Breaking Barriers: Examining the Constructs of Workplace Oppression

Join us for the first Penn Spectrum event of 2022! Breaking Barriers: Examining the Constructs of Workplace Oppression will be an introspective look into the challenges and triumphs of POC and Queer folks in corporate America.

Information: click here

A Conversation with Bree Newsome Bass

In honor of Black History Month, the Office of Social Equity & Community at Penn presents longtime activist Bree Newsome Bass in conversation with moderator, distinguished historian, and Penn professor of Africana Studies, Dr. Barbara D. Savage; the founder of the Muslim Wellness Foundation, and Penn alumna, Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad; and the first woman pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church, former Penn professor of Religion, Rev. Dr. Leslie D. Callahan

Information: click here

University of Pennsylvania Juneteenth Event featuring Dr. Ibram X. Kendi in Conversation with Dean Erika James

The University of Pennsylvania Juneteenth Event featuring Dr. Ibram X. Kendi author of “How to be an Antiracist” and “Stamped from the Beginning” in conversation with Dr. Erika James, Dean of The Wharton School. Ibram X. Kendi is one of America’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars. Dr. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. He is also the 2020-2021 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at Radcliffe Institute for the Advanced Study at Harvard University. Dr. Kendi is the author of seven books including: How to be an Antiracist, The Black Campus Movement, and Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. To learn more about Dr. Kendi, visit www.ibramxkendi.com 

Information: click here

Emanuel: Documentary Screening and Discussion

Join us as we discuss the 2019 film Emanuel, a critically-acclaimed documentary about the 2015 Emanuel AME Church shooting in Charleston. Associate Vice Provost for Equity and Access at University Life Rev. Will Gipson will converse with Rev. Anthony Thompson and film producer John Shepherd about the documentary and its impact. The conversation will be moderated by JBS Member and Associate Director at Makuu, Daina Troy W'98. Guests will be asked to watch the documentary prior to the discussion. A film access link will be sent to each registrant.

Information: click here

Town Hall: Asian & Asian American @ Penn

UPAAN is hosting a conversation with our partners around the Asian & Asian American experience at Penn. What’s changed? What hasn’t? How does Penn compare to other schools? We have invited Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH), Asian American Studies (ASAM) students, faculty, staff, and alums for this town hall. Join this interactive community conversation and learn how to get involved. Sponsored by: UPAAN, PAACH, ASAM.

Information: click here

Evolving Equity and Education

Join us in conversation with longtime activists and organizers Ben Jealous, visiting scholar at the Annenberg School for Communication, and Penn School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) lecturer Walter Palmer, JD as they explore the past and future of racial equity and education at Penn and around West Philadelphia, as well as opportunities for progress. The pair will also take a look at Palmer’s role in advancing anti-racist curricula, his time teaching in the SP2 Racism Sequence, and his push to have racism declared a public health crisis.

Information: click here

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America - The Political System: Voice and Representation

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

Information: click here

The Evolution of the Racism Sequence

More than 50 years ago, Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) introduced the Racism Sequence curriculum—a series of courses that deeply examine the implications of racism for social works services and practices, as well as strategies for addressing institutionalized racism. As time progressed, so did the need and nature of the Sequence. How have the courses changed and what values have remained the same? What is the future of the Racism Sequence at SP2 and in our communities? Drawing on a variety of perspectives, the fourth installment of the SP2 Speaker Series welcomes Jeanne Arnold, MSW, Ed.D., Jack Lewis, DSW, LCSW, and Amy Hillier, PhD to discuss these questions and their connections and experiences—as both students and instructors—within the SP2 Racism Sequence, as well as what necessary work lies ahead. This 60-minute session will hosted by Ben Jealous, Visiting Scholar, Annenberg School for Communication, Penn Carey Law School, and School of Social Policy & Practice and President, People for the American Way.

Information: click here 

The Unequal Impact of the COVID-19 School Closures Globally

Dr. Emiliana Vegas is co-director of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Universal Education, which develops policies to promote universal quality education in the developing world. She specializes in the economics of education, education policy, and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Before moving to Brookings in the summer of 2019, Dr. Vegas served as chief of the Education Division at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC, where she managed professionals working in the Bank’s lending operations and analytical activities to support education systems throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. She previously worked for the World Bank as a lead economist and senior education economist, focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean and human development.

Information: join here, passcode 734

Sport & Society Week: The Athlete Impact

Week of April 3, 2021

Starting on Saturday, April 3, Penn Athletics and the Office of Social Equity & Community will co-sponsor Sport & Society Week: The Athlete Impact. Created by student-athletes for the entire Penn community, this week will showcase the power of sports in bringing people together, while also celebrating the influence and accomplishments of athletes both at Penn and beyond. This event coincides with National Student-Athlete Day, which recognizes those who excel in the classroom, on the field of play, and in service to the community.

Registration: click here

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Cultural and Media Systems: Voice, Representation, and Collective Memory in American Culture

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

• Herman Beavers, Julie Beren Platt and Marc E. Platt President's Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies, University of Pennsylvania
• Margo Natalie Crawford, Professor of English, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Professor for Faculty Excellence, University of Pennsylvania
• Guthrie Ramsey, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Music, University of Pennsylvania
• Deborah Thomas, R. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology; Director, Center for Experimental Ethnography, University of Pennsylvania
• Tukufu Zuberi, The Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Sociology Department, University of Pennsylvania

Information: click here

Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal: Living With and Through the COVID-19 Pandemic

In these challenging times University of Pennsylvania Asian Alumni Networks (UPAAN), Penn Spectrum, International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS), Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA), Undergraduate Assemblies (UA), Graduate Student Center (GSC), Pan-Asian Faculty & Staff Association (PAFSA) and Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH), in partnership with Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS), Special Services, Restorative Practices @ Penn, and Penn Global have come together to offer a healing, processing, and community building space for Asians & Asian Americans who have experienced or are concerned about anti-Asian bias or harassment related to COVID-19. This pandemic, and the hateful rhetoric which has sprung up around it have directly and indirectly harmed many in our community – the Circle will be an opportunity to process with others who have similar experiences and support one another as a community.

