Category: Updates

We present this list for all who would like to gain a deeper understanding of historical and present-day manifestations of racism in the United States. This list of guides and resources is just a small sample of the abundance of resources available online. In the coming days and weeks, we will continue to add resources. We hope these resources will serve to both affirm and support you if you belong to a group that has been impacted by racism and a place to deepen your knowledge of the issues as you take action against racism.

Articles:

Vice: Self-care tips for Black people who are struggling with this very painful week

Refinery 29: Your Black colleagues may look like they’re okay — chances are they’re not

Mashable: How to be anti-racist 

VOX: What it means to be anti-racist 

The Body Is Not An Apology: 7 ways non black people of color perpetuate anti-Blackness

Psychology Today: Anti-racist action and becoming part of the solution 

Centennial: Twitter explains how To support black lives matter as a non-Black person

American Public Health Association: Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a Public Health Issue

The Atlantic: Ta-Nehisi Coates “The Case for Reparations” 

 

Websites:

Black Lives Matter 

1619 by The New York Times

National Museum of African American History and Culture: Talking about race web portal 

https://www.raceforward.org/

21 Day Equity Challenge

Guide to Allyship

The Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project

Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites

About Black Perspectives

www.WhiteAccomplices.org

Racial Equity Tools

Seattle Racial and Social Justice Initiative

Racial Equity Glossary

 

Resources for parents:

Parenttoolkit.com: How to talk to kids about race and racism

NPR: Why all parents should talk to their children about race and social identity

Raceconcious.org: Raising race conscious children

Readbrightly.com: How to talk to kids about race and books that can help

NYT: These Books Can Help You Explain Racism and Protest to Your Kids
USA Today: Looking for books about racism? Experts suggest these must-read titles for adults and kids
NYT: An Antiracist Reading List 

 

Reading lists:

Booktastebythomo.com: Books to be anti-racist

Vogue: Black Live Matter reading list 

An Essential Reading Guide For Fighting Racism

Bookshop.com: Anti-racist reading recommendations 

ABC News: Eight books on race and racism to learn how to be a white ally

 

Videos:

Eyes on the prize 

We need to talk about injustice by Bryan Stevenson 

The Urgency of Intersectionality by Kimberle Crenshaw

PBS: The Origin of RAce in America

Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be Anti-Racist at UC Berkely 

Robin DiAngelo discusses White Fragility 

Race Matters – Dr. Cornell West at the University of Washington

TEDxRainier – Let’s get to the root of racial injustice by Megan Ming Francis

How to tell someone they sound racist by Jay Smooth

Race Forward – Moving the race conversation forward

TED – Color Blind or Color Brave by Melody Hobson

New York Times – Peanut Butter and Jelly Racism

 

Podcasts:

Code Switch by NPR

About Race

The Diversity Gap

Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

Momentum: A Race Forward

 

Books and Publications:

Adams, M. (Ed.). (2000). Readings for diversity and social justice. Psychology Press.

Feagin, J. (2013). Systemic racism: A theory of oppression. Routledge.

Linder, C., Harris, J. C., Allen, E. L., & Hubain, B. (2015). Building inclusive pedagogy: Recommendations from a national study of students of color in higher education and student affairs graduate programs. Equity & Excellence in Education, 48, 178-194.doi:10.1080/10665684.2014.959270

Johnson, A. G. (2001). Power, privilege, and difference. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Lau, M. Y., & Williams, C. D. (2010). Microaggressionsresearch: Methodological review and recommendations. In: D. W. Sue (Ed.). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestation, dynamics and impact (pp. 313–336). New York, NY: Wiley

Nadal, K. L., Wong, Y., Griffin, K. E., Davidoff, K., & Sriken, J. (2014). The adverse impact of racial microaggressionson college students’ self-esteem. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 461-474. doi:10.1353/csd.2014.0051

Ross, L. (2016). Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America’s Campuses. Macmillan.

Sue, D. W. (2003). Overcoming our racism: The journey to liberation. John Wiley & Sons.

