2025 Series on Racial Justice and Reconciliation
How to Use This Page
This page has a lot of resources on it, and it could get inconvenient to scroll all the way down to a section you want to explore. Thankfully, if you look at the left side of this page (the top if you're on mobile), you can actually see and click on each topic to jump to it. You can also instantly return to the top of the page using the little "up arrow" icon that appears on the right after you've scrolled down a bit.
Basic Background Information
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158 Resources to Understand Racism in AmericaSmithsonian Magazine, 2020
Despite the title, this is a readable narrative of the history of racism in the United States that includes many embedded links to additional reading materials. -
Historical Foundations of RaceThe National Museum of African American History and Culture
This page includes three articles that discuss the development of the modern idea of race and the ways in which that construct is intertwined with US history. -
Racial Equity Tools GlossaryRacial Equity Tools, 2021
This is a list of terms related to the modern fight for racial justice with definitions and excellent sources for further reading.
Civil Rights Movement(s)
Books
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Civil Rights Movements, Past and Present by Salem Press (Editor)
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users -
Class, Race, and the Civil Rights Movement by Jack M. Bloom
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users -
A More Beautiful and Terrible History by Jeanne Theoharis
Ebook, One User at a Time -
Race, Religion, and Black Lives Matter: Essays on a Moment and a Movement by Christopher Cameron, Phillip Luke Sinitiere
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users -
Understanding and Teaching the Civil Rights Movement by Hasan Kwame Jeffries (Editor)
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users
Videos
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Directed by Zanah Thirus, Narrated by Nadirah Lugg, Produced by Zanah Thirus, Maiya Sinclair (Atlanta, GA: Zanah Thirus Films, 2019), 53 minutes
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Produced by Makematic, In Untold: TYK Explainers (Londonderry, Northern Ireland: Makematic, 2020), 2 minutes
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Produced by NewsHour Productions, In PBS NewsHour (Arlington, VA: NewsHour Productions, 2020), 9 minutes
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In Big Picture - Media Rich Learning (Chesterton, IN: Media Rich Learning, 2018), 5 minutes
Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King
Books
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Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange; Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
Call Number: MH Stacks PZ9.2.S536 Co 2009Publication Date: 2009-01-06 -
My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King; Barbara Reynolds
Call Number: MH Stacks E185.97.K47 A3 2017Publication Date: 2017-01-17 -
My Life with Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott King
Call Number: MH Stacks E185.97.K5 K5Publication Date: 1996-12-01 -
Misremembering Dr. King by Jennifer J. Yanco
Call Number: MH Stacks E185.97.K5 Y36 2014Publication Date: 2014-02-27 -
To Shape a New World by Tommie Shelby (Editor); Brandon M. Terry (Editor)
Call Number: MH Stacks E185.97.K5 T6 2018Publication Date: 2018-02-19
Videos
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In Did you know? (Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020), 2 minutes
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Directed by Sam Pollard, Composed by Gerald Clayton, Produced by Benjamin Hedin, Tradecraft Films LLC (Sausalito, CA: Film Platform, 2020), 1 hour 46 minutes
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Directed by Callie Crossley, James A. DeVinney, Narrated by Julian Bond, Produced by James A. DeVinney, Callie Crossley, Blackside (Production company), In American Experience: Eyes on the Prize, Season 1, Episode 6 (Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service, 1986), 56 minutes
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The Academy of Achievement interviews Coretta Scott King in 1999 and 2004.
Websites
Antisemitism
Books
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Antisemitism on the Rise by Ari Kohen (Editor); Gerald J. Steinacher (Editor)
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users -
Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism by Sol Goldberg, Scott Ury, Kalman Weiser (Editors)
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users -
Contending with Antisemitism in a Rapidly Changing Political Climate by Alvin H. Rosenfeld (Editor)
Ebook, Unlimited Simultaneous Users
Videos
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Directed by Andrew Goldberg, Narrated by Julianna Margulies, Produced by Diana Robinson, Andrew Goldberg, So Much Film (Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service, 2020), 1 hour 22 minutes
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ADL New England, 30 Minutes
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Produced by The Berkeley Hillel. "This video charts the history of antisemitism from its origins until today. It tackles the hard questions about different and changing forms of antisemitism, persistent anti-Jewish stereotypes, the complex racial position of Jews in contemporary America, and the precise line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism. While the video stands alone as an invaluable tool for antisemitism education, we also provide discussion questions so that it may be a starting point for deeper conversation." 11 minutes.