These Circle spaces are an opportunity for people with direct lived experiences of anti-Asian racism, bias, or harassment to share their stories and be in community with others who have similar experiences.

Information: http://bit.ly/STOPPINGHATE 

School of Social Policy & Practice Speaker Series: Confronting Racial Injustice and The Inequities of The Pandemic

The third installment of the SP2 Speaker Series will feature SP2 assistant professor Amy Castro Baker, PhD, and Katherina M. Rosqueta, MBA, founding executive director of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP). There are major gaps in income, poverty, debt accrual, housing, and asset depletion when it comes to women. All over the world, men tend to earn more money than women, regardless of education or experience. How wide are these gaps? How are they impacted by race, or exacerbated by the pandemic? And how do we do we confront this together?

The third installment will focus on:

• Wealth disparity across genders
• The long-term implications of women and financial insecurity
• Solutions and interventions to empower women and their wealth

Information: click here

Anti-Racism & Mental Wellness Workshop: Turning off the Gaslights and Illuminating Brave Spaces

The experience of race and ethnicity in the U.S. are often invalidated and gaslighted. To understand the landscape of intersectionality, and especially race and “othering”, is to understand the dynamics of antagonism, including manipulation, deceit, callousness, hostility and attention seeking, and most pointedly, gaslighting. Gaslighting is the denial of the reality of another individual, but it can and does occur at an institutional and societal level. The denial of the experience of entire groups, which contributes to a sense of destabilization, confusion, and frustration in those most marginalized, also maintains the status quo and inhibits discourse and change.

Information: click here

Women of Color in Higher Education: Resilience and Empowerment Amidst Twin Pandemics

Penn Graduate School of Education's Office of Student Services and Center for Professional Learning are excited to announce the Women of Color in Higher Education: Resilience and Empowerment Amidst Twin Pandemics Virtual Institute. This annual program is open to Penn Faculty, Staff, and Graduate Students who identify as a woman of color or non-binary person of color. We are living in a time of renewed vigilance in the fight for racial equity, a pandemic that opened the wound of race-based health disparities and food insecurities, and a political/social environment that reflects insidious social injustice across the country. As such, the Women of Color in Higher Education program seeks to unite and strengthen networks and form mentorships for the Penn community* of both women of color and non-binary people of color.

Information: click here

Examining the Current Escalation of Anti-Asian Racism with Cecillia Wang

This discussion examines the resurgence of anti-Asian violence in the U.S. and how the legal community can respond.

Information: click here

The Education System: Preschool, Elementary School, and High School

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems. The virtual panel conversations are open to the Penn community and the general public.

Information: click here

Anti-Racism Workshop - What is Mental Health? Redefining Asian Un/Wellness at Penn

What do we actually mean when we say "mental health"? What does mental wellness--and unwellness--look and feel like here at Penn? And how do we identify and address our mental health needs? Join Dr. Mimi Khúc (Georgetown University) for an interactive discussion on redefining mental health through the lens of our experiences here, especially right now during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, we will identify forces that shape mental health for our various communities at Penn, and for Asian Americans in particular, and begin brainstorming how to collectively build towards the kinds of mental health we want and need.

Information: click here

The Criminal Justice System: Policing and Public Safety

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

Information: click here

Fireside Chat with Chaz Howard, C’00, VP of Social Equity and Community

Join us for an intimate evening with Chaz Howard, C'00, VP of Social Equity and Community. Reconnect with Chaz and fellow members of the Penn community and learn more about Chaz's new role and the direction of the University as it relates to social equity and community. There will be ample time for audience Q&A. Please bring your questions and plan to join us!

Information: click here

A Conversation with Stacey Abrams

A conversation with Stacey Abrams, moderated by Benjamin Todd Jealous and with remarks from President Amy Gutmann. The event is sponsored by the Annenberg School for Communication, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Paideia Program, and the Penn Provost's Office.

Information: click here

Confronting Racial Injustice and The Inequities of The Pandemic

Hosted by Ben Jealous, Visiting Scholar, Annenberg School for Communication, Penn Carey Law School, and School of Social Policy & Practice and President, People for the American Way, this series will focus on how data-informed social policy and evidence-based practice in social work are being used to identify and design solutions for the complex social problems in America today. Each 60-minute session will include an introduction by Ben Jealous followed by a presentation. The program will conclude with a Q&A and closing remarks from Ben Jealous.

Information: click here

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America The Criminal Justice System: Incarceration and the Law

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems. The virtual panel conversations are open to the Penn community and the general public. Members of the Penn community may visit the Preceptorial Canvas site using your PennKey for additional resources.

Information: Click here

13th Annual Public Interest Week

Some 233 years ago, the framers of the Constitution laid out their vision for America. The document opens in the preamble “[w]e the People of the United States…,” though at the time all who lived within its borders were not considered “people.” Now we revisit the origins of America as the nation collectively reexamines its legacy of racial injustice. TPIC invites you to join us as we consider throughout the week how we can reframe America, its legacy of racial injustice, and how we collectively move towards a more racially just world.

Information: click here

Diversity & Inclusion: How is Penn Advancing Health Equity?

COVID-19 has highlighted longstanding health inequities in the United States, as it disproportionately affects Black and Latinx populations, who are also more likely to suffer more serious effects from the virus. In order to address health disparities and provide the best patient care for all, it is essential to understand genetic, environmental, and social risk factors. Learn how Penn Medicine experts are working toward a more equitable future of health care through research and initiatives addressing injustice, systemic racism, unconscious bias, and social inequity.

