SIUE IMPACT Academy Fellows Discuss Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice
“What identities or social group memberships are most important to you?” “To what extent did your formal education value diversity, equity and inclusion?” “What have been your encounters with injustice on campus?” These were some questions used during Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s IMPACT (Immersive Meaningful Practices for Accountable Campus Transformation) Academy session, “Community Connection: Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice at SIUE,” held virtually on Thursday, Jan. 11.
“The workshop is an initiation point to lay the groundwork for future trainings and work,” said IMPACT fellow Shelly Goebl-Parker, professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Design’s art therapy counseling program. “It also functions as a grounding reflection point for those already involved in this work, as an opportunity to build community across our University, and to learn from one another about our experiences, needs, resources, questions, challenges and opportunities for engagement.”
“The goals of the workshop are, if you haven’t already, to embrace inclusion, equity and social justice as an important part of culture that SIUE is trying to create,” said IMPACT fellow Ezra Temko, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology. “We want you to be able to name the benefits and consequences of engaging with inclusion equity and social justice, identify how it applies to your role at SIUE, build and strengthen community connections, and commit to active engagement.”
IMPACT fellow J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s (SEHHB) Department of Educational Leadership and SIUE Black Faculty and Staff president, offered an introductory understanding of the words, “inclusion,” “equity” and “social justice.”
“The goal of inclusion is thinking circularly and how to widen the circle. It is also being aware of who is included and excluded from the circle,” said Snipes. “Equality and equity are often used interchangeably. However, they have different meanings. If we want society to intervene in social injustices, we have to move beyond equality. Equity helps us to think what are the needs of various communities, and how we can supplement it.
“Social justice talks about humanization, but when you consider humanization, you have to consider dehumanization or social injustice. Society in the U.S. is rife with injustices that are based on an individual’s social status (e.g., race, gender, and/or socio-economic status). Social justice is the struggle and the process to bring about greater freedom and liberation to folks who are marginalized.”
After the presentation, workshop participants went into a series of breakout rooms to confidentially discuss their responses to the various topic questions.
The IMPACT Academy will present the same workshop again at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 25. Register at https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0H4pCTOHac4mJOC.
Photo:
L-R: IMPACT fellows Shelly Goebl-Parker, professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Design’s art therapy counseling program; J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and SIUE Black Faculty and Staff president; and Ezra Temko, PhD, assistant professor in CAS’ Department of Sociology.