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Directed by Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker, Composed by Alex Kliment, Narrated by Matilda Tucker, Produced by Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker, Uwaga Film (New York, NY: IFC Films, 2020), 1 hour 32 minutes
Websites
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Old Hatred, New Paradigms: Combating Antisemitism in the Twenty-First Century | Facing History and OurselvesFrom the webpage: This collection of resources is designed to help educators integrate the study of traditional and contemporary antisemitism into their efforts at combating prejudices and stereotypes in the classroom.
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Resources for Embracing Racial Diversity in Our Jewish Communities | The Religious Action Center of Reform JudaismFrom the webpage: [A list of] organizations, articles, books and digital materials [that can] serve as resources for congregations and other institutions to continue the work of embracing diversity in our communities.
Works by 2025 Speakers
Books
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The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration by Frank Abe (Editor, Introduction by); Floyd Cheung (Editor, Introduction by)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks PS508.J36 L58 2024ISBN: 9780143133285Publication Date: 2024-05-14"An essential volume" -Hua Hsu, The New Yorker The collective voice of Japanese Americans defined by a specific moment in time- the four years of World War II during which the US government expelled resident aliens and its own citizens from their homes and imprisoned 125,000 of them in American concentration camps, based solely upon the race they shared with a wartime enemy. A Penguin Classic This anthology presents a new vision that recovers and reframes the literature produced by the people targeted by the actions of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress to deny Americans of Japanese ancestry any individual hearings or other due process after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. From nearly seventy selections of fiction, poetry, essays, memoirs, and letters emerges a shared story of the struggle to retain personal integrity in the face of increasing dehumanization - all anchored by the key government documents that incite the action. The selections favor the pointed over the poignant, and the unknown over the familiar, with several new translations among previously unseen works that have been long overlooked on the shelf, buried in the archives, or languished unread in the Japanese language. The writings are presented chronologically so that readers can trace the continuum of events as the incarcerees experienced it. The contributors span incarcerees, their children born in or soon after the camps, and their descendants who reflect on the long-term consequences of mass incarceration for themselves and the nation. Many of the voices are those of protest. Some are those of accommodation. All are authentic. Together they form an epic narrative with a singular vision of America's past, one with disturbing resonances with the American present. -
Naming Jhumpa Lahiri by Lavina Dhingra (Editor); Floyd Cheung (Editor)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks PS3562.A316 Z77 2012ISBN: 9780739169971Publication Date: 2011-12-30Jhumpa Lahiri is among the few contemporary writers being read widely by both mainstream and minority audiences, the general public and academic scholars, in the U.S. and globally. While her works focus on specific ethnic experiences of highly educated, upper middle-class professional Bengalis and their children living in New England since the 1970s, they simultaneously address universal themes that consistently keep them on the New York Times bestseller lists, and that have made the film adaptation of her novel, The Namesake (2006), into a transnational phenomenon. Lahiri is also one of the first South Asian American writers to be included in the Heath Anthology of American Literature. Even though South Asian diasporic writers have won many prestigious international prizes, the meteoric success of Jhumpa Lahiri has raised new questions regarding her naming: Is she a Bengali American writer? An Asian American writer? An Indian writer? An American writer? A postcolonial writer? Does what we name her matter? Does this naming determine whether, and how, and by whom Lahiri's texts are read and taught, and to which literary canons they belong? Why is Lahiri's writing so successful among multiple audiences, whether in Bengal, Boston, or beyond? Naming Jhumpa Lahiri: Canons and Controversies addresses these and other questions, and explains why naming matters, to whom, and how paying attention to these questions can deepen our appreciation for the politics surrounding Lahiri's works and our understanding of the literary texts themselves. This collection marks a significant evolution of the field of Asian American studies as it does not merely include scholars of South Asian descent writing about a South Asian writer in an ethnically confined context, but rather allows for intertextualities and conversations among scholars of varied ethnicities and fields including postcolonial, popular culture, psychoanalytic, film, women's, American, and world literature studies. -
Recovered Legacies by Keith Lawrence; Floyd Cheung (Contribution by)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks PS153.A84 R44 2005ISBN: 1592131190Publication Date: 2005-07-29Recovered Legacies: Authority and Identity in Early Asian American Literature employs contemporary and traditional readings of representative works in prose, poetry, and drama to suggest new ways of understanding and appreciating the critically fertile but underexamined body of Asian American writing from the late 1800s to the early 1960s. The essays in this volume engage this corpus--composed of multiple genres from different periods and by authors of different ethnicities--with a strong awareness of historical context and a keen sensitivity to literary form. As a collection, Recovered Legacies re-establishes the rich and diverse literary heritage of Asian America and argues persuasively for the significance of these works to the American literary canon. -