Information: click here

20th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture in Social Justice

Dr. Cornel West is Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University. Cornel West graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard in three years and obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Princeton. He has written 20 books and has edited 13. He is best known for his classics, Race Matters and Democracy Matters, and for his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. His most recent book, Black Prophetic Fire, offers an unflinching look at nineteenth and twentieth-century African American leaders and their visionary legacies. Dr. West is the co-host along with Dr. Tricia Rose of The Tight Rope which is a weekly podcast where they take time to welcome listeners and guests as thought collaborators with revered hosts and public intellectuals. Dr. West is a frequent guest on the Bill Maher Show, CNN, C-Span and Democracy Now. He has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of publics in order to keep alive the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. – a legacy of telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice. This event is co-hosted by the Center for Africana Studies and the Annenberg School for Communication and is co-sponsored by the Black Alumni Society.

Information: click here

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America The Public Health System: Health and Wellness Policies

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

Speakers:
Benoit Dubé, Associate Provost and Chief Wellness Officer, and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvani
Zeke Emanuel, Diane S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor, and Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation PIK Professor of Health Policy and Health Equity, University of Pennsylvania
Jennifer Prah Ruger, Amartya Sen Professor of Health Equity, Economics, and Policy, School of Social Policy & Practice, University of Pennsylvania
Eugenia South, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Information: click here

2021 MLK Symposium on Social Change: Why Access to Pet Resources is a Social Justice Issue

Featuring Amanda Arrington, Senior Director of the groundbreaking Pets for Life (PFL) program at the Humane Society of the United States 

Information: click here

The Vaccine Experience in the Black and Brown Community at Penn Medicine

Join CPUP, and the Antiracism Committee for The Vaccine Experience in the Black and Brown Community at Penn Medicine. Panelists will share information about the COVID-19 vaccines, address disparities in uptake among Black and Brown communities, and answer your questions. The town hall will be moderated by Florencia Greer Polite, MD, Chief, Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology, and feature special guest, Neil Fishman, MD, Chief Medical Officer of HUP, along with panelists Kenya Pitt, CPUP HR; Meghan Lane-Fall, MD, MSHP, HUP Critical Care and Anesthesia; Nicole Brown, LPN, Helen O. Dickens Center for Women; and John Dixon, Pavilion Chef, HUP.

Information: click here

School of Social Policy & Practice Speaker Series: Confronting Racial Injustice and the Inequities of the Pandemic

Hosted by Ben Jealous, Visiting Scholar, Annenberg School for Communication, Carey Law School, and School of Social Policy & Practice and President, People for the American Way, this series will focus on how data-informed social policy and evidence-based practice in social work are being used to identify and design solutions for the complex social problems in America today. Each 60-minute session will include an introduction by Ben Jealous followed by a presentation. The program will conclude with a Q&A and closing remarks from Ben Jealous.

Speakers:
Ezekiel Dixon-Roman, PhD Associate Professor, Director, MS in Social Policy Program, Chair, Data Analytics for Social Policy Certificate Program
Ben Jealous Visiting Scholar, Annenberg School for Communication, Carey Law School, and School of Social Policy & Practice and President, People for the American Way Mutale Nkonde CEO, AI for the People. Fellow, Digital Civil Society Lab, Stanford Fellow, Institute for Advance Study, Notre Dame

Information: click here

Seeing Us, and Hearing Our Voices: A Criminal Justice Conversation with Yusef Salaam and John Legend

The Quattrone Center is proud to host an online conversation with world-famous recording artist and criminal justice reform advocate, John Legend and member of the Exonerated Five, Dr. Yusef Salaam. They will be discussing new directions in criminal justice reform and how their reform efforts reflect this year's dramatic shift in national focus towards racial justice. This event is part of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School’s Achieving Racial Justice series.

Information: click here

2020 and Healing

With the recent murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the extreme health disparities being shown by COVID-19, the cries for social justice are louder than ever. How can we as the Penn Community come together to support those who need it most? In this session, we will explore how communities process traumas as they heal, survive, and thrive.

Speakers:
Mamta Accapadi, Vice Provost for University Life
Batsirai Bvunzawabaya, CAPS Associate Director for Outreach and Prevention
Chaz Howard C'00, Vice President for Social Equity and Community 
Sponsors: Association of Latino Alumni | Association of Native Alumni | Black Alumni Society | James Brister Society | PennGALA: LGBTQ Alumni Association | UPAAN: Asian Alumni Network | Penn Spectrum Programs 
Information: click to the left to watch recording

The Urgent Matter of Black Lives

In these times of widespread recognition of racial injustice, The Urgent Matter of Black Lives panel will examine the urgent work that must be done in order to fight systemic racism. Penn Africana Studies faculty Mary Frances Berry, Dorothy Roberts, and Tukufu Zuberi will discuss the social, legal, economic, and political dynamics of race, nationally and internationally, in this post-Floyd America. Sponsored by Center for Africana Studies and Black Alumni Society.

Speakers: Mary Frances Berry, Dorothy Roberts, and Tukufu Zuberi
Sponsors: Center for Africana Studies and Black Alumni Society
Information: Click here to learn more.

Politically Silenced: Voter Suppression in the 21st Century

It should be easy and convenient to vote; however, within the 21st century, that reality is becoming harder. Voter suppression tactics such as voter ID laws, cuts to early voting, purging of voter rolls, and now the disinformation and dismantling of voting by-mail threaten to compromise our democracy and subvert the will of the people. Politicians and special interest groups are attempting to manipulate political outcomes, which will hurt our most vulnerable communities, people of color, students, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about how we can protect one of our most fundamental responsibilities: the right to vote.

