MMCRI DEI Workgroup Email Blast 4/25 - 4/29/22

 Happy Monday, MMCRI

Hope everyone is remembering to take care of yourselves

• Some suggested actions here *

• Related pieces here, here,  here and  here

• What Makes a Good Job Good?

*These suggestions might not be supportive to you, and that’s ok!! Drop us a line to tell us about what’s been supportive to you.

 

Self-Reflection Quotes of the Week:

“What is empathy? Empathy is the process of learning how to decenter yourself to create the capacity to show up for others suffering from exclusion – while also reminding them that they are not alone. This act of empathy is not about forgetting yourself because it takes a very secure person to set aside being seen for a moment to see others fully.” – Terence Lester

 

Moments of Inspiration:

 

Mills signs bill to fix Passamaquoddy water crisis in culmination of years-long campaign

 

NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins celebrates ‘milestone’ for diversity in space industry

 

Community college will be free for some Maine students

 

Ashton Edwards, an apprentice at Pacific Northwest Ballet, is part of a rising generation of gender nonconforming dancers questioning ballet’s rigid gender roles

 

A pocket of diversity has grown in one of Maine's most rural counties

 

A great podcast featuring Shana Spence, Ms, RDN, CDN who counsels on HAES (Healthy At Every Size) and Intuitive Eating*

* for education and entertainment, you know your nutritional needs best

 

Autism Walk brings community back together after two years apart

 

MDI lab pledges to offer haven for Ukrainian scientists fleeing the war

• Relatedly: If you are interested, willing, or able: How You Can Help Support Ukraine 

Upcoming events:

 

NIMHD DSS: Dr. Mark D. Hayward Early Life Factors Underlying the Dementia Epidemic Among Older Black Americans, May 4th

 

Anti-Racism in Medical Education: Addressing Barriers to Change, May 17

 

What is Gender-Affirming Care? Exploring and Remedying the Gaps in Accessing Healthcare for Transgender Youth in Maine, June 22

 

National Antiracist Book Festival

 

Climate Migration Speaker Series - Gulf of Maine Research Institute

 

Know about other events this week? Share it with us on Slack!

 

Newsworthy and noteworthy for this week:

 

Black Americans’ Views of and Engagement With Science

 

Leaders: Stop Just Checking The Box On Diversity. Make An Impact

 

A profound piece about GuiYing Ma

 

Life after life in California's prisons – a moving piece on the challenges of reentering one’s community

 

The Limits of ‘Lived Experience’ – this made me think and I’m still thinking about what I think about this. What did you think about it? Talk to us about it on Slack

 

This (plus our session last Friday) got me thinking about the importance of data in DEI

 

A look Inside the Textbooks that Florida Rejected

 

Poet explores intersection of art, trauma and the ‘Trayvon Generation’

 

What to know about Melissa Lucio’s case

 

6 Kids Speak Out Against Hair Discrimination

 

 

Resources:

American Psychological Association’s Inclusive Language Guide

 

AMA’s Advancing Health Equity: A Guide to Language, Narrative and Concepts

UCLA’s Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send

Want to stay up to date on MH Governmental Affairs? Email Sarah Calder (scalder@mainehealth.org) to receive their newsletter

 

Dates to be aware of:

April is	Arab-American Heritage Month
April 2	World Autism Awareness Day
April 7	United Nation’s World Health Day
April 22	National Day of Silence Earth Day

 

Upcoming Sessions: 

 

MaineHealth Acute Care COBRE and the MMCRI DEI Workgroup are pleased to host Allura Casanova, M.S., for the two-part training series: Strategies for Effective Allyship

 In this training, we will learn about:

• Identity. Participants will learn about how aspects of identity interact with the many contexts we work and live in. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how aspects of their identify relate to privilege or oppression.

• Allyship. Participants will learn about the many types of allyship. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in an interactive training on best practices responsible intervention.
  Part 1: May 2^nd, 10-11:30am
  
  Part 2: May 17^th, 3-4:30pm
  
  Allura Casanova is a graduate student in the Joint Psychology and Women’s Studies PhD program at the University of Michigan. As an interdisciplinary researcher, her research breaks down into three main areas of interest including: 1) how men of color conceptualize their own masculinity through the influence of race and culture, and what forms of gender discrimination they experience, 2) how gender expectations and masculinity norms influence men’s mental health and well-being, and finally 3) how sexual harassment manifests differently for men, specifically men of color, who are subject to hypermasculine expectations and fetishism. In addition to her aspirations of becoming a tenure track professor in psychology, she actively participates in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives to erase structural racism and oppression present in academia. She does DEI work by recruiting and mentoring Black, Indigenous, and students of color pursing their secondary education, participating in diversity service work at her college, and creating unique projects (e.g., workshops, exhibitions) that promote the necessity of diversity.