 

Black Lives Matter Syllabus 2016: 

Marc Lamont Hill, Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond (Simon & Schuster, 2016)

Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (New Press, 2012)

Angela Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete? (7 Stories Press, 2003)

African American Policy Forum, Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women (African American Policy Forum Report, 2015)

Movement for Black Lives, A Vision for Black Lives: Policy Demands for Black Power, Freedom, and Justice (Movement for Black Lives Policy Platform, 2016)

Assorted essays by Cornel West, Alicia Garza, Audre Lorde, Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Shaun King, and more available at BlackLivesMatterSyllabus.com

 

If you have any questions comments or additions to this list, please contact Leilani Lewis, lanil (at) uw.edu

Originally published by the Seattle Times on June 7, 2020

By Ed Taylor

Are you OK? People have been asking me, and I’ve been asking others. I appreciate the question and those asking. Please keep asking. The truth of the matter is that things are not OK. As I write this, I’m staying home because of COVID-19, and a citywide curfew resulting from threats of violence throughout our city and county. I am also grieving the death of George Floyd. The simple answer is I am breathing, but I’m not OK. Nothing about the moment is OK.

The realization that things are not OK came earlier.

Six years ago, I was meeting a colleague at a downtown Seattle hotel when a grand jury verdict came. There would be no indictment of the police officer who choked Eric Garner to death. I had been talking to my colleague in the lobby, and the news kept replaying the story. The sound was off, the images running. I saw Garner on the ground, uttering his final words. I watched his death over and over again during the meeting. It was December, the lobby adorned with Christmas decorations. After an hour, I could hardly stand up. I could not get the images out of my head. I knew that I would forever be haunted.

But the realization that things are not OK came much earlier still.

As a child, I tried to find answers to images I saw in school. Elizabeth Eckford, a Black girl walking through a gauntlet of anger and hatred as she entered school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Why would people be so angry at a 15-year-old going to school? I knew things weren’t OK when, as a child, I heard of a bomb that exploded in a church in Birmingham, Alabama, and killed four little girls who were getting dressed inside their church. I was haunted by the thought that church might not be safe. I watched images of John Lewis beaten by white police officers so badly that he suffered a broken skull — a day that came to be known as Bloody Sunday. Why are the police beating those people? Why can’t they cross that bridge?

No one I know is OK.

I talked to Maggie O’Sullivan, the head of Rainier Prep School in South Seattle. We discussed how teachers should or should not teach about what is going on in their neighborhoods, communities and world. Maggie is doing the holy work of educating kids, supporting teachers.

Last Saturday night, a night of peril, I heard the voice of my friend and colleague, Seattle Central College President Sheila Edwards Lange, on television. Sheila asked for calm and steady action. “I am tired, angry and grieving … but I know I have to stand up and deal with this trauma …”

I supported Carmen Best when she was selected as Seattle chief of police, and I am behind her now. When she interviewed for her post, she said she wanted to be chief because, “I am a Seattle person … I have a serious commitment to service.”

Over the weekend, I read messages from countless citizens who are at home but planning, plotting to make this city safe, decent and vibrant again.

I was recently asked what kind of city do I want. What do I want to do? I want the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute to be vibrant and truth telling. I want to bring friends to Wa Na Wari, a home, passed down through generations of a Black family in Seattle. It is both a physical symbol of those specific, lively, interconnected relationships and a space of belonging through art for Seattle’s Black community. It is a space representing Black ownership, possibility and connection. I want to ride the light rail to Othello, breathe deeply, and be reminded that we are colorful, faithful, devoted and resilient people. I want to go back to the Douglass Truth library, sit on the floor and read again James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time.”

I have seen fires burn in my community before. I am interested in the kind of flame that will inspire people to vote, to reform systems, save lives and to serve, protect and build. There are endless proactive actions to take and countless day-to-day folks who will be in it for the long haul before we will be OK. Our approach needs to be three dimensional: recognizing the past, addressing current problems and imagining the future we want. Truth. Reconciliation. Repair.

Ed Taylor is vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and professor of education in the College of Education at the University of Washington.

I’m terrified to go outside.
I don’t know what people see when they look at me.

Do they see a strong, resilient, educated woman?
Do they see someone who is their ancestors’ wildest dreams?
Do they see a woman who has friends and family they love?

I’m terrified to go outside.
I don’t know what people see when they look at me.

Do you only see my skin color?
Do you only see the stereotypes others created for me?
Do you only see your fear?

I’m terrified to go outside.
I don’t know what people see when they look at me.

My brothers and sisters are villainized for asking questions.
My brothers and sisters are detained for walking on a public street.
My brothers and sisters are killed for existing.

I’m terrified to go outside.
I don’t know what people see when they look at me.

