Inclusive Excellence Newsletter - February 2024
Dear Bronco Family:
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
As February dawns upon us, we reflect upon the meaning of the opening stanza of the famous hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, often referred to as "The Black National Anthem." This hymn was written by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900, and his brother, John Rosamond Johnson, composed the music for the lyrics.
One of the key messages of Johnson’s hymn is that even amidst seemingly intractable challenges, there is hope that we can draw upon to continue moving forward. During the darkest moments of the Civil Rights movement, this hymn served as a message of light and inspiration.
In our present day, in both the individual and collective struggles that we might be contending with, may this hymn serve as a source of hope and determination to continue onwards.
SCU Celebrates Black History Month 2024
We are excited about the number of events taking place within the SCU community to lift up and honor Black History Month. All events are open to the university and local community. A special thank you to the different departments and groups that have helped to coordinate a robust calendar of events. It is in the spirit of community and belonging that we provide these opportunities for engagement and awareness. A PDF version of current Calendar is available.
UNIT UPDATES
I. Inclusive Excellence Division
- We are honored to bring back Dr. Khalid el-Hakim and the Black History 101 Mobile Museum on the SCU campus. The display will be available in the St. Clare Room, 3rd floor of the Library on Tuesday, February 13th from 10am - 4pm, with a formal presentation from 12:30pm - 1:30pm. Dr. el-Hakim will be engaging with different SCU classes on Monday, February 12th.
- A special Black History 24 - 7- 365 Luncheon and Fireside chat will be held on Sunday, February 25th from 12:30pm - 3:00pm in the Williman Room, Benson. This special luncheon and networking event is an opportunity for SCU students, faculty, staff to engage with Freddie Taylor, founder of Urban Intellectuals. As the founder and CEO of Urban Intellectuals (UI), Freddie has been on a mission to rewrite the narrative of Black culture and history often overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream education.
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Library Resource Guide on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
In partnership with the University Library, a Library resource guide has been developed to provide educational tools and resources to learn more about the historical and contemporary context surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This will be a resource that will be refreshed regularly. If you have suggestions and/or recommendations, please contact libraryreference@scu.edu.
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II. LEAD Scholars Program
The LEAD Scholars Program is excited to invite the SCU community to two of LEAD’s signature events this February:
- The LEAD Scholars Program invites you all to put on your boots and come on down to this year’s Family Festival in celebration of our First-Gen Broncos! Enjoy food trucks, live music, games, prizes and so much more!
- Saturday, February 24 from 1:00pm -4:00pm at Locatelli Student Activities Center - Register here.
- General Admission: $20 I Current LEAD students and children 12 & under: Free
- Secure your tickets ASAP as capacity is limited!
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- Wednesday, February 21st from 5:00pm -8:00pm in the St. Clare Room, Library
- No RSVP required
- The Symposium will showcase the remarkable research topics our current first-year LEAD Scholars have been exploring in their English courses. This event promises to be an engaging and insightful evening, featuring thought-provoking presentations by our talented students. Refreshments will be provided.
- This February, the LEAD Scholars Program will also offer other various programming including Networking Night, FAFSA Workshops, REAL Program and tax filing information sessions.
- In January, 18 LEAD Scholars participated in Shakespeare in Prison at San Quentin, led by the Marin Shakespeare Company and co-sponsored by SCU’s English Department. This unique program combines drama therapy with the timeless works of Shakespeare. It was a bridge between academic study and real-world impact, providing a space for connection and shared exploration with incarcerated individuals. This experience went beyond traditional boundaries, emphasizing the transformative power of the arts in a rehabilitative context and encouraging critical thinking about societal issues surrounding incarceration.
III. Multicultural Center (MCC)
- Igwebuike, the Black Student Union is helping to coordinate different events during Black History Month. Among these include:
- Book club focusing on A Taste of Power by Elaine Brown, and is open to students, staff and faculty. To participate and reserve a copy, please complete form.
- Once confirmed, books available at the Office for Multicultural Learning (832 Market Street - across from Swig)
- Igwebuike meets every Wednesday at 6:05pm in the Shapell Lounge and each meeting this month will have different themes.