Educational Work of Women's Organizations, 1890-1960 by Anne Meis Knupfer (Editor); Christine Woyshner (Editor)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks HQ1904 .E38 2008ISBN: 9780230600072Publication Date: 2008-03-18This book explores women's organizations and their various educational contributions through local, state, and national networks from 1890 to 1960. Contributors investigate how women united to support and sustain education in both formal and informal settings, and examine various associations. -
Facilitating Change Through Intergroup Dialogue by Kristie A. Ford (Editor)
Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781315302232Publication Date: 2017-06-26In order both to prepare for an increasingly diverse society and to help students navigate diverse learning environments, many institutions of higher education have developed programs that support student learning and competencies around inter- and intra-group relations. Facilitating Change through Intergroup Dialogue: Social Justice Advocacy in Practice traces the impact of Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) courses on peer-facilitators who delivered Skidmore College's IGD curricula over a five-year period. Through a series of in-depth qualitative interviews and auto-ethnographies, this book explores how former IGD facilitators are applying what they learned to their personal and professional lives three to five years post-college. By exploring facilitators' application of IGD skills, understanding of social justice, and the challenges inherent in this work, Facilitating Change through Intergroup Dialogue offers concrete strategies for supporting undergraduate students in their enduring efforts towards justice. -
Intergroup Dialogue by Ximena Zuniga (Editor); Gretchen Lopez (Editor); Kristie A. Ford (Editor)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks HM716 .I58 2014ISBN: 9780415819701Publication Date: 2014-01-24Intergroup dialogue is a form of democratic engagement that fosters communication, critical reflection, and collaborative action across social and cultural divides. Engaging social identities is central to this approach. In recent years, intergroup dialogue has emerged as a promising social justice education practice that addresses pressing issues in higher education, school and community settings. This edited volume provides a thoughtful and comprehensive overview of intergroup dialogue spanning conceptual frameworks for practice, and most notably a diverse set of research studies which examine in detail the processes and learning that take place through dialogue. This book addresses questions from the fields of education, social psychology, sociology, and social work, offering specific recommendations and examples related to curriculum and pedagogy. Furthermore, it contributes to an understanding of how to constructively engage students and others in education about difference, identities, and social justice. This book was originally published as a special issue of Equity & Excellence in Education. -
Indigenous Children's Survivance in Public Schools by Leilani Sabzalian; Eve Tuck (Series edited by); K. Wayne Yang (Series edited by)
Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780429427503Publication Date: 2019-02-18Indigenous Children's Survivance in Public Schools examines the cultural, social, and political terrain of Indigenous education by providing accounts of Indigenous students and educators creatively navigating the colonial dynamics within public schools. Through a series of survivance stories, the book surveys a range of educational issues, including implementation of Native-themed curriculum, teachers' attempts to support Native students in their classrooms, and efforts to claim physical and cultural space in a school district, among others. As a collective, these stories highlight the ways that colonization continues to shape Native students' experiences in schools. By documenting the nuanced intelligence, courage, artfulness, and survivance of Native students, families, and educators, the book counters deficit framings of Indigenous students. The goal is also to develop educators' anticolonial literacy so that teachers can counter colonialism and better support Indigenous students in public schools. -
Teaching Critically about Lewis and Clark by Alison Schmitke; Leilani Sabzalian; Jeff Edmundson
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks F592.7 .S14 2020ISBN: 9780807763704Publication Date: 2020-04-03The Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery is often presented as an exciting adventure story of discovery, friendship, and patriotism. However, this same period in U.S. history can be understood quite differently when viewed through an anticolonial lens and the Doctrine of Discovery. How might educators critically interrogate the assumptions that underlie this adventure story through their teaching? This book challenges dominant narratives and packaged curriculum about Lewis and Clark to support more responsible social studies instruction. The authors provide a conceptual framework, ready-to-use lesson plans, and teaching resources to address oversimplified versions of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Indigenous perspectives, along with contemporary issues, are embedded in each lesson to encourage active and critical engagement with history and the legacies of conquest those living in what is now called the United States have inherited. Book Features: A new look at social studies curriculum about the Corps of Discovery--and Manifest Destiny--through the Doctrine of Discovery. Examples of how Indigenous peoples have long engaged in philosophical, legal, and political challenges to the principles of the Doctrine. Social studies lesson plans for elementary and secondary classrooms. Useful curriculum materials to help teachers present a deeper examination of this topic. -
Educational Work of Women's Organizations, 1890-1960 by Anne Meis Knupfer (Editor); Christine Woyshner (Editor)