I wonder when I will be harassed for existing.
I wonder when the police will be called to my door.
I wonder when I will be the one mourned.

I’m terrified to go outside.

– Laura Cañate, MBA ’18

---

The last few weeks and months have been a time of jarring contrasts. Community members donating masks sewn by hand to protect essential workers, while mask-free revelers flout distancing mandates at pools and beaches. Groups of armed white demonstrators march against stay-at-home orders at state capitols with impunity, while for Black Americans the simple act of walking down the street, jogging or birdwatching can be fraught with danger, and even end in death. Too many are left to wonder, as does UW MBA alumna Laura Cañate, ‘18, “when I will be the one mourned.”

Many of us have seen those compelling “before and after” pandemic pictures of cityscapes around the world. The before pictures show buildings shrouded by pollution while the after pictures reveal majestic mountains or vast stretches of squalid, overcrowded houses in the background. It’s like a veil has been lifted allowing us to see more clearly what was there all along.

Periods of upheaval and crisis both test and reveal our character, as individuals, communities and nations. Over the last few weeks and months, I’ve written about the courage and creativity of so many in our community. I’ve never been prouder of our faculty, students and staff and I am confident that we can and will continue to learn and grow together, building toward a healthier future for all.

But first, we must seize the clarity this moment offers. Painful though it may be, we must face up to the inequities this pandemic has laid bare, and the ugliness that it has revealed. We ARE all in this together, I wear a mask not to protect me, but to protect you. And it is also unquestionably true, that we are not all on equal footing. There are class and race differences not only in who can work from home, and who must venture out, but in who has kept their job and who hasn’t. While low-income and communities of color are more apt to work at jobs that require them to be there in person, these same jobs are less likely to come with health care or sick leave. These communities are more apt to be in neighborhoods characterized by overcrowding and with less access to healthy food choices and recreational activities, conditions that no doubt play a role in the fact that people of color are more apt to suffer complications and even death from COVID-19.

These structural inequities, and the institutional racism that they reflect, create and amplify the conditions that led to the appalling ugliness that we’ve seen in the last few days and weeks — laid bare once again by ubiquity of cellphone cameras. The post-pandemic goal should not be to go back to the way it was. We must do better. As we enter into a period where a new vigilance around hygiene and closeness will become habitual, and where we measure the consequences of our individual actions not just by their effect on our own health, but on how they might affect our family and friends, let’s create a “new normal” where attention to issues of equity becomes habitual as well. In this community, in our community, we can and we will continue our work to address issues of equity, racism and bias. The veil has been lifted. We cannot give up – or go back.

Laura, I see you, I hear you. I know the smart, strong, sensitive woman that you are. I know your pain. My brother has been murdered next to yours, leaving a hole in my heart and life that can never be filled. And to you and all Black students, faculty and staff, while I can only imagine what it’s like to walk in your shoes because my light skin protects me from your terror, I can and will walk with you.

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor — say their names, see their faces, hear their cries. Weep, then act

Dear members of the UW community,

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. Three more Black lives snuffed out and lost to our world either at the hands of police or, in the case of Arbery, white racists being protected by local law enforcement. While we shouldn’t need it, these deaths serve as yet another reminder of the pervasiveness of racism and our failure to adequately address it.

As a UW community – all three campuses – please remember that at this time, many of our students, staff, and faculty are hurting. Many of us were already struggling to deal with the shift to emergency remote learning, financial hardships, family health issues and emotional strain related to the pandemic.

Now, on top of all of that, we are also faced with the collective trauma from the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Our hearts break for their families and our communities.

For members of the Black community, we see you, and we acknowledge the deep pain, anguish, and extra trauma you are carrying right now due to this senseless loss of life. In the midst of these challenging times, when the pressures stemming from our history of racial violence and ensuing trauma feel heavy and unyielding, please know that we are here to uplift you, and we are in community with you.

We have no answers in this message. Just a shared understanding that we stand with you in the pain of the moment as we ourselves search for answers and justice. In 2015, President Cauce called on our community to “combat the racism and inequities, both individual and institutional, that persist here and throughout our society” when she established the UW’s Race and Equity Initiative. Her commitment – and ours – to the continuation of that work is unwavering. We are united and unequivocal that antiracism must be at the core of all we do if we are to dismantle the destructive and oppressive effects of white privilege and systemic racism, which is the cornerstone of all U.S. social institutions, including our criminal justice system. This work is all of our work.

