and peer support meetings Peer tutoring Organizes events with economists 30

University of Minnesota: Diversity in Psychology https://cla.umn.edu/psychology/about/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-psychology-program ●

Preview weekend event for prospective PhD students

Psychology: Bridge Psychology Network http://www.bridgepsychology.org ● ● ● ●

Multi-university program (including UMD’s SRI) to provide an introduction to graduate school Summer programs, preview weekends, etc. Programs target undergraduates from other institutions; most are short-term Additional listing of related programs: http://spsp.org/resources/student/diversityrecruitment

BSOS Summer Research Initiative https://bsos.umd.edu/landingtopic/summer-research-initiative ● ● ●

Established in 1999 Multidisciplinary (provides research experiences across the college) Provides faculty-mentored research experience and prepares students to develop competitive applications for graduate programs

Programs for graduate students Economics: AEA Committee on the Status of Minority Groups in the Economics Profession Mentoring Program https://www.aeaweb.org/about-aea/committees/csmgep/mentoring ● ●

Matches URM graduate students with mentors Small grant program for activities related to mentoring

Sloan Foundation: University Centers of Exemplary Mentoring https://sloan.org/programs/higher-education/diversity-equity-inclusion/minority-phd-program ● ● ●

Nine participating universities (Cornell, Duke, Georgia Tech, UIUC, U of Iowa, MIT, Penn State, UC San Diego, U of South Florida); not accepting new schools STEM-focused Includes funding for graduate students and some programming

Appendix: Professional Development Subcommittee Report Members: Antoine Banks, Nazish Salahuddin, Will Reed, Sarah Tahamont, Alexis Foley and Price Fisher Summary The committee’s priority this year was to get a lay of the land in BSOS when it came to faculty diversity. This first step will allow us to identify the areas in the college that need professional development. We began this endeavor by investigating TTK faculty diversity in the college. Through this analysis, we identified faculty appointment and retention trends in BSOS over the last 10 years. The findings revealed a severe underrepresentation of Black faculty in the college, and as a committee we provided several recommendations to remedy this problem. Subcommittee Activities • •

Gathered and analyzed data of BSOS faculty diversity across departments and ranks. Made a series of presentations and held conversations with PSYC, GVPT, ABRI, Deans, and Chairs and Directors Council.

Findings from Presentations •

•

We found that BSOS made important progress with regard to gender and racial diversity (i.e. Latinx, Asian Americans, and Native Americans) among TTK faculty in BSOS. We went from about 30% women faculty in 2011 to about 50% in 2020 and became more racially diverse by hiring more faculty of color. However, during this same time period, we actually decreased our number of Black faculty. So, diversity initiatives have not benefitted all groups equally especially, Black faculty. Five departments in BSOS have not had a Black faculty member since 2011: ECON (Economics), GEOG (Geography), CCJS (Criminology and Criminal Justice), HESP (Hearing and Speech Sciences), and JPSM (Joint Program in Survey Methodology) See the Appendix for results.

Subcommittee Recommendations Moving Forward: “You can’t let the genie out of the bottle and then not grant any wishes.” Hire Black Faculty. •

•

• •

Leverage current initiatives like the FAMILE program to recruit and retain Black faculty. It’s clear that diversity initiatives over the past decade have benefitted women and other groups of color, but not Black faculty. Do not solely rely on programs such as FAMILE. BSOS Chairs are ready to show leadership and consider acting independently of such programs to hire Black faculty through cluster hires and joint appointments across BSOS units. Grow the African American Studies program, perhaps through joint appointments between AASD and other BSOS units. Create a BSOS center with a focus on racial justice.

Remediate Systemic Problems. •

•

• • •

•

Hire a consultant to work with the college and departments to improve the diversity of the faculty. With support of a consultant, each department (and the college as a whole) should undergo a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) to better understand the reasons the department has failed to recruit and retain Black faculty (identify biases and structural racism embedded within policies and practices with the help of the consultant) With support of the consultant, each department should create a development plan with specific benchmarks to improve the climate, and advance antiracism in recruitment, retention, and promotion policies and procedures. This plan should include evaluating all faculty on antiracist efforts, making antiracism training and work an expectation as integral to the work of faculty as publication and teaching courses. The individuals responsible for leading the SWOT analysis and improvement plan should be compensated with summer salary, overload, or release time. Improve the Climate, and Support for Black faculty, staff, and students. Retention of faculty and students begins the moment they set foot on campus. We must broaden our thinking about retention efforts to the ongoing culture, climate, and support/lack of support Black faculty experience on a daily basis Identify solutions to the heavy service burdens, lack of support, microaggressions, devaluation, and isolation experienced by many faculty of color.