 

Speaker(s): Marc Morial C'80 PAR'24, Cecilia ‘Cecy’ Ramirez C'05 SPP'10 WEV'12
Sponsors: Association of Latino Alumni | Association of Native Alumni | Black Alumni Society | James Brister Society | PennGALA: LGBTQ Alumni Association | UPAAN: Asian Alumni Network | Penn Spectrum Programs
Click here to watch recording. 

Penn Medicine Co-Sponsored Town Hall Targets Vaccine Hesitancy in Communities of Color

The December 15 national virtual town hall was the second in a series co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, Inc., and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health's COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN). Recent survey data show that only 42% of African Americans intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Information: click here

COVID-19's Disproportionate Damage in African American Communities

Penn LDI/BU Population Health Research Workshop Eyes Short- and Long-Term Racial Inequities. The spread of COVID-19 infection and death throughout the African American community is so extensive, it's erasing the hard-won gains made in the Black life expectancy rate since 2005, keynote speaker Trevon Logan, PhD, told the LDI/Boston University Fifth Annual Population Health Science Research Workshop. That was just one of several long-term health and socioeconomic dimensions of pandemic impact Logan unpacked in his presentation, "The Shadow of the Past: Black Americans and COVID-19," broadcast from the University of Pennsylvania on December 11.

Information: click here to learn more

Making Meaning of the Election- Panel

Join us as our faculty panelist discuss how we make meaning of the election from their various areas of expertise and the implications for our social, racial and political climate.

Speakers:
• Dennis Culhane- Dana and Andrew Stone Chair in Social Policy Co-Principal Investigator, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy
• Ezekiel Dixon-Roman- Director, MS in Social Policy Program and Chair, Data Analytics for Social Policy Certificate Program
• Malitta Engstrom- Director, Master of Social Work Program, Faculty Fellow, Ortner Center on Violence & Abuse, Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute and Fellow, Gerontological Society of America
• Amy Hillier- Associate Professor, School of Social Policy & Practice and Associate Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, Stuart Weitzman School of Design

Information: click here

Bystander Intervention - How To Show Up For Others - presented by hollaback! 

Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal: Living With and Through the COVID-19 Pandemic Program Series. The COVID-19 pandemic has witnessed an increase in incidents of bias, discrimination, violence and hate directed against people due to their Gender, Sexual Orientation, Sexual Identity, Ethnicity, and/or Race. In this training our goal is to give participants the tools to intervene the next time they witness harassment. We will equip you with the right information on how to be an effective bystander in the midst of public space harassment using hollaback!’s proven 5D’s methodology, our five strategies for intervention. Then we will practice so you leave our training feeling more prepared to successfully and safely intervene.

Information: click here to learn more

Flatten the Hate

Join TAASS Task Force members in partnership with the College of Arts an Sciences and the School of Social Policy and Practice for a webinar to learn more about what the Task Force has done so far and invite your feedback and participation.

Information: click here to learn more

Center for Africana Studies Faculty Research Colloquium

Ossei-Owusu will discuss his manuscript in progress, The People's Champ: Legal Aid from Slavery to Mass Incarceration. The book uses archival research, court documents, oral histories, and interviews to highlight the role of legal aid organizations in long standing struggles for racial justice.

Information: Click here to learn more

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Preceptorial series consists of a unique series of 13 interdisciplinary conversations among leading scholars and practitioners drawn from a wide range of fields. Each conversation will focus on the ways in which institutional racism is deeply embedded in different parts of our economic, political, social, and cultural systems.

Speakers:
Wendell Pritchett, Provost and Presidential Professor in the Law School and the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
Amy Hillier, Associate Professor, School of Social Policy & Practice; Associate Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania
Marc Morial, President, National Urban League Vincent Reina, Assistant Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania
Susan Wachter, Sussman Professor and Professor of Real Estate and Finance at The Wharton School; Co-Director of the Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania
Information: click here to learn more

Prescribing Inequality: How COVID-19 is Bringing Health Inequality to the Fore

In this issue of OMNIA, you get expert perspectives on issues that have demanded attention in 2020, from healthcare inequality to racial justice and the state of democracy.

Click here to read

Race and Athletics: Challenging Deep Rooted Beliefs

In this special Homecoming presentation, right before the football game, Penn C'78 basketball tri-captain and class co-president Stan Greene will moderate a powerful session exploring the history of race in athletics, as well as its current impact. He will be joined by USC quarterback Jimmy Jones, subject of the Showtime documentary "Against the Tide," Penn's first black starting quarterback, Marty Vaughn W'75, and Nia Akins N'20, one of the greatest athletes in Penn history, who is an Indoor Track & Field All-American.

Information: click to the left to watch the video

Covid-19's Disproportionate Impact on API Communities

As politicians and media outlets cast blame on China for Covid-19, anti-Asian sentiment has increased. Researchers from the Anti-Defamation League found an 85% increase in anti-Asian rhetoric and conspiracy theories on Twitter following the announcement of President Trump's Covid-19 diagnosis. The Asian American jobless rate has soared from 2.8% to 10.7%, markedly higher than the 7.3% jobless rate for white Americans. Join UPAAN for a conversation with Dr. Ann Tiao, Assistant Dean of Student Services for Penn's Graduate School of Education. We will reflect on how Penn students have been affected by this bias and discuss what we can do as alumni to help. If you have questions that you would like Dr. Tiao to address during our program, please submit them to alumni.ben.dev@upenn.edu by Monday, November 2nd

Speakers: Dr. Ann Tiao GR'06
Sponsors: UPAAN, Penn Spectrum
Information: Click here to learn more

The Economic System: Workplace Diversity, Culture, and Leadership

“Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America” is a preceptorial designed to provide a broad overview of the causes and consequences of racism in the United States, as well as ways in which this deep-seated “stain” on American society has been and might better be addressed. While racism and other forms of discrimination affect people of various identities, and exist in different forms across the globe, the focus of this preceptorial is specifically on racism towards African Americans in the United States. We hope to develop future preceptorials addressing other forms and locations of discrimination and structural inequality in the future.