We realize there are cumulative effects to these traumas. If you need help here are some resources.

UW Bothell

Counseling Center

Student Diversity Center

Seattle campus

Counseling Center

Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center

UW Tacoma

Counseling and Psychological Services

Center for Equity and Inclusion

 

George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. We say their names to honor their lives and make them matter.

 

Rickey Hall

Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity

University Diversity Officer

UW Seattle

 

James McShay

Assistant Chancellor for Equity & Inclusion

UW Tacoma

 

Wayne Au

Acting Dean of Diversity & Equity

UW Bothell

 

 

We are excited to share that the Race and Equity Initiative, in partnership with the Professional & Organizational Development (POD) and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D), has produced a video for new staff orientations and welcome programs in order to introduce values of equity and diversity at the UW.

Understanding, diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values of the University of Washington helps instill a sense of belonging and safety for all our colleagues. As our campuses continue to embrace more diversity among our students, faculty and staff, it is more important than ever to ensure that everyone who joins UW as an employee know they belong and work to live out our expressed values.

This video features leaders and staff cross multiple departments, schools and colleges, from all three campuses. They offer varied perspectives and discuss how the values of equity and belonging shape the University of Washington’s culture. This video also features resources and points of interest on campus that provide opportunities for staff to engage and learn more.

Through the lens of our leaders and staff members, and in the spirit of equity and inclusion, we hope this video will welcome and inspire new employees to build their community while they build their career at UW.

We are here for you

We remain dedicated to improving equity and belonging at the University of Washington in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. We are all impacted by efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus in our communities.

While classes move online, we realize that day-to-day interactions and access to in-person resources are limited. In addition to physical limitations, many of us still face challenges based on our marginalized identities: income inequity, bias, microaggressions, violence, houselessness etc… . We recognize that systemic and interpersonal barriers to belonging are still real and experienced during this global public health crisis. Please know that there are resources available to you to help you navigate and find community while you work towards achieving your educational goals.

As a UW student and valued community member, we urge you to be attentive to your physical health and follow the guidelines of health and governmental authorities regarding Covid-19. In addition to your physical safety, we strongly encourage you to stay mindful of your emotional and mental wellbeing and seek resources when you need them.

While we may be physically separated, we will remain available and connected via technology in order to support our students. We hope the resources listed here will help you fulfill crucial needs and find personalized support.

 

Rickey Hall, Vice President for Minority Affairs & Diversity and University Diversity Officer

Ed Taylor, Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Academic Affairs

 

These resources have been compiled as a result of crowd sharing & researching information. While they are meant to inform and benefit members of the UW community, not all of these resources are directly connected to or endorsed by the UW.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

• Diversity at UW
• Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity

UW & Community: 

• Emergency Fund
• Provost Q&A
• Novel Coronavirus & COVID-19: Facts & Resources 
• King County Resource Page 

Issues:

• Bias Reporting Tool
• Office of the Ombud

Food Support:

• UW Food Pantry 
• Seattle Food Support 
  • Emergency Food Vouchers 
• Mutual Aid Solidarity Network “Request Support” Form – Food/Supply Delivery
• Grocery stores offering special hours for at-risk shoppers (list at bottom of article)

General Healthcare: 

• Physical Health:
  • UW Medicine Virtual Clinic 
  • Health Insurance & COVID-19 FAQ
    • For those w/o insurance: Check eligibility with Apple Health 
    • WA Health Benefit Exchange special enrollment period
• Mental Health:
  • UW Counseling Center offering Zoom appointments
  • “Coping w/ Stress Related to Coronavirus Outbreak” 
  • SafeCampus available by phone 24/7
  • UW Counseling Center’s “Useful Links” page 
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline 
  • CDC: Managing Anxiety & Stress during COVID-19
• List of Free Resources for Physical & Mental Health

Housing Support: 

• U-Haul offers free 30 day storage 
• HFS Coronavirus FAQ for Students 
• 30-day WA moratorium on evictions 
  • UW Student Legal Services Zoom Appointments

Immigration Related Information:

• Northwest Immigrant Rights Project “Community Information”
• Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs

Undocumented Communities:

