02 April/May 2021
LUMINOSITY SHINING A LIGHT ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AT OKLAHOMA CITY UNIVERSITY
The Inclusive Language Project
The Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial BLACK DEAF LIVES MATTER
Plus:
The ODEI Galaxy of Stars
Calendar of Events
& More!
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
Page 1
FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT Dear Stars, As I wrap-up my first full academic year in this important role and reflect on this semester in particular, I am reminded that our community is undergoing meaningful and positive culture shifts already. For example, many are engaging deeply around bias and how it influences their day-to-day lives, some are intentionally using their privilege to advance change even when it feels difficult, and students are seeking opportunities to learn with the hope of making positive changes in their organizations. Engaging in any efforts that are diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice related requires unwavering commitment and to those of you already deep in that commitment, I thank you. The work we need and get to do together to create a more inclusive, just, diverse, and equitable community is expansive and you are key to the changes to come. Your openness and commitment are integral to how our
VALUES DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSIVITY RESPECT LEARNING COMMUNITY JUSTICE
university can shine brighter. The conversations I’ve had with students, staff, faculty, and alumni have been fruitful in so many ways and I am honored to be learning more about you and our community. The conversations you have with me are enlightening and I appreciate the trust you’ve instilled in me. I invite you to continue to share what your experiences, needs, fears, and hopes! In the meantime, it is my sincerest hope you are taking care of yourself in the best ways possible, learning from each other, and celebrating the good work you are doing on a regular basis. Writer and activist, Audre Lorde shares that, “when we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard nor welcomed, but when we are silent we are still afraid, so it is better to speak.” Shining Light,
MISSION To work collaboratively with campus partners, alumni, and friends of Oklahoma City University to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice through policy, education, and strategic initiatives that advance our university’s mission.
Talia Carroll, Ph.D. (she/her) Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
STATEMENT
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
DEI@OCU
Page 2
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN
OCU Law hosts Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion panels
OCU Student Affairs' Dr. Smith wins national award
Beginning in February, OCU School of
Dr. Tiffany Smith, the Director for Student
Law has facilitated a discussion series
Engagement in OCU's Division of Student Affairs,
called Stony the Road to illuminate
won the 2021 Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of
and explore several pertinent issues
the Year at the recent NASPA Conference for her
within the scope of DEI. Distinguished
work: Indigenizing the Academy: A Story-telling
panels from both in- and outside OCU
Journey to Determine Pathways for Native Student
Law led dialogues on various topics:
Success in Engineering. The award recognizes
"Examining the Institutionalization of
outstanding dissertation research conducted by
Discrimination,"
doctoral degree recipients presently in student
Injustice,
"Incarceration,
and
Inequality,"
affairs. Dr. Smith's study explores the lived
and
"Examining the Role of Identity in the
experiences
Workplace." The latest, a keynote
undergraduate engineering programs at non-
entitled "Why Equity and Inclusion
Native colleges and universities. A member of the
Matter in the Legal Field," featured speaker Preston Mitchum, a Black and queer civil rights advocate living in Washington, D.C., who spoke about intersectionality and how to center a justice-minded needs
of
profession
the
communities.
most
These
on
the
marginalized virtual
events
have been open to the entire OCU
Did You Know?
Oklahoma City University School of Law is one of just three law schools in the entire state of Oklahoma!
Cherokee Oklahoma,
of
and
research
students
Creek was
in
tribes
of
particularly
poignant for Dr. Smith who hopes this study may inform administrators of successful strategies on reciprocal relationships with tribal nations to recruit Indigenous students to their programs, provide
culturally
relevant,
supportive
environments for them, and ultimately graduate them to contribute to the workforce and the increased
community.
communities.
these
Muscogee
this
community and free for the entire Additionally,
Indigenous
vitality
of
their
respective
tribal
discussions will continue for the next academic year!
ODEI attends AAC&U Conference
The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team attended the annual Association of American Colleges & Universities Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success last month. Throughout three days of
virtual presentations, they gained
insight and support from thousands of DEI offices from every region of the country. Keynote Speaker Dr. Lori Patton Davis' talk, Truth or Dare: A Call for Accountability and Action in Higher Education set forth a list of dares for all equitable institutions such as engaging in solidarity with different communities on campus, humanizing minoritized people, and using intersectionality as a strategy to fix systems instead of people. The ODEI looks forward to bringing these and other initiatives to campus in the coming months!