Speaker(s):
Anita Allen, Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy and former Vice Provost for Faculty, University of Pennsylvania
Jaya Aysola, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for Inclusion and Diversity at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Stephanie Creary, Assistant Professor of Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Erika James, Dean, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Information: click here to learn more

Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America Seminar Series

A new series organized by the Stavros Niachos Foundation Paideia Program at Penn, Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America, includes 13 conversations focusing on inequalities across economic, political, social, and cultural systems. The kick-off event included faculty and guest experts and centered on income and wealth disparities. Provost Wendell Pritchett said, “There’s no corner of American life unaffected by racism.” 

Click here to learn more. 

Penn Alumni Reading Club Featuring Professor Herman Beavers

Penn Professor Herman Beavers for an interactive online discussion of James Baldwin’s essay collection, The Fire Next Time. Professor Beavers has a joint appointment in the Department of Africana Studies and the English Department. He teaches courses in African American and American literature, including courses on Southern Modernism, 20th Century African American Poetry, as well as "Trading Fours: The Literatures of Jazz," which is a requisite course in the Jazz and Popular Music minor. This is a virtual book club event, and login instructions will be sent to those who register 48 hours before the event. This program is free and open to all Penn alumni and friends.

Speaker(s): Professor Herman Beavers
Sponsor(s): co-hosted by Penn Alumni Education and the Center for Africana Studies, and co-sponsored by Penn Spectrum Programs and the Black Alumni Society
Information: click here to watch recording

50 Years of the Racism Sequence

The Racism Sequence, which emerged at University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) 50 years ago, is a groundbreaking curriculum that explores institutionalized forms of racism and discrimination in America. Through research, collaboration, and candid conversations, this documentary pieces together the significant narrative of where the Racism Sequence started and what the future may hold. The short piece also tells the story of what our Racism Sequence means for SP2, how we educate our students, and the role we play in promoting social justice.

Click to the left to watch the video. 

Association of Alumnae Annual Colloquium: Women Shaping a Better Tomorrow Civic Engagement: Past, Present, and Future

All alumni are invited to attend this virtual event exploring how women throughout history and today remain at the forefront of civic engagement. Our panelists will discuss the role of women in developing the concept itself and examine how women continue to create the social, economic, and political models for civic engagement in the United States and around the world.

Speaker(s): 
Dawn Teele, PhD Janice and Julian Bers Assistant Professor, Political Science Department
Femida Handy, PhD Professor of Social Policy, Director, PhD in Social Welfare Program, School of Social Policy and Practice
Terri Lipman, GNU’83 GRN’91, PhD, CRNP, FAAN Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Professor of Nutrition, Professor of Nursing of Children, Assistant Dean for Community Engagement
Moderator:  Nadina R. Deigh, GGS’03 Vice Dean for Institutional Advancement, School of Nursing Chair, Development and Alumni Relations Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force
Sponsor(s): Penn Alumni
Information: click here 

Diversity Lecture Series - The Shadow Book: Tracing Black Fantastic Imagination from Endarkened Pasts to (Afro) Futures

You are cordially invited to this most timely and informative virtual presentation featuring Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, PhD Graduate School of Education focused on children’s and adolescent texts, the teaching of African American literature, history, and culture in K-12 classrooms, and the roles that race, class, and gender play in classroom discourse and interaction. 

Speaker: Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, PhD Graduate School of Education - Associate Professor: Literacy, Culture, and International Education
Presented by The Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs
Information: click here

Parsing the History and Health Effects of Structural Racism

LDI Virtual Seminar Connects Past and Present in Search for Solutions

The historical roots and contemporary tentacles of structural racism were the subject of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics' latest virtual seminar on October 16 that brought together five top experts on race and health. Click here to watch recording. 

 

The Penn-Wharton Conference on Race and Economics

The Penn-Wharton virtual conference on Race and Economics will be held on Friday, October 16th, in honor of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander’s receipt of her PhD in economics from the Penn Economics Department. The goal of the conference is two-fold: to promote current academic research by Black economists with an emphasis on topics of race in the United States, and to host panel discussions on racial inclusion in the profession and questions about how economics studies issues of race as a discipline. At 2:15 PM ET, William Darity, the Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Duke University, and author of "From Here to Equality", will deliver the keynote address.

Speaker(s): William Darity, the Samuel DuBois Cook Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at Duke University
Information: click here to see the full agenda

Behind the Book with Penn Press featuring Jean Reith Schroedel

Join author and Thornton Bradshaw professor of politics and policy at Claremont Graduate University Jean Reith Schroedel to discuss her latest book Voting in Indian Country: The View from the Trenches. Voting in Indian Country uses conflicts over voting rights as a lens for understanding the centuries-long fight for Native self-determination. Among the American public, there is a collective amnesia about the U.S. government's shameful policies toward the continent's original inhabitants and their descendants. Only rarely, such as during the Wounded Knee standoff in the 1970s and the recent Dakota Access Pipeline protests, do Native issues reach the public consciousness. But even during those times, there is little understanding of historical context—of the history of promises made and broken over seven generations—that shape current events. Voting in Indian Country uses conflicts over voting rights as a lens for understanding the centuries-long fight for Native self-determination. Weaving together history, politics, and law, Jean Reith Schroedel provides a view of this often-ignored struggle for social justice from the ground up.