• Support for Undocumented Communities during COVID-19 from Immigrants Rising (a list of resources for undocumented folks)
• Healthcare access – safe healthcare centers in the WA
  • Free and charitable clinics
  • No matter if you have legal documents, you have the right to receive medical attention. At this time, seeking medical attention will not affect your current immigration situation. 
• Alien Emergency Medical (AEM)
• Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is now allowing undocumented adults to apply for Alien Emergency Medical (AEM) if they need COVID-19 testing. HCA will come out with more changes/information/direction soon. However, in the meantime, individuals can apply online at www.washingtonconnection.org or by completing the Application for Long-Term Care/Aged, Blind, Disabled Coverage (HCA 18-005). This application can be downloaded from the Health Care Authority website.
• COVID-19 Relief Fund for Undocumented People
  • Founded by South Seattle College student organizer, this is a fund to help ensure undocumented families can continue to pay back their rent once the current residential evictions moratorium has been lifted
• El Centro de la Raza – Emergency Response Fund
• Seattle COVID-19 “Request Support” Form – If you need food or other supplies dropped at your front door.
  • Languages (Spanish, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Vietnamese)
• Emergency Funds from Betancourt Macias Family Scholarship Foundation
  • If you are undocumented yourself or have family members who are undocumented and have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, you can fill out the request form and receive emergency funds.

K-12 Students:

• Amazing Educational Resources: A huge list of education companies offering free subscriptions

Technology & Course Support:

• Student Tech Loans
• Online Learning Tips from Academic Support Programs
• UW Libraries Support for Remote Learning 

Utilities:

• Seattle Utility Bills Support 
  • Utility Discount Program 
• Internet/Phone (Source):

• FCC agreement stating that providers will waive late fees, not cutoff service for lack of payment, and open hot-spots.
• AT&T COVID-19 response: open hot-spots, unlimited data to existing customers, and $10/month plans to low income families
• Verizon COVID-19 response: no special offers, but following the FCC agreement.
• Sprint COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, provides unlimited data to existing customers, and, starting Tuesday, 3/17/2020, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days at no extra charge
• T-Mobile COVID-19 response: follows FCC agreement, unlimited data to existing customers, will allow all handsets to enable hot-spots for 60 days no extra charge
• Comcast:
  • Internet Essentials Free to New Customers: Speeds will increase to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream for all new and existing customers. New families who connect will receive 60 days of Internet service for free. The Internet Essentials program is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month.
  • Xfinity WiFi Hotspots Free for Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. Map of hotspots: xfinity.com/wifi. At a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network and then launch a browser to connect.
  • Comcast is also pausing their data plan for 60 days to give all customers unlimited data for no additional charge, committing to no disconnects or late fees, providing 24×7 network monitoring, and making current movies from Universal Pictures available at home the same day as their global theatrical release.
  • For a full list of Comcast’s comprehensive response, please visit comcastcorporation.com/COVID-19/

Small Business & Artist Support: 

• WA State Resource List for Impacted Businesses
• Seattle Small Business Stabilization Fund 
• Artist Trust COVID-19 Resource List 
• Open Platform for Theatremakers 

Community & Fun Amidst Social Distancing:

• Transgender Law Center Virtual Community Gatherings 
• Free Virtual Yoga Classes 
• Free Broadway Shows Online 
• Netflix Party: Watch Netflix remotely with friends using a Chrome extension
• Virtual Tours of Famous Museums 
• On the Boards Free TV until April 2nd
• Social Distancing Festival 
• Artist Home Virtual Concert Calendar 
• Google Arts & Culture Interactive Frida Kahlo Museum 

UW & Community: 

• Provost Q&A
• Novel Coronavirus & COVID-19: Facts & Resources 
• King County Resource Page 

If you have additional, relevant resources to share, please send links and description to Leilani Lewis, associate director, diversity communications and outreach.

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,

At the University of Washington, we are united by our mission to benefit the public — through education, discovery and service — in ways that have the greatest possible impact. Equity and inclusion are essential to that mission. Only in a welcoming and respectful working and learning environment can we achieve both our individual and institutional goals.

Earlier this year, I shared the University’s plan to undertake a university-wide climate survey to examine the learning and working experiences of the students, faculty and staff on our three campuses. This survey is a critical tool for gathering information and perspective about our community’s lived experiences to understand what fosters — and impedes — the sense of belonging that is so necessary to thrive and succeed.