Keynote Speaker Dr. Lori Patton Davis at the 2021 AAC&U Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
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THE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE PROJECT What we communicate has power. We learn in grade school what and how to communicate from our teachers and other support people. We learned and were socialized, too, to know which words and phrases were helpful, “appropriate,” and necessary depending on the context. If you pause for a moment to think about how important language is to you, you might find that there are particular words and phrases that elicit strong reactions. Our language can encourage love, embarrassment, appreciation, uncertainty, anger, joy, and so much more. We know, too, that language is dynamic – changing regularly based on time, people, and context. You can probably think of a few words that perhaps were common years ago that we no longer use. It is important that as humans who are constantly evolving, we position ourselves to evolve with language, too. As an example, the term “guys” has become the word used to address a group of gender-diverse people, though the word guy is the informal word for man. Our society, over the decades has come to accept the reference of a group of people as guys without much attention to the ways patriarchy informs our daily lives and actions. And "guys" is communicated everywhere – in our regular social interactions and across various forms of media, whereby the use of the word is reinforced. The Inclusive Language Project will be an ongoing project where we share helpful suggestions on language shifts that support our community’s goal to be more inclusive. We look forward to you being on the inclusive language journey with us. Email dei@okcu.edu with some of the words and phrases that you’d like to see us include in the project!
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THE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE PROJECT Identify your own biases - Notice your
Name the oppression - Be aware of the
language habits (internal)
historical, structural, and systemic impacts on
Self-Identification - Listen to how folx self-
a person's identity like how some minoritized
identify and mirror it back to them (external)
groups are referred to by names they did not
Be person-centered - Eliminate
choose themselves
disempowering language
Impact > Intent - Mistakes will happen. If
Context matters - Pay attention to cues in
harm results from something you
the environment in which you're
communicate, apologize, commit to doing and
communicating
being better, and make a change in your habits
Be flexible - Language is dynamic and always changing and adapting
OF D A E INST guys erson p p a c i d han razy!" c o s s ' "That
TRY
y'all , x l o f , e everyon bility a s i d a with person sual!" u n u o s "that's
OR
Add your pronouns to your email signature, zoom name, or nametag!
tips for change MAKE AN INCLUSIVE GET AN PICK 1 HABIT LANGUAGE GUIDE CONTINUE TO ACCOUNTABILITY TO CHANGE FOR YOUR LEARN! BUDDY RIGHT NOW ORG OR GROUP
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
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1921 - 2021 THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE CENTENNIAL In the early 20th century, Tulsa’s Greenwood neighborhood, known as ‘Black Wall Street,’ was a thriving mecca of black business unlike anywhere else in the world. On Memorial Day weekend in 1921, mobs of white Tulsans backed by city leaders and members of the Ku Klux Klan attacked Greenwood and burned 40 square blocks of Black Wall Street to the ground. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands lost their homes or businesses in one of the largest incidents of racial violence in American history. To this day, there is no accurate account of how many were injured or killed as for decades, the official death toll according to Oklahoma Bureau of Vital Statistics was 36 total.
The Aftermath of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.
According to an official announcement to all press outlets, to commemorate the centennial, Motown Records is gearing up to release a new collaborative album titled Fire in Little Africa. The hip-hop collection will feature 21 songs from Oklahoma artists and is scheduled to drop on May 28. Ethiopia Habtemariam, chairman and CEO of Motown Records, said "Carrying the legacy of the Black Wall Street community, Fire in Little Africa is a body of work filled with purpose and prolific storytelling. I am honored and feel privileged to have Motown Records/Black Forum partner with Dr. View, the Bob Dylan Center and [the Woody] Guthrie Center to release this impactful hip-hop album." The album was recorded in Greenwood over a five-day period in March 2020. Studios were set up at the Greenwood Cultural Center and other locations, including the former home of the KKK leader who led the massacre. The house is now owned by former NFL first-round draft pick and Tulsa native Felix Jones. The album’s artists are pictured in front of the house (right). The artists of Fire in Little Africa taken in front of former home of KKK leader.
Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson is a DJ, producer, educator and community organizer from Texas. Dr. View received his PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2019. His HipHop album and written dissertation, entitled Curriculum of the Mind: A BlackCrit, Narrative Inquiry Hip-Hop Album on Anti-Blackness & Freedom for Black Male Collegians at historically white institutions, received the 2019 Bobby Wright Dissertation of the Year Award for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Recently, the Office of Student Affairs in partnership with the Black Student Association co-hosted a dialogue with Dr. View after his presentation, Making the (In)Visible Visible: Reclaiming Black Wall Street Histories in which he outlined the history and the context of the Massacre and his work to bring it out of obscurity and into the light.
Dr.View
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Calendar of Events
APR FREE HIV SCREENING by OCU Student Affairs in partnership with 14 Hosted Diversity Family Health, ASP Cares, and the End HIV
Oklahoma Program, students are encouraged to #KnowYourStatus and get tested confidentially and completely free of charge! No appointments are needed in the Great Hall from 10AM to 2PM.
APR BLUE TABLE TALK ON VIMEO moderator Dr. Talia Carroll for the inaugural episode of a new talk series 19 Join debuting on Vimeo and Facebook with alumnus Bailey Perkins and current student Bobby Trae Trousdale as they discuss various strategies and experiences of Advocating for Yourself & Your Community.
APR 26
Race & The Arts with Tim Long and Nasir Panjwani
MAY Business Start Up & Management 3 with John Veal and Tara Ramakrishnan
APR AN EVENING WITH FIRE IN LITTLE AFRICA 22 Join us for an evening of music and memory featuring Fire in Little Africa and Greenwood Art Project’s mobile exhibition, the G.A.P. Van, bringing together top rappers, singers, musicians and visual artists in Oklahoma to commemorate the centennial of the 1921 Massacre and introduce Tulsa’s hip-hop culture to a global audience. Come participate in this powerful, healing approach to commemorating the Tulsa Massacre and the history of the Greenwood neighborhood. This program will contain mature content. 7PM at the North Lawn of the Main Building of Oklahoma Contemporary. Tickets available at oklahomacontemporary.org and reservations are required for lawn seating.
APR JOY HARJO @ OKC LIBRARY 25 Celebrate National Poetry Month with Joy Harjo of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and Tulsa, OK. The 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, Harjo is the multiple awardwinning author of nine books of poetry, including her most recent, the highly acclaimed An American Sunrise. This virtual author talk will feature readings from her work and a new anthology, plus a Q&A session starting at 2pm. Register at metrolibrary.org .
APR 30 LAST DAY OF
CLASSES
MAY 8
GRADUATION
MAY 31 MEMORIAL
DAY
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
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Black Deaf Lives Matter
a new children's activity book from Dr. Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton, PhD Historians have not agreed on exactly when the enslavement of Black people started; however, between the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census, Deaf people made up approximately 14% of all enslaved people with disabilities. Dr. Lissa Ramirez-Stapleton, PhD focuses on that population and its descendants, building bridges between Deaf and hearing communities of color through education, activism, and mutual respect. We spoke to her about her activism and her new children's book, Black Deaf Lives Matter.
About Dr. Ramirez-Stapleton
I am originally from Columbus, Ohio. I have many identities, but those I'm most proud of are being a wife and a Black queer mama to our little girl, Kalia. I am an associate professor at California State University Northridge in the Department of Deaf Studies and core faculty for the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program. My research focuses on equity and access, identity development, and the educational history of Deaf students, faculty, and staff with a particular interest in the intersections of race, gender, and disability. I previously worked as a student affair professional and with Semester At Sea.
My research focuses on equity and access, identity development, and the educational history of Deaf students, faculty, and staff with a particular interest in the intersections of race, gender, and disability.
My desire to support Deaf college Students of Color, led me to pursue my doctorate at Iowa State University where I graduated in 2014 with my Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Higher Education and Social Justice and a minor in Women's Studies. As a private consultant for over 15 years, I conduct trainings, workshops, and keynotes on issues of social justice, equity, and diversity across the country as well as support campus climate assessments as a qualitative research specialist with Rankin & Associates Consulting. I am professionally involved with the Association for the Study of Higher Education and active within the National Black Deaf Advocates organization. I love traveling, going to the movies, and hosting friends and family!.
