Encompass Newsletter 6.9.21

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Message from Mercedes

For many of us working in higher education, June represents a welcome calm after the events of commencement. Each year, the change of pace offers a space for celebration and reflection that helps us take stock of the past, recognize how far we’ve come, and recommit ourselves to a better future.

It seems fitting, then, that June is the month when we gather to celebrate Pride and recognize how LGBTQ+ communities continue to fight for equity and inclusion. It is also fitting that we remember the Tulsa Race Massacre and mark 100 years since an angry mob looted and destroyed much of the Greenwood District and took hundreds of African American lives.

On June 5, we observed 40 years since the first cases of HIV were reported in the United States. In the decades following those early diagnoses, nearly 35 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide. Like COVID-19, the HIV/AIDS pandemic disproportionately affects our Black and brown communities. In 2018, Black/African Americans made up 42% of new HIV diagnoses.

But out of some of our darkest days come some of our brightest moments. On June 19 we celebrate Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. It is a day marked as much with solemn remembrance as it is a celebration of resilience, connection, and community. This year, on June 18, the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement, in partnership with the Black Alumni Network, the Diversity Advisory Council, and the Office of Equity and Inclusion will present its next REAL Conversation: Keep on Pushin’ – Juneteenth and Evolution of Emancipation. I encourage you to attend the virtual event, which will feature Rochester alumnus Dr. Scot Brown ’89. A leader in his field, Brown is a noted author and associate professor of African American Studies and History at UCLA.

Later in June, we will mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which are considered to be the beginning of the modern Pride movement. While Rochester celebrates Pride in July, those days in June more than 50 years ago were a pivotal moment for LBTQ+ equality that were largely sparked by queer and trans people of color.

But history teaches us that the early fight for LGBTQ+ civil rights began before Stonewall and was significantly inspired by the Black Freedom Movement. Considered a “different fight with the same goal,” the connections among and similarities between the movements for equality and social justice help us understand the importance of community, cooperation, and allyship. Those notions are just as essential today, as we see upticks in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and acts of violence against members of our AAPI communities.

May we all take time to reflect, celebrate, and reaffirm our shared commitment to equity and social justice.

I wish you all a healthy, peaceful, and joyful June.

Mercedes Ramírez Fernández
Richard Feldman Vice President for Equity and Inclusion
Chief Diversity Officer

Get the Most from Your NCFDD Membership

A reminder that the University of Rochester is an institutional member of the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The institutional membership provides all faculty, postdocs, and graduate students with access to NCFDD’s member resources. As part of your Rochester membership, you have access to expert webinars, dissertation success programs, discussion forums, and much more. We encourage you to claim your membership. If you have any questions, please email the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Register for the Juneteenth REAL Conversation

On Friday, June 18, Dr. Scot Brown ’89, distinguished author and associate professor of African American Studies and History at UCLA, will help us recognize Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Running from noon–1:15 p.m. Eastern, this special program will explore the historical context of Juneteenth, the importance of Black cultural wealth, the evolution of emancipation, and the expanded notion of freedom. Presented by the Office of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement in partnership with the Black Alumni Network, Diversity Advisory Council, and the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Supporting Student Mental Health

The Mindful University Project is offering a workshop series to support our students. Given the variety of stressors that students have faced in the past year, this workshop series will help equip faculty and staff with simple, action-oriented strategies that they can use to support student mental wellness this upcoming year. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in productive dialogue on a variety of topics related to mental health and walk away with additional tools to meet the needs of students and navigate any challenges that may arise.

The program is presented in partnership with the University Counseling Center, the UHS Health Promotion Office, the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, the CARE Network, the Warner School of Education, RIT Counseling and Psychological Services, and the M.K. Ghandi Institute for Nonviolence. Please register so the organizers can anticipate attendance.

Happy Pride!

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Office of Equity and Inclusion
University of Rochester
500 Joseph C. Wilson Boulevard
Rochester, NY 14627

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