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks HQ1904 .E38 2008ISBN: 9780230600072Publication Date: 2008-03-18This book explores women's organizations and their various educational contributions through local, state, and national networks from 1890 to 1960. Contributors investigate how women united to support and sustain education in both formal and informal settings, and examine various associations. The chapter "Linking Friendship and Service : Education and Philanthropy Among The Black Elite, 1946–60" is by Kijua Sanders-McMurtry. -
The Moment by Bakari Sellers
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks E185.615 .S383 2024ISBN: 9780063085022Publication Date: 2024-04-23"Toni Morrison once said, 'The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction.' In The Moment, Bakari Sellers brilliantly and precisely cuts through the noise of the calculated, well-financed, and relentless campaign by conservative media, think tanks, and politicians to end the post-George Floyd 'racial reckoning' and reverse the civil rights victories of the past fifty years. This is a must-read!"--Joy-Ann Reid, New York Times bestselling author and host of MSNBC's The Reid Out The New York Times bestselling author of My Vanishing Country examines the modern political landscape and policies that are impacting Black families and communities and offers solutions for a better tomorrow. In late May in 2020, while discussing the murder of George Floyd on CNN, Bakari Sellers spoke from the heart sharing devastating insight that touched millions around the world: "It's just so much pain. You get so tired. We have black children. I have a 15-year-old daughter. I mean, what do I tell her I'm raising a son. I have no idea what to tell him. It's just--it's hard being black in this country when your life is not valued and people are worried about the protesters and the looters. And it's just people who are frustrated for far too long and not have their voices heard." In this powerful and persuasive book, Sellers expands on the issues he addressed in his New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country, examining national politics and policies that deeply impact not only Black people in his home state of South Carolina but the lives of millions of African Americans in communities across the nation. Four years later, Sellers has an answer to the question he raised on CNN, offering much-needed prescriptions to help all Black American lives. Sellers explores inequities in healthcare, education, early childhood education, and policing, drawing on interviews with numerous thought leaders such as pioneering voting rights and poverty activist the Rev. William Barber, and Ben Crump, the civil rights legend who successfully uses the law to achieve justice for people of color in racially charged cases. He also shares his thoughts on conservative media and the forces and dark money behind firebrands such as Tucker Carlson. This thoughtful and practical work is a timely meditation on the state of our world today and how we can all play a part in making it better for tomorrow. -
My Vanishing Country by Bakari Sellers
Call Number: Mount Holyoke College Main Stacks F275.42.S45 A3 2020ISBN: 9780062917454Publication Date: 2020-05-19Part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis, My Vanishing Country is an eye-opening journey through the South's past, present, and future. Anchored in Bakari Seller's hometown of Denmark, South Carolina, Country illuminates the pride and pain that continues to fertilize the soil of one of the poorest states in the nation. He traces his father's rise to become, friend of Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King, a civil rights hero, and member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) , to explore the plight of the South's dwindling rural, black working class--many of whom can trace their ancestry back for seven generations. In his poetic personal history, we are awakened to the crisis affecting the other "Forgotten Men & Women," who the media seldom acknowledges. For Sellers, these are his family members, neighbors, and friends. He humanizes the struggles that shape their lives: to gain access to healthcare as rural hospitals disappear; to make ends meet as the factories they have relied on shut down and move overseas; to hold on to precious traditions as their towns erode; to forge a path forward without succumbing to despair. My Vanishing Country is also a love letter to fatherhood--to Sellers' father, his lodestar, whose life lessons have shaped him, and to his newborn twins, who he hopes will embrace the Sellers family name and honor its legacy.
Articles
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Co-authored by Floyd Cheung, Cynthia Ganote, and Tasha Souza. Published in Faculty Focus, April 14, 2021.
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Co-authored by Ford, Kristie A. and Orlandella, Josephine. Published in Sociology of Race and Ethnicity; April 2015, Vol. 1 Issue: 2 p287-301.
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Ford, Kristie A. Published in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Vol 5(3), Sep, 2012. pp. 138-158.
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Leilani Sabzalian, Region 16 Comprehensive Center (R16CC). 2024.
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Michelle M. Jacob, PhD and Leilani Sabzalian, PhD. Published in NEOS. 14(2), 1-7, 2022.
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Brooks, S., Sabzalian, L., Springer, S., & Weiser-Nieto, R. Published in Journal of Environamental Education, 53(7), 1-18. 2023.
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Philo Hutcheson, Marybeth Gasman, Kijua Sanders-McMurtry. Published in The Journal of Higher Education. 82(2):121-153, 2011.
Multimedia
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Codi Charles' blog on Medium.
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Floyd Cheung discusses his recent work, co-edited with Frank Abe, "The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration," an anthology featuring first-person accounts, poems, and fiction by those who experienced the incarceration during WWII.
