Written by: Rebecca Valeriano-Flores, Director of Student Inclusion and Engagement, O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
From the inception of the United States until today, there has been a call for liberation and justice that refuses to be ignored. Inequities and harms abound in a country where racism, transphobia, ableism, and many other types of prejudice permeate our society and institutions—and the widespread impacts can last for generations.
Learning about these challenges, how they’re connected, and what we can do to address them is critical to our collective future. That’s why the O’Neill Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is partnering with the IU Indianapolis Multicultural Center to launch a three-workshop series designed to empower students to better understand the issues at play and how they can help.
The workshops are open to all students and will focus on bias and stereotypes, social justice, and using intersectionality as a research method and policy analysis framework. To learn more about the topics and register to attend, visit this link.
At O’Neill, our hope is that these workshops will provide student leaders with a foundation of knowledge in DEI, help them engage with IU Indianapolis’ cultural centers, understand the links between past and current issues, and reflect on their own roles and experiences in creating a just world.
Many institutions in the public and private sectors, healthcare, education, and beyond recognize the need to address today’s inequities. Still, many refuse to do so. Yet at Indiana University, part of our mission is a strong commitment to diversity. Justice is at the core of our culture.
We echo this sentiment at the O’Neill School. To live the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and practice allyship, we must understand the foundation of the field and reflect on how it affects our lives and the lives of others. We must work toward cultural competence and experience diversity in addition to gaining knowledge.
As director of student inclusion and engagement for O’Neill’s Office of DEI, I’m excited to have our students be part of a movement that works toward making a difference on our campuses and leading for the greater good for ourselves, future generations of students, and the world.