- For more Igwe events, please check the Black History Month website.
- Queer Quince is happening on Saturday, February 3rd at 7pm in Locatelli. Sponsored by Hermanas Unidas, QPOCA and LSU. Tickets are available.
IV. Office of Accessible Education (OAE)
- February 8th at 5pm in Benson 1 (The OAE office) we will be having Dr. Molly King speaking on Disability & The Politics of Inspiration. This will be a great opportunity to learn and connect with others. Any questions you may have can be directed to the OAE- OAE@scu.edu
- We are seeing that students are already getting midterms so please remember to log into your OAE portal to request your exams to be taken in the OAE.
- If you have not requested your accommodations, please make sure to do so as soon as possible as scheduling exams cannot happen until that has been completed.
V. Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX
- The Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX is responsible for oversight of reports made to the university when incidents involve harassment and discrimination in all forms including gender and sexual based harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct.
- If you have questions, you can also reach out to Title IX Coordinator Brandi Williams directly at bwilliams2@scu.edu and/or titleixadmin@scu.edu for further consultation and support. You can also stop by our office at 140 Loyola Hall or call 551-3043.
VI. Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI)
- We are finalizing plans for Women’s History Month for March 2024. If you have related programs, please reach out to rplaza@scu.edu so that events can be added to the calendar of events.
- A special thank you to everyone that participated in the events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, from the MLK Luncheon in San Jose, the film screening of an MLK documentary by Igwebuike and SCAAP, the Law School discussion on MLK's legacy and the including the MLK Day of Service events. We look forward to expanding these offerings in the future.
- Save the Date for the 4th Annual SCU PowWow on Saturday, May 4, 2024 on the St. Ignatius Lawn. It will be preceded by the 2nd Annual Native American Symposium on Friday, May 3, 2024 at the Mayer Theatre.
- Dates and sign-ups for the Winter Quarter Safe Space and UndocuAlly Workshops are now available for SCU faculty and staff.
VII. Office for Multicultural Learning (OML)
Happy February! This month celebrates Black History Month and also Lunar New Year. Lunar New Year is a celebration of the arrival of spring and the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. It is the most important holiday in China, and it is also widely celebrated in South Korea, Vietnam, and countries with a significant overseas Chinese population. While the official dates encompassing the holiday vary by culture, those celebrating consider it the time of the year to reunite with immediate and extended family.
- Lunch & Learn: Exploring the SCU LGBTQ+ Student Experience: Learn about the unique experiences that impact our LGBTQ+ student community. Various campus partners will present information on LGBTQ+ student climate data, SCU systems and procedures for LGBTQ+ belonging, financial aid and the Dependency Override Process, etc.
- Lunar New Year: In honor of Lunar New Year, OML is collaborating with various APISA orgs on campus to celebrate. This upcoming year is the year of the dragon. There will be traditional cultural outfits, crafts, lion dancers, and electronic fireworks. Scan
- Thursday, February 8, 2024
- 4-5pm on the Benson Plaza (between Shappell Lounge and the Campus Bookstore)
Scan the QR code for Lunar New Year events in The Bay!
- Langston Hughes Project: The Langston Hughes Project (LHP) is a multimedia presentation that involves music, spoken word, and videography. The performance is based on the jazz poem suite, “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz,” which pays homage to the struggle for artistic and social freedom at home and abroad at the beginning of the 1960s.
- Thursday, February 22, 2024
- 4-5:30pm in the California Mission Room, Benson
- Formal Mentoring Programs: Our formal mentoring programs, The Finding Affirmation and Meaning Network (F.A.M.) and Rainbow Buddies are launching in Winter ‘24. Join Bronco Exchange today to create your profile and be on the lookout for participation details!
- Ignatian Q Interest - Deadline is February 23rd: SCU will be sending a delegation of interested students to the annual IgnatianQ conference. This year’s conference will be held at Saint Louis University from 4/18 - 4/21. IgnatianQ is a conference for LGBTQ+ students who attend Jesuit colleges and universities. It is designed to create community, develop spirituality and build humanity. More information can be found here along with the application.