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Floyd Cheung introduces and reads a poem he wrote after a field trip to the Manzanar Incarceration Center in California in 2007.
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December 2020 episode of Leading Everywhere: The Agnes Scott College Podcast. Featuring panelists Joëlle Atere-Roberts ’14, social epidemiologist at the UNC Carolina Population Center;
Janelle Peifer, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Agnes Scott; and
Tomiko Jenkins, LCSW, then senior associate dean of students at Agnes Scott. -
Episode of the Girlfriend's Pray podcast featuring a conversation about self care and depression with Tomiko Neely Jenkins, LCSW. A version of this episode with captions and transcript is also available on YouTube.
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Video of March 28, 2023 panel discussion of women in leadership sponsored by the Positive Psychology Coaching and Diversity Institute (PPCaDI). Panelists include Lisa Lindstrom Delaney, SVP and General Counsel of WETA and NewsHour Productions LLC; Tomiko Jenkins, LCSW, then Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Persistence at Agnes Scott College; Deanna Martin Mackey, General Manager of KPBS San Diego; Dr. Kiki Ramsey, CEO of PPCaDI. Closed captioning and transcript available.
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Web site of community curator-artist MERCI D, also known as Mercédes Loving-Manley. Features interviews (see Press page), videos, and muisc by the artist.
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Website of PrideXtended, Inc., a nonprofit organization which centers the wellbeing and security of Black LGBTQ+ people with heightened urgency on transgender populations. Mercédes Loving-Manley is the Executive Director and Founder.
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From the Trauma and Resilience video series. "In this episode, Ricky and Leilani Sabzalian, PhD talk about her work teaching and cultivating learning environments that are respectful and have a sense of responsibility to Indigenous Peoples. They also talk about the power of intergenerational storytelling as well as “survivance” — a term which combines “survival” and “resistance” and encapsulates spiritual resistance and Indigenous Peoples’ active sense of presence in spite of colonialism and other Eurocentric systems."
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Visions of Education podcast Episode 128. The hosts chat with Leilani Sabzalian about her new book “Indigenous Children’s Survivance in Public Schools” and her TRSE article, “ The tensions between Indigenous sovereignty and multicultural citizenship education: Toward an anticolonial approach to civic education.”
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The Bakari Sellers Podcast tackles the most pressing current events through conversations and interviews with high profile guests. Building upon his experience in South Carolina government and politics and his experience as a lawyer, Sellers will talk to his guests about all topics from the world of politics, including the 2020 election, the movement for racial equality in the U.S., and much more.
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Features Sellers' appearances on CNN as a political commentator, videos from The Bakari Sellers Podcast, and other interviews.
Activism at Mount Holyoke
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"This exhibition presents a wide variety of student activism topics ranging chronologically from the late 1960s to the present. The subjects include the development of a Black Studies program at Mount Holyoke College, hatred directed toward lesbian and bisexual students, apartheid and divestment concerns in the 1980s, curricular changes, reproductive rights, and finally, contemporary contention surrounding the presence of trans students on campus." Digital exhibit created by Sophie Hanson '20 based on a 2018-2019 physical exhibit curated by Mae Humphreville '19, Chloe Jensen '20, Leo Rachman '20, and Jorie Thuon '19.
Campus Resources
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MHC Cultural Centers"Cultural Centers at Mount Holyoke are constant safe places for the purposes of support, education, networking and sanctuary. They host programming and provide resources to increase cultural awareness and inter-connectedness. These spaces are important because each supports an identities that are historically marginalized at Mount Holyoke College and beyond."
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MHC Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion"Our DEI Mission: Mount Holyoke College strives to build and maintain a campus environment that is inclusive, pluralistic, and free of discrimination. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts extend beyond specific departments and are embedded in all areas of the College."
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MHC Office of Religious and Spiritual Life"Mount Holyoke is one of the few liberal arts colleges in the country to actively support eight faith groups on campus. Whether you adhere to one particular faith or are a nondenominational seeker looking for a spiritual home here, you will have many opportunities to learn about, explore and participate in a wide range of traditions and activities."
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MHC Counseling Service"The Counseling Service supports students as they navigate challenges during their time at MHC, from stress, anxiety, and depression to cultivating healthy relationships and overcoming barriers to reaching their goals. Counseling Service clinicians value all aspects of students' identities and use culturally sensitive and holistic approaches as they help students achieve their full potential and engage purposefully in the world."
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Campus Bias, Insensitivity, and Discrimination Incidents ReportingSteps for reporting a bias incident or hate crime.
- Last Updated: Mar 19, 2025 10:56 AM
- URL: https://guides.mtholyoke.edu/weekofracialjustice
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