2021 BSOS Hiring of Faculty of Color •

Taking into account the ABRI and the Professional Development Subcommittee recommendations, BSOS hired 5 tenure track faculty members of color. Some of the hires were under President Pines’ FAMILE initiative. CRIM hired one Full Professor and an Assistant Professor. GVPT hired two Assistant Professors, and AFAM hired one Associate Professor.

Appendix

Significant improvement with regard to gender from 2011 to 2020. In 2011, only about 1/3 of faculty were women, and now, nearly 50% of TTK faculty are women. We have also increased racial diversity among our faculty, going from 25% of TTK identifying as non-white to 30% of faculty identifying as non-white.

A closer look at the increased diversity among our TTK faculty shows that we have hired more American Indian, Asian American and Latinx faculty since 2011. Unfortunately, we not only have failed add Black faculty, but we have actually decreased in our number of Black TTK faculty in BSOS since 2011.

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/MD

Black faculty hiring and retention has not benefitted from diversity hiring initiatives over the past decade.

This slide shows the racial composition of faculty in the entire college in 2020. The left panel shows the entire college (all department): Black faculty (of any rank) made up 6% of all BSOS TTK faculty. Non-Black faculty made up 94%. The right panel displays the college but excludes the department of African American studies: you can see that excluding the department of African American studies, Black faculty makes up 3% of TTK faculty in the college. For reference, the US Census Bureau estimates Blacks make up roughly 13.4% of the US population. 30% of Maryland residents are Black, and 60% of PG county residents are Black.

GVPT failed to retain the majority of its Black faculty between 2011 and 2020

2011 - 2020, PSYC had 0 Black faculty members at the rank of full professor.

SOCY is the only department in BSOS whose proportion of Black faculty is roughly equivalent to national demographics.

Appendix: Events Report

Events Report Events and Research Sub-Committee Fall 2020 / Spring 2021

Summer 2020

“FACULTY IN BSOS HAVE CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON WAYS TO ADDRESS RACISM FOR YEARS. THE ANTI-BLACK RACISM INITIATIVE IS A WAY TO SCALE UP THIS WORK, ADDRESS DISPARITIES AND MAKE SUSTAINABLE CHANGE ON OUR CAMPUS AND IN OUR COMMUNITIES” PROF. RASHAWN RAY

June 8, 2020 BSOS Virtual Town Hall: Policing and Racism in America Moderator: Rashawn Ray, Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland Opening Remarks: Greg Ball, Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Reflections from the Baha'i Chair for World Peace: Hoda Mahmoudi, Research Professor and Chair, Baha’i Chair for World Peace, University of Maryland Faculty and Staff Charge: Kim Nickerson, Assistant Dean, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland Panelists Antoine Banks, Associate Professor, Government and Politics, University of Maryland Kanisha Bond, Visiting Research Professor, Government and Politics, University of Maryland Dawn Dow, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of Maryland Sharon Harley, Associate Professor, African American Studies, University of Maryland Jason Nichols, Senior Lecturer, African American Studies, University of Maryland Joseph Richardson, The Joel and Kim Feller Professor, Department of African-American Studies and Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland

Fall 2020 September 3, 2020 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Reactionary Democracy in the United States: How Racism and the Populist Far Right Became Mainstream Dr. Aurelien Mondon, Senior Lecturer in Politics, University of Bath Dr. Aaron Winter, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, University of East London

September 17, 2020 (Annual Lecture) The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Climate Change and Racial Justice Dr. Ayana Johnson, Founder of Urban Ocean Lab, Founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv

Fall 2020 September 17, 2020 MLAW Programs, Francis King Carey School of Law Constitution Day: Challenging Voter Suppression and Disenfranchisement Speakers: Professor Larry Gibson, Morton & Sophia Macht Professor of Law, Carey School of Law Dr. Stephen Mortellaro, Visiting Assistant Professor, Carey School of Law Dr. Jason Nichols, Senior Lecturer in the Department of African American Studies, University of Maryland College Park Moderator Dr. Deborah Eisenberg, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Piper & Marbury Professor of Law