In the coming months, you will hear more about this confidential survey, which will take place from October 8 to November 8, 2019. Students, faculty and staff across all three campuses will be invited to participate in the survey. The full results will be shared with the university community, me and other university leaders in the spring of 2020. We can then take action to address issues that are identified.

The next major step in this process is a series of conversations next week with focus groups representing different communities and affinity groups on our campuses. These conversations will guide the development of the survey instrument itself. The members of the Climate Study Working Group invited individuals from across our campuses to participate in these discussions in order to achieve broadly representative groups.

Both the 2017–2021 Diversity Blueprint and Race & Equity Initiative identified a climate survey as a priority to help us confront individual and institutional racism, as well as to inform the work that will make our campuses more inclusive overall. The survey will also include questions related to sexual assault, harassment and misconduct. Freedom from sexual discrimination is an essential component to a welcoming and inclusive environment. We intend to use the survey to identify successful initiatives and experiences, as well as the challenges facing members of our campus communities, and to develop actions to build on those successes and address challenges.

This effort is being facilitated by Rankin & Associates Consulting in collaboration with the Climate Study Working Group, which comprises 30 UW students, faculty and staff representing our three campuses, including the health sciences on the Seattle campus. You can learn more about the survey process at the University Climate Survey website, and if you have additional questions, please reach out to the members of the Climate Study Working Group.

As this project proceeds, we will need the support and participation of every unit and program, shared governance and our student organizations. We are all partners in the critically important work of developing an environment that allows each of us to thrive in our work and learning. I look forward to sharing more about the climate survey in the coming months and I am proud to be engaged in this essential undertaking with you.

Sincerely,

Ana Mari Cauce
President
Professor of Psychology

Women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields are more likely to advance professionally, publish more research and secure postdoctoral and faculty positions if their institutional culture is welcoming and sets clear expectations, according to a study of hundreds of Ph.D. students at four top-tier California research universities.

“Our study strongly indicates that the onus should not fall on minority students to make changes to succeed in STEM settings,” said Aaron Fisher, an assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of the study. “Institutional changes that make students feel welcome and provide clear guidelines and standards for performance are optimal ways to ensure the success of all students.”

“An important implication of this research, as reflected in several papers our group has published recently, is that essential interventions that promote the success of underrepresented minority and women PhD students in STEM fall mainly in the realm of academic culture, and do not necessarily require the investment of major resources. These interventions benefit all students, along with students who have been traditionally underrepresented in the STEM fields,” said Richards, a UC Berkeley professor emeritus of earth and planetary science who became provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the UW in July.

The interventions identified in the study are especially relevant to the success of black graduate students, who are publishing at lower rates than their peers, Fisher said.

While white, Asian and underrepresented minority males and females in STEM fields recruited for the study at the four campuses were found to have published at roughly equivalent rates, black graduate students were nearly three times less likely to have published a paper in an academic journal.

However, when accounting for black students’ perceptions of departmental structure and sense of preparedness and belonging, the statistical model used in the study shows that this racial disparity may be due in large part to negative experiences associated with being a minority in otherwise white settings.

“African Americans have been communicating for decades about the difficulties and discomforts of being black in white-majority settings, and our data represent a clear example of empirical support for that narrative,” Fisher said. “It’s not so much that being black results in fewer publications, but that the experience of being black in a university setting presents challenges and obstacles that white students are either not facing, or facing to a lesser degree.”

Among the new efforts underway under Berkeley’s leadership is the Research Exchange, a national consortium of nine universities made up of the four California Alliance campuses as well as Georgia Tech; Harvard; the University of Michigan; the University of Texas, Austin; and the UW. The Research Exchange facilitates inter-institutional visits for advanced underrepresented graduate students from these nine top-tier institutions to expand their visibility and experience when applying for elite postdoctoral and faculty positions.

The UW has long been committed to increasing the number of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields and was one of the original National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant recipients that developed a host of interventions to make the campus climate more welcoming for both students and faculty from these groups.

“Provost Richards’ commitment to diversifying the STEM study body, faculty, and workforce – and his deep belief that diversity is critical to excellence – was something that last year’s provost search committee saw as an important strength,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “We expect that under his academic leadership the UW will continue to be a leader in this regard.”

The newly published study was conducted through the UC Berkeley-led California Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), a partnership of UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford and Caltech that seeks to boost the ranks of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields among the graduate students, postdocs, and faculty at research universities.