Speakers(s): Jean Reith Schroedel
Moderator(s): Gigi Lamm with remarks by Michael Barrett ENG89 PAR20 PAR21 
Sponsor(s): Alumni Education | Penn Spectrum Programs | Penn Press | Association of Native Alumni | James Brister Society.
Click here to watch the recording

Behind the Book with Penn Press featuring Kellie Carter Jackson

Join award-winning author Kellie Carter Jackson in conversation with her Editor Bob Lockhart to discuss her latest book Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence. Force and Freedom provides the first historical analysis exclusively focused on the tactical use of violence among antebellum black activists. It takes readers beyond the honorable politics of moral suasion and the romanticism of the Underground Railroad and into an exploration of the agonizing decisions, strategies, and actions of the black abolitionists who, though lacking an official political voice, were nevertheless responsible for instigating monumental social and political change. Carter Jackson asks perennial questions in political thought: is violence a valid means of producing social change? How should the oppressed respond to their oppression and how should the nation respond to political dissent?

Speaker(s): Kellie Carter Jackson
Sponsor(s): Alumni Education, Penn Spectrum Programs and Penn Press
Information: click here

The COVID 19 Crisis Response in Education: Confronting Widening Disparities

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, schools across the country have turned to virtual learning and online resources. However, there are vast differences in students’ access to technology, reliable Internet, quiet study spaces, and more. This panel will discuss educational disparities that have arisen and how we can address them moving forward.

Speaker(s): Chenelle Boatswain GRD22, Tamir D. Harper, Brian Peterson ENG93 GED97 GR13 PAR24
Moderator: Stephanie Renée W91, with introductory remarks by Dean Pam Grossman 
Lead Sponsors: James Brister Society | Penn Spectrum Programs | WASIC: Wharton Alumni Social Impact Club
Co-sponsors: Association of Latino Alumni | Association of Native Alumni | Black Alumni Society | PennGALA: LGBTQ Alumni Association | UPAAN: Asian Alumni Network 
Information: click here, to watch the recording click here 

State of Our Society: Call to Action

The second event in The State of Our Society series focuses on action. Rita Hodges, C'05, G'Ed'15, Assistant Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships, Bianca del Rio, Executive Director of University-Assisted Community Schools, Dr. Valarie Swain Cade McCoullum, Provost’s Distinguished Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Education and Jude Dartey, C’21, Former Acting President, University Assembly, will be joining us to share what is currently happening on campus and discussing how young alumni and students can get involved and next steps towards action.

Speaker(s): Rita Hodges, C'05, G'Ed'15, Bianca del Rio, Dr. Valarie Swain Cade McCoullum, Jude Dartey, C'21
Moderator: Makayla Reynolds, C'18, L'23
Sponsors: yPenn, Penn Spectrum Programs
Information: Click here

Africana Studies Presents featuring Keisha-Khan Y. Perry

Join us for Africana Studies Presents featuring Keisha-Khan Y. Perry. The title of the talk is "Landing in the Familiar": Occupation and Belonging in Urban Brazil. Keisha-Khan Y. Perry is currently an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University where she specializes in race, gender and politics in the Americas, urban geography and questions of citizenship, intellectual history and disciplinary formation, and the interrelationship between scholarship, pedagogy and political engagement. Her first book, Black Women against the Land Grab: The Fight for Racial Justice in Brazil (fall 2013, Minnesota Press), is an ethnographic study of black women’s activism in Brazilian cities. She currently has three book projects under way: 1) Anthropology for Liberation: A Humanistic Approach to Research, Writing and Teaching; 2) The Historical Paradox of Citizenship: Black Land Ownership and Loss in the Americas; and 3) Evictions and Convictions: The Gendered Racial Logic of Black Dispossession.

Speaker(s): Keisha-Khan Y. Perry 
Sponsor(s): Africana Studies
Information: click here

Africana Studies Presents - Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership

Join Africana Studies Presents featuring Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is author of Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership, published in 2019 by University of North Carolina Press. Race for Profit was a semi-finalist for the 2019 National Book Award and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History in 2020. Taylor’s earlier book From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation won the Lannan Cultural Freedom Award for an Especially Notable Book in 2016. She is also edited and introduced How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, which won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBQT nonfiction in 2018. Taylor is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. She is Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University.

Speaker(s): Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor 
Sponsor(s): Africana Studies 
Click here to learn more.

The State of Our Society

The State of Our Society will kickoff with a discussion around race and inequity with Dr. Dorothy Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights and Dr. Jalil Mustaffa Bishop, Vice-Provost Postdoctoral Scholar, Higher Education Division, Graduate School of Education. This conversation and Q&A, moderated by Makayla Reynolds, C'18, L'23, will provide a lens for young alumni to learn and think about the current state of our society.

Speaker(s): Dr. Dorothy Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights and Dr. Jalil Mustaffa Bishop, Vice-Provost Postdoctoral Scholar, Higher Education Division, Graduate School of Education.
Moderator: Makayla Reynolds, C'18, L'23
Sponsors: yPenn, Penn Spectrum Programs
Click here to learn more.

Conversations on Diversity in Investment Management: A Speaker Series Hosted by Penn’s Office of Investments

Penn’s Office of Investments invites you to join us for a series of conversations with leading investors to discuss diversity and inclusion in investment management. Speakers will share their own backgrounds and journeys, discuss strategies for creating change within the investment management field, and provide insights and advice to students interested in careers in investing. Attendees will have the chance to participate in these conversations through a question and answer session at the end of each program. All conversations will be held via Zoom until further notice. We are thrilled to announce one of our speakers, venture capitalist Kirsten Green of Forerunner Ventures.

Speaker: Kirsten Green, Founder & Managing Partner, Forerunner Ventures
Presenter: Penn’s Office of Investments
Click here to learn more.

Immigrant Youth and Their Right to Peace and Security

Please join our discussion about peace & security for youth from Mexico and Central America living at the border and in the U.S. The event will take place virtually via Zoom on Wednesday, September 16th from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. This virtual panel discussion will feature personal and professional perspectives and videos from the Flores Exhibits- videos of artists, lawyers, advocates, and immigrants reading the sworn testimonies of children held in detention facilities at the U.S./Mexico Border. Featuring the book, Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in 40 Questions by Valeria Luiselli. This book sheds light on the experiences of undocumented youth from Central America who face possible deportation. This event is part of Peace Day Philly supports a week of programming in honor of the UN International Day of Peace on topics related to personal, local and/or global peace.