September 20, 2020 A Seat at the Table: Stories and Lessons from UMD Alumni Featured Alumni Panelists: Dario Cavazos'03 (CCJS) Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Lillian Cruz '99 (GVPT) Deputy Chief of Staff, Montgomery County Council Erwin Hesse'10 (CCJS) Executive Director of Enrollment Management, Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies Ivonne Corsino Lindley'97 (GVPT) Principal, Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll PC. Ivan Mendizabal '06 (CCJS) Vice President Compliance Counsel, Angelo Gordon Moderated by: Jennifer Kilberg, Director of Alumni and Donor Relations, University of Maryland Valeria Morales'18 (GEOG), urrent M.S Student in Geospatial Information Science Graduate Coordinator for Latina/o/x Student Involvement - MICA Student Liaison/Membership Chair for the Latinx Alumni Network

Fall 2020

September 21, 2020 The Department of African American Studies The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series A Discussion on the First United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Speakers Congresswoman Barbara Lee, California's 13th Congressional District Dr. Charles Adams, Chair of Behavioral Sciences and Human Services, Bowie State University Dr. Mary Helen Washington, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland Moderator Dr. Rashawn Ray, Professor of Sociology, Director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research, University of Maryland

October 6, 2020 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative The Three Faces of Anti-Semitism Prof. Jeffrey Herf, Distinguished University Professor, Department of History, University of Maryland

Fall 2020 October 21, 202 The African American Studies Department Presents The Mary Church Terrell Forum on Civic Engagement, Voting Rights, and Voter Education Moderator: Dr. Angel Dunbar, Assistant Professor, African American Studies Department, University of Maryland Panelists Dr. Chryl N. Laird, Assistant Professor of Government, Bowdoin College Dr. Paul Brown, Director, Civic Maryland Initiative, School of Public Policy Dr. Alana Hacksaw, Associate Clinical Professor, School of Public Policy

October 22, 2020 The Judge Alexander Williams, Jr. Center for Education, Justice and Ethics Maryland’s Broken Parole System: The Cost of Inaction Introductions: Judge Alexander Williams (Moderator) Parole System Overview: Lila Meadows and Marc Schindler, Executive Director, Justice Policy Institute Litigation: Aisha Braveboy, Prince George's County State's Attorney Juvenile Lifer Parolee: Calvin McNeill Legislative Committee Leadership: State Senator Will Smith, Chair, Maryland Senate Judiciary Proceedings Committee: Maryland State Delegate, Luke H. Clippinger, Chair, House Judiciary Committee The System's Impact on Families: Cheryl Townsend Smallwood The Need for Reform: Maryland State Delegate Jazz Lewis Audience Question & Answer: Moderated by Judge Alexander Williams Closing Comments: Judge Alexander Williams

Fall 2020 October 27, 2020 Parren J. Mitchell Symposium Series The Continuity of Criminalization: From Schools to Streets to Prisons Criminalization in Daily Life Speakers Dr. Odis Johnson, Washington University Dr. Yasser Payne, University of Delaware Dr, Bahiyyah Muhammad, Howard University

October 29, 2020 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Reintegration and Reintegration of People Convicted of Genocide in Rwanda Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Ohio State University

Fall 2020 November 10, 2020 Parren J. Mitchell Symposium Series The Continuity of Criminalization: From Schools to Streets to Prisons Unequal Treatment and Enforcement Panelists Dr. Perla M. Guerrero Dr. Saher Selod Prof. Joseph Richardson Moderater Dr. Robert Koulish

November 17, 2020 The African American Studies Department, The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series Global Models of Reparations Opening Remarks Dean Gregory F. Ball, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland Moderator Prof. Hoda Mahmoudi, Research Professor and Chair, The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Speakers Prof. Everisto Benyera, Associate Professor, African Politics, University of South Africa in Pretoria Elizabeth Thomas, White House Producer/Reporter for ABC News Keith Young, City Councilman, Asheville, NC

Fall 2020 November 18, 2020 NY, Philly, and UMBA Present: Terps Social Justice Panel Event Moderator Gary Kaufman, UMD Class of ‘03 Speakers Chantá Parker, Managing Director of Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit Lee Elmore, UMD Class of ’78 Dr. Cody Tuttle, UMD Class of ‘16 and ’20 Professor Janelle Wong, Professor, Departments of Government and American Studies