Previous research published by UC Berkeley members of the alliance, which was launched in 2014 with a $2.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, found that underrepresented minorities publish in academic journals at significantly lower rates than their majority counterparts, placing them at a disadvantage in competing for postdoctoral and faculty positions.

“Publishing in academic journals is a key predictor of future success in academia, which is why our research is so concerned with this often-neglected indicator,” Richards said.

In addition to Fisher and Richards, co-authors of the paper are Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, Colette Patt, Ira Young and Andrew Eppig of UC Berkeley; Robin Garrell of UCLA; Douglas Rees of Caltech; and Tenea Nelson of Stanford University.

Link to UW News article

University of Washington alumna Havana McElvaine, Class of 2017, has been selected as a Marshall scholar, one of the highest honors available to college graduates in the U.S. She plans to attend the London School of Economics and Oxford University.

“I was totally shocked,” said McElvaine, 23. “First I felt surprised, followed by an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the amazing team that I had supporting me through this process and throughout my time at UW.”

Founded by an act of the British Parliament in 1953, the awards pay all expenses for up to three years of study at a British university of the student’s choice. Marshall scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. This year, 48 scholars were selected to pursue graduate study in any field at a UK institution.

McElvaine, who was captain of the UW women’s soccer team, plans to earn two master’s degrees: one in Inequalities and Social Science from the London School of Economics; and a second in Evidence Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation at Oxford University.

“From the combination of these programs I’ll be able to deepen my understanding of inequality through interdisciplinary approaches, and hopefully use that understanding to interrupt policy where it might be ineffective,” McElvaine said, who earned her undergraduate degree with a major in sociology and a minor in diversity. “It’s my goal to continue to engage with issues of social inequality through policy making and social justice work.”

McElvaine is the first UW student to achieve this honor since Jeffrey Eaton was selected in 2008. This year, more than 1,000 students from across the United States applied for the scholarship, and only 20 candidates in the San Francisco region, which includes Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Northern California and most of Nevada, were selected for Marshall interviews. Five scholars from the region were selected.

“Havana arrived at UW as an excellent athlete and has emerged as a scholar, leader and communitarian,” said Ed Taylor, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. “Her experience at UW has helped shape her into a true global citizen. In turn, our campus has learned from Havana and been impacted by her immersion. To have lasting impacts on each other is what we hope our university and students experience together. We celebrate Havana’s accomplishments and her impact on our campus and the world she has traveled.”

Though she was recruited from Denver to the UW for her athleticism, she excelled both on the field and off.

“Her academic journey always seemed to be more about growth and improvement than achieving a certain grade-point average for her résumé. She became an involved and engaged student while at Washington. I feel that competing in Division I athletics really helped her embrace being out of her comfort zone, and I could see the direct correlation in her academic pursuits. She just went for it,” said Lesle Gallimore, head coach of the women’s soccer team. “Havana is loud and proud. She has an opinion but is a better listener. She is curious and inquisitive and has a genuine and deep concern for humanity.”

During her studies, she stood out to many faculty mentors, including Alexes Harris, a professor of Sociology.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for her,” said Harris. “When we try to shape global citizens, she’s the perfect example.”

McElvaine was also a recipient of the UW’s Bonderman Travel Fellowship, a unique award that supports extended, international and independent travel. Her eight-month solo journey included visits to Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, India and Thailand, where she grappled with ideas involving her own identity, and the politics of difference, history and privilege.

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For more information, contact Jackson Holtz at 206-543-2580 or jjholtz@uw.edu.

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When incoming freshmen and transfer students arrive at the University of Washington, they bring a wide range of understanding and experience with the ideas surrounding race, equity, diversity and inclusion. For some, these concepts are very much a part of their world-view. For others, our campus will become the place where they shape their understanding of difference in profound ways.

We are excited to share that the Race and Equity Initiative, in partnership with First Year Programs (FYP) and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D), has produced a video for FYP’s U-101 online orientation series that introduces new students to the values of equity and diversity at the UW.

The video features honest student-to-student perspectives about what it was like for them to come to UW Seattle. Then, relying on these values, UW students invite their peers to lean in and stay open to new ideas. This video also features resources and points of interest on campus that provide opportunities for incoming students to engage with difference.

Through the lens of our students and in the spirit of equity and inclusion, we hope this video will welcome and inspire incoming classes to build their community and make a positive impact during their time at UW.