VIII. University Ombuds
- The Ombuds seeks to foster a sense of care for one another grounded on recognizing ourselves as diverse individuals interconnected in this community and with a shared responsibility for doing our best to communicate ways that build compassion, dignity, commitment, and service.
- The Ombuds provides services to enhance communication in ways that build collaboration, listening, and empathy. The University Ombuds works informally, impartially, and confidentially to assist faculty and staff with conflict, and communication issues with colleagues. The Ombuds offers consultation, coaching, and facilitation to assist groups and individuals. If you would like to consult confidentially with the Ombuds, Contact the Office of the Ombuds at ombuds@scu.edu; 408-551-3542.
DEI RESOURCES FROM THE LIBRARY
The library is celebrating Black History Month with a book display in collaboration with Igwebuike (Black Student Union). The Black History Month display highlights African American authors and stories. Special thanks to Igwebuike's Co-Chairs Hydeia Wysinger, Denel McMahan, Executive board, and members for their selection of titles and inspiration for the display design.
eBook Recommendations
Making black history : the color line, culture, and race in the age of Jim Crow / Jeffrey Aaron Snyder.
Making Black History focuses on the engine behind the early black history movement, Carter G. Woodson and his Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). Author Jeffrey Aaron Snyder shows how the study and celebration of black history became an increasingly important part of African American life over the course of the early to mid-twentieth century. It was the glue that held African Americans together as "a people," a weapon to fight racism, and a roadmap to a brighter future. - Provided by Publisher
Ebony magazine and Lerone Bennett Jr. : popular black history in postwar America
From its launch in 1945, Ebony magazine was politically and socially influential. However, the magazine also played an important role in educating millions of African Americans about their past. Guided by the pen of Lerone Bennett Jr., the magazine’s senior editor and in-house historian, Ebony became a key voice in the popular black history revival that flourished after World War II. Its content helped push representations of the African American past from the margins to the center of the nation’s cultural and political imagination.- Provided by publisher
Black firsts : 500 years of trailblazing achievements and ground-breaking events
The first African American president, U.S. senator, and the first black lawyer in the Department of Education. The first black chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American commissioned officer in the Marine Corps. The first black professors in a variety of fields. The first African American advertising agency. The first African American Olympian. The first black pilot for a scheduled commercial airline. The first recorded slave revolt in North America. The first African American cookbook writer. Revel and rejoice in the renowned and lesser-known, barrier-breaking trailblazers in all fields--arts, entertainment, business, civil rights, education, government, invention, journalism, religion, science, sports, music, and more.- Provided by publisher.
Streaming Media Recommendations:
February One: The 1960 Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
In one remarkable day, four college freshmen changed the course of American history. FEBRUARY ONE tells the inspiring story surrounding the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins that revitalized the Civil Rights Movement and set an example of student militancy for the coming decade. This moving film shows how a small group of determined individuals can galvanize a mass movement and focus a nation’s attention on injustice. (57 mins).
Sing For Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs
Hymns, speeches, spirituals, gospel songs, and prayers...a moving civil rights collection drawn from 1960s field recordings in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The compilation captures the irrepressible spirit of that era and reveals a determined and triumphant African American culture. A collection of glorious songs and heartstopping selections by The SNCC Freedom Singers, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and others. Album details
Remember to Ask a Librarian for Additional Resources!
Library Resource Guide on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
In partnership with Inclusive Excellence, a Library resource guide has been developed to provide educational tools and resources to learn more about the historical and contemporary context surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This will be a resource that will be refreshed regularly. If you have suggestions and/or recommendations, please contact libraryreference@scu.edu.
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Interested in collaborating with the library for a future book display for cultural or themed months? Please reach out to the POP committee Chair, Eduardo Diaz, at ediaz2@scu.edu.
CAMPUS DIVERSITY CALENDAR
The Inclusive Excellence Division is committed to expanding awareness of the different diversity-related programming taking place on-campus. For those that use the Live-Whale Calendar, you can use the “diversity” tag to ensure that events will appear on the Diversity calendar on the Inclusive Excellence website. You can also send your program information to inclusiveexcellence@scu.edu.
