2018-2019 Newsletter
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BOSTON COLLEGE, LYNC H SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 2017-2019 About ISPRC The Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture (ISPRC) was founded in 2000 at Boston College (BC), under the direction of Dr. Janet E. Helms, to promote the assets and address the societal conflicts associated with race or culture in theory and research, mental health practice, education, business, and society at-large. The Institute offers pragmatic information about teaching, conducting research, and applying interven- tions intended to promote the benefits of racial and ethnic cultural diversity and resolve related social problems. The Institute is unique in its emphasis on addressing psychological issues related to race and ethnic culture from an interdisciplinary perspective. Diversity Challenge In this Issue: ~ 2017 ~ On October 13-14, 2017, ISPRC hosted its 17th annual About ISPRC Diversity Challenge. The Challenge is a two-day interactive Diversity Challenge conference that brings together scholars, educators, mental A Message from the health practitioners, and other parties interested in promot- Director ing social justice across racial and ethnic cultural groups. ISPRC Member Awards The theme of Diversity Challenge 2017 was “Race, Cul- and Recognitions ture, and Criminal Justice throughout the Lifespan.” Initiatives, Consultation Programs and Communi- Over 100 presentations focused on the Challenge theme ty Collaboration and nearly 300 people participated in the sessions, which included workshops, individual Current Research presentations, posters, symposia, structured discussions, and panels. Invited speakers includ- Project Initiatives ed the Bellevue Juvenile Justice Mental Health Service, Jamilia Blake, Shabnam Javdani, Burke School Initiative the Justice Committee, and the New England Innocence Project. ISPRC Staff Publications ~ 2018 ~ and Presentations th International Talks The 18 annual Diversity Challenge, “Making Race and ISPRC Alumni Culture Work in the STEM Era: Bringing All People Advisory Board to the Forefront,” held on October 19-20, 2018 had Update over 250 conference attendees and presenters explore a Diversity Challenge 2017 variety of perspectives and issues related to concerns of -2018: A Look Back race, ethnic culture, and STEM. Invited speakers includ- ed Lillie Albert, Erika Bullock, Carlton Green, Kevin Henze, Marcia Liu, Patricia Poitevien, Vanessa Prosper, Darren Ranco and Anmol Satiani. ~ 2019 ~ The 19th Diversity Challenge will be held at Boston College on October 25-26, 2019. The theme this year is “Race, Culture, &WHMP: Survival, Resistance, and Healing in the Current Social Climate.” Presentations will focus on identifying strategies for surviving, resisting, and healing from the current rejuvenated hostile racial and cultural climate. ~ ISPRC, Boston College, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Campion Hall 318, 140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, 617-552-2482 ~ Page 2 A Message from the Director Change was in the air for the 2017 and 2018 academic years at the Institute. A salient theme in 2017 was the extent to which the criminal justice system is unjust for people of Color, immigrants, and other marginalized populations across the lifespan. Injustice, which includes severe sentencing for minor crimes, displace- ment of families, inadequate representation in the judicial system, and police violence, begins early in life and continues from childhood through the various phases of adulthood. Fortunately, many mental health providers, civic organiza- tions, lawyers and members of the judiciary, and individuals have long been working to correct observed and hidden inequities. Changing the system was a theme of the Institute’s research and scholarship during the year, as well as Diversity Challenge 2017. In 2018, the Institute focused on addressing racial and ethnic microaggressions and macroaggressions in STEM education and professions. People of Color and/or marginalized communities are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics even though these are the fields employers are seeking to fill. Moreover, girls and women, and boys and men of Color report experiences of discrimination, invisibility, and harassment when Janet E. Helms, Ph.D. they manage to enter such fields. The Institute offered community collaborations ISPRC Director through workshops and presentations to help especially educators discover the ways in which marginalized populations become discouraged. In addition, many research presentations, workshops, and discussion groups encouraged educators to consider changing STEM rather than attempting to make every one fit the same model of STEM. Change also came in the form of many of our staff leaving to pursue other opportunities. Read about them in the Moving On section. As usual, we bid them a fond farewell. 