We have provided resources that contain foundational concepts, practices, and theoretical frameworks that we believe are essential to diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
These are materials that have been studied, reviewed, and referenced by many in the field, both past and present. Some of these you might have heard of; some of them might be new. We invite you to engage with the following resources with an open mind, even those that might be familiar to you.
Diversity: Diversity refers to all aspects of human difference, social identities, and social group differences, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual identity, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religion/spirituality, age, (dis)ability, military/veteran status, political perspective, and associational preferences.
Equity: Equity refers to fair and just practices and policies that ensure all campus community members can thrive. Equity is different than equality in that equality implies treating everyone as if their experiences are exactly the same. Being equitable means acknowledging and addressing structural inequalities — historic and current — that advantage some and disadvantage others. Equal treatment results in equity only if everyone starts with equal access to opportunities.
Inclusion: Inclusion refers to a campus community where all members are and feel respected, have a sense of belonging, and are able to participate and achieve to their potential. While diversity is essential, it is not sufficient. An institution can be both diverse and non-inclusive at the same time, thus a sustained practice of creating inclusive environments is necessary for success.
Identity is a person's sense of who they are based on their group membership(s) and is understood through a lens of historical and social context.
Book Chapters: "Chapter 1: The Complexity of Identity" by Beverly Daniel Tatum and "Chapter 2: Identities and Social Locations" Who Am I? Who Are My People?" by Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey (Readings for Diversity and Social Justice)
Infographic: Social Identity Wheel Handout (University of Michigan)
Intersectionality starts from the premise that people live multiple, layered identities derived from social relations, history and the operation of structures of power.
Article: "It's All in the Family: Intersections of Gender, Race, and Nation" by Patricia Hill Collins
Book: Emerging Intersections: Race, Class, and Gender in Theory, Policy, and Practice edited by Bonnie Thornton Dill and Ruth Enid Zambrana
Book: Introducing Intersectionality by Mary Romero
Video: "Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw Defines Intersectionality" (To utilize captions, view the video on YouTube and click the CC button to turn on closed captions.)
Privilege:
Unearned access to resources (social power) only readily available to some people as a result of their advantaged social group membership. (Adams, Bell, & Griffin, 2007)
Start here:
Article: "Difficult Dialogues, Privilege, and Social Justice: Uses of the Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) Model in Student Affairs Practice" by Sherry K. Watt
Article: "White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh
Video: "Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo" (To utilize captions, view the video on YouTube and click the CC button to turn on closed captions.)
Oppression:
A system that maintains advantage and disadvantage based on social group memberships and operates, intentionally and unintentionally, on individual, institutional, and cultural levels.
Start here:
Book Chapter: "Chapter 1: Five Faces of Oppression" by Iris Marion Young
Book Chapter: "Chapter 5: The Cycle of Socialization" by Bobbie Harro (Readings for Diversity and Social Justice)
Book: Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde
Book: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Implicit Bias:
Attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. (Kirwan Institute, 2017)
Start here:
Activity: Take the Implicit Association Test by Harvard Project Implicit
Article: "An Implicit Bias Primer" by Gregory Mitchell
Article: "Facing One's Implicit Biases: From Awareness to Acknowledgement" by Adam Hahn, Bertram Gawronski, and Kerry Kawakami
Article: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Implicit Bias" by Cheryl Pritlove, Clara Juando-Prats, Kari Ala-leppilampi, et. al
Article: "Yes, You Have Implicit Biases, Too" by David Gooblar
Book: Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice that Shapes What We See, Think, and Do by Jennifer L. Eberhardt
Book: Everyday Bias: Identifying and Navigating Unconscious Judgments in Our Daily Lives by Howard J. Ross
Video: "Implicit Bias: Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism" (To utilize captions, view the video on YouTube and click the CC button to turn on closed captions.)
Microaggressions:
These are subtle, innocuous, preconscious, or unconscious degradations, and putdowns, often kinetic but capable of being verbal and/or kinetic. In and of itself a microaggression may seem harmless, but the cumulative burden of a lifetime of microaggressions can theoretically contribute to diminished mortality, augmented morbidity, and flattened confidence. (Pierce, 1995)
Start here:
Book: Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation by Derald Wing Sue
Article: "Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Implications for Clinical Practice" by Derald Wing Sue, Christina Capodilupa, Gina Torino, et. al
Video: "What is the definition of microaggression?" (To utilize captions, view the video on YouTube and click the CC button to turn on closed captions.)
If you are struggling with navigating through this guide, please contact Inclusive Education and Strategic Initiatives at ddei-iesi@uiowa.edu for assistance.
We have varying levels of control over the resources listed; we will do our best to provide accessible versions of outside content that was not created by the University of Iowa.
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