Co-sponsored by Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice’s One Book, One SP2 Initiative 
Click here to learn more. 

Anti-Asian Racism and the State

The COVID-19 pandemic has witnessed an increase in incidents of bias, discrimination, violence and hate directed against people of Asian backgrounds. This event, part of a discussion series sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Task Force on Providing Support to Asian and Asian American Students and Scholars, Program on Asian American Studies (ASAM), Pan-Asian-American Community House (PAACH), and Penn Global, will feature distinguished faculty in Asian American Studies, English, & History. The dialogue and subsequent Q&A will be moderated by Penn Professor Chi-ming Yang (Associate Professor of English) and Student Leader Claire Nguyen (Undergraduate Advisory Board Co-Chair, ASAM).

Speaker(s): Chi-ming Yang (Associate Professor of English) and Student Leader Claire Nguyen (Undergraduate Advisory Board Co-Chair, ASAM)
Presenter(s): University of Pennsylvania Task Force on Providing Support to Asian and Asian American Students and Scholars, Program on Asian American Studies (ASAM), Pan-Asian-American Community House (PAACH)
Click here to watch the recording. 

 

Connecting the Data

Penn’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice is pioneering a systemic, data-driven approach to criminal justice reform. Its executive director, John Hollway, started with the idea that the law should function more like science—less argument, more truth seeking.

Click here to read.

Elevate Yourself Leadership Series: “Disrupting Implicit Bias and Promoting Inclusion”

The Penn Arts & Sciences Professional Women’s Alliance hosted an event on implicit bias and how it affects an organization’s ability to pursue and promote a diverse and inclusive community. Panelists discussed how these biases impact our perceptions and strategies to identify and change these behaviors in order to create a more inclusive environment.

Event Panelists: Trang Do, C’06, Reporter at CBS3 Philadelphia (Moderator) Jennifer Cleveland Nichols, C’07, GSE’10, Senior Vice President of Global Diversity and Talent Management at Citi Mana Nakagawa, C’07, Head of Diversity Strategic Initiatives at Facebook Glenn Singleton, C’86, President & Founder at Courageous Conversation by Pacific Educational Group

To learn more visit web.sas.upenn.edu/pwa/

Click here to watch recording. 

Penn Alumni Reading Club: History Teaches Us to Resist

Penn alumni and friends were invited to join author, historian, activist, and Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History Dr. Mary Frances Berry for an interactive, virtual discussion of her newest book, HISTORY TEACHES US TO RESIST: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times. Professor Berry is a lecturer in Penn’s Africana Studies Department and History Department. She has had a distinguished career in public service. From 1980 to 2004, she was a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and from 1993-2004 served as Chair. Between 1977 and 1980, Dr. Berry served as the Assistant Secretary for Education in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). She has also served as Provost of the University of Maryland and Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Click here to watch the recording. 

9066 to 9/11: The Past, Present and Future of Anti-Asian Bias in America

On March 21, 1942, Congress codified Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin Roosevelt, which resulted in the forced removal and confinement of people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast in American concentration camps. Seventy-eight years later, the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a surge in discrimination, bias, and violence against Asian Americans, many of whom were falsely blamed for spreading the virus.

“EO 9066 to 9/11” traces the history of discrimination against people of Asian background in the United States from World War II incarceration to the rise in Islamophobia after 9/11. Join the film's producers and members of Penn’s Program in Asian American Studies for a discussion on the past, present, and future of anti-Asian bias in America and how we can stand together for racial justice and equality for all.

This event is co-Sponsored by the University Task Force on Support to Asian and Asian-American Students and Scholars at Penn, Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) at Penn, Penn Libraries, and the Penn Program on Asian American Studies in partnership with the Japanese American National Museum.

Black Lives Matter: Understanding the Reason Behind Protest and Unrest

With a focus on current events, police brutality, juvenile justice, and prison reform how are activists today forging change for our communities? Our conversation will reflect on the impact of Black Lives Matter since 2016.
Host: Penn Spectrum on the Road

Speakers:
Ginneh Akbar, GRS 12, Professor of Social Work and Chair of the Department, West Chester University
Judith Browne Dianis, W87 Executive Director, Advancement Project
Christopher Sample, WEV03, Chief of Staff to Kenyatta Johnson

Moderator: 
Michael Hanchard, PAR24, Department Chair Africana Studies, Gustave C. Kuemmerle Professor of Africana Studies 

Click here to learn more. 

Starting the Conversation: A Virtual Town Hall on Racism and Healthcare

Starting the Conversation: Racism and Healthcare, a Virtual Town Hall featuring Dr. Ana Pujols-Mckee and Judge Theodore McKee and moderated by Dr. PJ Brennan will explore the role of racism, privilege, and bias in health care and on health and how we can take action and intervene to advance equity and inclusion. Click here to learn more. 

Children’s literature as ‘seed work’

Penn GSE’s Ebony Elizabeth Thomas discusses the importance of more diverse books for kids and the challenges that continue to stifle early anti-racist learning. She also shares a curated list of recommended books for youth catered to this particular moment. Click here to read.

Can We Talk? Can We Listen?

Melissa Rivers' Group Text Podcast featuring Camille Z. Charles is Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences, Professor of Sociology, Africana Studies & Education and Director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. George Floyd’s death sparked outrage worldwide, the protests across the country overshadowed the fear of Covid19. Melissa and Sabrina interview professor Camille Z. Charles in an effort to find out why racism is systemic in the USA and what Americans need to do about it now. 

Click here to listen. 