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
WHAT WAS YOUR INSPIRATION TO CREATE THE BOOK? Last summer, I was unable to fully engage in the streets with BLM and the racial uprising because I was pregnant and COVID. I was so frustrated, but my wife, Dr. Marcela Ramirez-Stapleton, really encouraged me to think about what I could do. I was already working with Shawn Richardson (the eventual illustrator) to translate my research on Black Deaf education into visual characters for a historical timeline that would be more accessible for Deaf folks and kids, so she suggested I create a coloring book with the work we had already done together. As I thought more about it, I decided to expand the idea to an activity book too. Many Deaf education teachers have asked me about resources and race based supplemental curriculum. The book creates an interactive way to start conversations about race, racism, and audism (discrimination against Deaf communities), as well as introduce Black history, Black Deaf culture, and more, which is exactly what I hoped it would do.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE READERS GAIN? As we fight for justice, our movements and all forms of activism must be accessible and inclusive of the diversity within the Black community. No one person, classroom, or moment can teach our children how power and privilege work in the U.S., why self-love and loving others is critical, what it means to be in solidarity with others, and so many other important lessons. Ultimately, kids are never too young and adults are never too old to learn about the complex world we live in or their role and ability to make it better for everyone! Black Deaf Lives Matter: A fun coloring & activity book about Black Deaf life, history, culture, & sign language is available on Amazon or direct from Dr. Ramirez-Stapleton.
FIND DR. RAMIREZ-STAPLETON ONLINE:
BlackDeafEducation drlissad. com
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Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
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Galaxy of dei Stars
JasmineMathew
J.D. Candidate 2021
named By: anonymous astronomer [She] and the team of law student organization leaders she worked with to organize the "Stony the Road" series focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in law deserve a round of applause!
z zale n o G Robert
music education sophomore Named By: Madeline Simms He often shares his [DEI] ideas with me and it's clear to see his passion... [he] is now the Diversity & Inclusion caucaus chair where he continues to promote positive growth and change on campus.
o eyDibell Courtn
assoc. proffessor @ theatreocu Named By: anonymous astronomer Prof. Dibello is steadfast in her commitment to learn and make change...[and] she has effectively used her power and privilege to encourage productive and healthy dialogue in the School of Theatre.
TiffanySmith Dr.
Director of Student Engagement Named By: Robert Gonzalez Her passion, articulation, and poise was clearly visible and made a lasting impact on myself and others and this presentation is what cultivated my passion for promoting DEI efforts.
Volume 1, Issue 2 2021
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HOLIDAYS & OBSERVANCES APR 12
RAMADAN BEGINS APR 20
RIDVÁN BEGINS
APRIL IS AUTISM ACCEPTANCE MONTH
APR 22
EARTH DAY MAY 1
BELTANE MAY 5
CINCO DE MAYO MAY 16
SHAVUOT
MAY IS
NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
READING RECOMMENDATION Imam Imad Enchassi, Ph.D. is a senior Imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, the Chair of Islamic studies at both Phillips Theological Seminary and St. Paul School of Theology, and an Associate Professor and Advisory Board member at OCU's Wimberly School of Religion. In his autobiography, Cloud Miles: A Remarkable Journey of Mercy, Peace and Purpose, Enchassi explores the overlapping facets of his identity while on a trip with 20 other people of varying faiths to the Holy Land in 2016. While not his first time back to the Middle East, this journey is different in profound ways. From growing up in the refugee camps of Lebanon, Enchassi has a unique perspective on what it is to have faith, deal with prejudice, and live peacefully with competing identities. This book is filled with love and example after example of how to cross the lines we draw to define each other.
NAME A STAR IN OUR GALAXY Have you experienced someone doing intentional DEI work?
WE WANT TO CELEBRATE THEM! Use the QR Code or visit bit.ly/DEIStarShoutOut
CONTACT US DEI@OKCU.EDU 405-208-5030 LINKTR.EE/OCUDIVERSITY
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We acknowledge that we gather on land indigenous to the Comanche, Osage and Wichita tribes, and lands extending throughout the state originally inhabited by the Apache, Quapaw, and Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. We acknowledge that the 39 sovereign tribal nations inhabiting what is now Oklahoma originate from all four corners of the North American continent, and that American indigenousness is hemispheric in scope. We honor the land and the people who have stewarded it throughout generations, and we commit to continuing to learn how to be better stewards of the land we inhabit.