2017-2019 ISPRC Staff ISPRC Awards and Recognitions Research Assistants Janet E. Helms, Ph.D. Recipient of the 2018 Division 45 of Director Kimberly Ashby the American Psychological Association Lifetime Achieve- Janet E. Helms, Ph.D. Ammy Sena ment Award. Kahlil DuPerry Administrative Janet Helms, Ph.D. Recipient of the 2017-2018 Lifetime Christina Douyon Associates Achievement in Mentoring Award given by the American Psy- Emily Joyner Kathleen Flaherty chological Association’s Society of Counseling Psychology. Sahar Sabet Susan Ginivisian Jonathan Sepuleda Janet Helms, Ph.D. Recipient of the 2017 Lifetime Achieve- Amanda Weber ment Award, APA Society for Counseling Psychology Visiting Professor Eva Wilson (Division 17), Section for the Promotion of Psychotherapy Qingyi Yu Science. Courtney Wright Lianzhe Zheng Janet Helms, Ph.D. Recipient of the 2017 Human Rights Award, City of Newton, Newton, MA, which was presented ISPRC Blog: Giving Voice to Race and Culture by Mayor Setti Warren. Dericka Canada Cunningham, Ph.D., Chosen as one of the in- ductees into the 2018 Salem State University Civic Engagement Hall of Fame. The ceremony was attended by ISPRC members, Lianzhe Zheng and Kimberly Visit our blog at www.bc.edu/isprc to share in the conversation. Ashby. Page 3 ISPRC Initiatives / Consultation Programs / Community Collaboration International Student Advocates (INSTA) Race Culture Challengers (RCC) Doctoral student and ISPRC team The RCC is a student organization founded by Christina member, Lianzhe Zheng, founded the Douyon, Courtney Dunne, Kahlil DuPerry, Kiara Manosalvas, International Student Advocates Ammy Sena, and Jonathan Sepulveda. The purpose of the RCC (INSTA) in the fall of 2017 under the is to construct spaces that empower individuals to create and auspices of ISPRC. The original navigate conversations that critically address various aspects of INSTA organizing committee was race and culture. Through campus events and collaborations Lianzhe Zheng, Fanghui Zhao, with organizations at Boston College, the RCC engages stu- Kahlil Duperry, Jonathan Sepulveda, dents, faculty and staff in social justice advocacy, while helping Katrina Borowiec, Jane Heaney, and to make the ISPRC and its work products become more accessi- Xumeng Wu. INSTA’s mission is to ble and visible. In 2017-2018, the RCC held four events: promote a community inclusive of (1) Being Policed in Schools: A Walk in the Pipeline; international students in the Lynch (2) In the Age of Trump: What Do You Have to Say?; School of Education and Human (3) Patriarchy’s Influence on Social Justice: Erasing the Effort Development (LSOEH) and to insti- of Women in Activist Movements; and tute more culturally inclusive teaching, supervision, and program (4) Dating, Race & Racism: “Pretty for a Black Girl.” support. To fulfill this mission, INSTA engaged international The RCC also hosted a roundtable discussion at Teachers students in empowerment skill building by providing resources College, Columbia University’s Annual Winter Roundtable and for their personal and academic development and supporting presented a poster at the American Psychological Association them in becoming advocates and collaborators in achieving com- Convention 2018 (Division 45) titled: “The Power of Inclusive munity justice for international students. INSTA held social Discourse: Establishing a Student Group to Address Issues of events, such as a pizza party and an international movie night. It Race and Culture.” also conducted professional development activities, including interview preparation for internship placements, and research Diversity and Activism Training at Massachusetts College of projects, such as focus group interviews concerning their experi- Art and Design (MassArt) Counseling and Wellness ences at Boston College. Center The Pursuit of Happiness: Mental Health in Hip Hop For the last two years, ISPRC team members Kimberly Ashby, Amanda Weber, Christina Douyon, and Kahlil DuPerry Kimberly Ashby participated in an interactive presentation on hip collaborated to provide workshops and facilitation on topics hop as an expressive tool for those experiencing mental related to power, oppression, racism, and racial identity for illness. She performed an original song describing her individual faculty, staff, and students at MassArt. These workshops use Dr. experience of depression as well as the systemic factors that Janet Helms’s racial identity theories as lenses through which to make Black women highly susceptible to mental illness. In encourage participants to explore the ways in which structural, collaboration with her co-presenter, Toni Blackman,