Diversity at Penn: An Introduction to The James Brister Society

Our speakers will discuss Diversity & Inclusion, their experience as Penn students, and the importance of the James Brister Society.
Host: James Brister Society, Penn Club of San Francisco
Featuring: Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran, ENG'89, W'89, LPS'15, Trustee Patricia Martin, MD, M'85, Trustee Michael Barrett, ENG'89
Click on video to the left to watch the recording.

What Happens to a Dream Deferred?

60-Second Lectures on Racial Injustice

In a special virtual series of 60-Second Lectures, Penn Arts & Sciences faculty spotlight Black lives and culture and the range of factors that have brought us to this moment. Click here to watch the virtual series.

Structural Frustrations: Challenges to Implementing Change

The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School will convene a year-long colloquium, Achieving Racial Justice, beginning with a summer series focused on policing. This summer series, A Path for Change: Policing in America, will be hosted by the Law School’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, in partnership with the Office of Inclusion & Engagement and the Toll Public Interest Center’s Social Justice Programs. It will bring together leading scholars, practitioners, and activists to re-imagine the criminal justice system.
Hosts: The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice, Office of Inclusion & Engagement and the Toll Public Interest Center’s Social Justice Programs
Featuring: Everett Gillison, Penn Law Toll Public Interest Center Practitioner-in-Residence; Former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Chief of Staff, City of Philadelphia Anjelica Hendricks, Policy Analyst Police Advisory Commission, City of Philadelphia
Charles Ramsey, Penn Law Distinguished Policy Fellow; Former Chief, Philadelphia Police Department
Sozi Tulante, Penn Law Lecturer; Former Philadelphia City Solicitor; Partner, Dechert LLP  
Click here to learn more. 

Kelly Writers House forum amplifies ideas and voices on racial justice

Kelly Writers House held a forum on racial justice featuring faculty, students, staff, and alumni reading written works, their own and those by others, that speak to these times. Click here to view recording. 

Solidarity and Allyship: LGBTQ and Black Communities

Due to Covid-19 and civil unrest in the country, this year's PennGALA / YaleGALA annual Pride party has been rescheduled and in its place, we will be hosting a conversation about Pride, allyship and solidary between the Black and LGBTQ communities. We invite you to participate in the conversation as our speakers take us on a journey to explore how we can support and advance our communities.
Host: PennGALA & YaleGALA
Featuring: Malik Muhammad, Associate Director of the LGBT Center
Thomas Simsarian Dolan, Yale C'05
Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart C'04, Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs for the city of Philadelphia 
Click to the left to watch the recording.

Zoom Q&A with Penn Alum and Rolling Stone Senior Writer Jamil Smith

Join Penn Club LA and Rolling Stone Senior Writer Jamil Smith (Penn '97) for a timely and topical discussion on Tuesday, June 30 at 6 pm PT. Jamil will discuss his recent cover story in Rolling Stone (The Power of Black Lives Matter) and issues relating to the current social justice movement around Black Lives Matter and racial inequity in America.
Host: Penn Club of Los Angeles
Featuring: Jamil Smith C'97 
Click on video to the left to watch the recording. 

The Perennial Pandemic: Pursuing Equity in Education, Health, and Social Policy

Penn Alumni stands in solidarity with all who are working to fight racism and social inequity in our country and around the world. As such, we will be bringing discussions and dialogue to the alumni community on a regular basis focused on these issues. Join Penn alumni and friends for a virtual discussion on the social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic racism in our nation. Click here to view the recording.

How to begin talking about race in the workplace

Wharton management professor Stephanie Creary explains her framework for middle managers in corporate environments who would like to initiate conversations about race in the workplace. Click here to read article.

Police killings and Black mental health

Specialists from across the Penn community discuss the mental health impacts of Black people being subjected to videos of African Americans being killed by the police. Click here to read article.

Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal: Living With and Through COVID-19

A Series of Dialogues:
Stopping the Hate and Starting to Heal: Living With and Through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Panelists talked about the Black Lives Matter Movement, anti-Blackness within the Asian and Asian American community, and how solidarity with historically underrepresented groups is even more important in today’s time with the increased anti-Asian violence during COVID-19. Click here to watch the recording. If you would like to receive direct announcements in regards to future programs related to this series please signup on our Eventbrite page (see link HERE). 

Faculty on Racism and Inequality

Faculty from across Penn Arts & Sciences share their expertise on civil rights legislation, inequality, protest, and more. Click here to view. 

In Conversation: Karyn Olivier and Anthony Elms

This conversation took place virtually on Zoom on Wednesday May 20, 2020. In conjunction with her current exhibition Everything That’s Alive Moves, artist Karyn Olivier joined ICA Daniel and Brett Sundheim Chief Curator Anthony Elms in a live conversation and Q & A session. ASL interpretation was provided for this program. Please click here to watch the recording. 

‘Until That Morning Comes’ by Harmony Holiday

On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a makeshift bomb from a helicopter onto the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia, following a heated standoff between its authorities and the members of MOVE, a Black liberation group founded by John Africa in 1972 that embraced self-determination, eco-justice, and a society free of modern constraints. Click here to watch the recording.

New Penn Initiative to Dismantle Racism and Advance Black Health

A group of top health services researchers from across University of Pennsylvania schools and centers are coming together in an initiative to foster and support new scientific inquiries aimed at finding solutions to the problems of institutional, structural, and interpersonal racism that impact health, including throughout the U.S. health care system.

Called Bold Solutions: Dismantle Racism. Advance Health., the broad effort specifically intends to look beyond the large body of evidence that has so solidly documented the breadth and depth of entrenched racial inequities in health care and other systems over the last several decades, and focus on exploring and implementing solutions.

Click here to learn more.

Diversity in the (Virtual) Stacks: Antiracism Resources

Diversity in the Stacks aims to build library collections that represent and reflect the University’s diverse population. Click here to check out these resources.