November 18, 2020 The African American Studies Department Presents A Post Election Discussion Where do we go from here? Moderator Dr. Shane Walsh, Lecturer, African American Studies Department Panelists Dr. Chryl N. Laird, Assistant Professor of Government and Legal Studies, Bowdoin College Dr. Robert Koulish, Director MLAW Programs, Joel L. Feller Research Professor

Fall 2020 November 19, 2020 Parren J. Mitchell Symposium Series The Continuity of Criminalization: From Schools to Streets to Prisons Responses and Solutions Speakers Dr. Nikki Jones, Professor, UC Berkeley Marcus Bullock, CEO and Founder, Flikshop Uriel Serrano, Doctoral Candidate, UC Santa cruz

November 24, 2020 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Life After the Gunshot: A Digital Storytelling Project on the Impact of Structural and Interpersonal Violence and the Healing Process for Young Black Men Prof. Joseph Richardson, Joel and Kim Feller Professor of African- American Studies and Anthropology, Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine. Executive Director, Translational Research and Applied Violence Intervention Lab (TRAVAIL).

December 4, 2020 American Politics Workshop White Reaction to Racial Disparities in Covid-19 Speaker LaFleur Stephens Dougan, Assistant Professor of Politics, Princeton

Spring 2021 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative January 12, 2021 Syrian Refugees in the Middle East and in Europe: On the Psychology of a Humanitarian Prof. Kruglanski, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland David Webber, Assistant Professor, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University Erica Molinario, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Maryland Katarzyna Jasko, Associate Professor, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University

February 16, 2021 - 2pm The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative The Colors of Covid-19: Confronting Health Disparities During a Global Pandemic Prof. Stephen Thomas, Professor Health and Policy Management and Director, Maryland Center for Health Equity, University of Maryland

Spring 2021 April 13, 2021 The African American Studies Department, The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series, and Parren J. Mitchell Symposium Series - “The Debt” The Economic Case for Reparations and the Cost of Anti-Black Racism Speakers A. Kirsten Mullen, Folklorist, Museum Consultant ARTEFACTUAL Dedrick Asante-Muhammed, Chief of Race, Wealth and Community, National Community Reinvestment Coalition Jhacova Williams, Associate Economist, RAND Corporation Andre M. Perry, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution Moderator Prof. Dawn M. Dow, J.D Ph.D Associate Professor, Sociology Department, UMD

April 13, 2021 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Anti-Asian Violence in Context: Historical Roots and Contemporary Connections Professor Janelle Wong, Professor of Asian American Studies, University of Maryland

Spring 2021 April 22, 2021 The Consortium on Race, Gender, Ethnicity and the Critical Race Initiative Presents Race, Gender, and Ethnicity in Qualitative Research: Reflections on Race, Ethnicity, Stress and Strength Moderator: Dawn Dow, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology Panelists Kecia Ellick, School of Public Health “Started from the bottom, now we’re… where?: A qualitative analysis of stress and coping among highly educated Black women.” Sharifah Holder, School of Public Health "Strengthening High School Transition and Attendance." Simone N. Durham, Department of Sociology “Not in this Lifetime: Black Millennial Reflections on Extant and Future Impacts of the Black Lives Matter Movement” Chandra V. Reyna, Department of Sociology "Beyond a monolith: Middleclass Latinx mothers' racial and ethnic socialization practices"

April 27, 2021 The Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Co-Sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative Decoloniality, Ontology and the Structure of Racism Dr. Everisto Benyera, Associate Professor of African Politics, Department of Political Science, University of South Africa

Spring 2021

May 4, 2021 The African American Studies Department The John B. Slaughter Endowment Reparations Series The Time is Now: Harnessing the Political Will for Reparations Opening Remarks: Hon. Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Director, Judge AW Center Moderator Dr. Jason Nichols, Senior Lecturer, African American Studies, University of Maryland Speakers Wanika B. Fisher Esq. Assistant Majority Leader, Maryland House of Delegates Dr. Marcus Anthony Hunter, Professor, Scott Waugh Endowed Chair, UCLA Dr. Antti Pentikäinen, Research Professor, George Mason University

ABRI Final Report 2020-21

Articles inside

Appendix: Professional Development Subcommittee Report

INTRODUCTION

Future Outlook and Subcommittee Recommendations

Appendix: Community Engagement and Policy Subcommittee Report

Appendix: Events and Research Subcommittee Report

Subcommittee Members