By Jasmine Malhotra, Graduate Coordinator for Cultural Programs with Student Life’s The Mosaic: Center for Culture & Diversity

UMBC’s Critical Social Justice (CSJ) Week 2015 will be February 16 -20th. As we get closer to the week and all the exciting events that will take place, you may be wondering how you can participate. What makes planning a social justice event different than planning any other event?

First, before planning a social justice event, discussion, or activity, it’s important to understand what social justice means. We recommend doing some more research on your own. A great article to read is “From Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces: A New Way to Frame Dialogue around Diversity and Social Justice” by Brian Arao and Kristi Clemens. We also encourage you to read Amelia Meman’s CSJ blog post “Why ‘Critical Social Justice.’”  Have more questions about the Critical Social Justice campaign? The Women’s Center or Student Life’s Mosaic Center staff will be offering drop-in info sessions, so stay tuned to the CSJ Facebook page for details.

Here are a few tips to help you start your event planning.  You can also check out the Critical Social Justice Toolkit for more information on engaging in difficult dialogues. Once you have your basic plan, send us your idea here and get ready to help make a difference!

Social Justice Event Planning Tips: 

Step 1: Planning to plan: Pick people whom you can depend on and who are truly committed to making this event happen. Be mindful of diversity – both visible and invisible – and invite people to join you with various social identities so you can really understand your event from all different perspectives.

Step 2: Choosing your theme or what aspect of social justice you want to bring attention to: There are tons and tons of different subtopics, related to social justice from inhumanity towards animals to unequal access to education. Pick a topic that your whole group agrees on and is passionate about.

Step 3: Do some research on your topic to understand who the least advantaged group is and how there is unequal power. Try to understand the issue from multiple perspectives and think about how it impacts people locally and globally. Why and how is this power inequality perpetuated and why does it matter?

Step 4: While it’s impossible to educate people on the entire scope of a particular social justice issue through just one program, think about ways you might introduce people to the central ideas and relevance of the issue. Look for inspiration online and brainstorm ideas with others involved with your event. Find an interesting way to engage the community in your event while also making them understand your issue. The best types of events are often the ones in which people are involved and engaged. Get creative with your idea!

Step 5: Plan the details of your event (e.g. reserving a space, buying materials, publicizing the event, etc. ) and make sure all the planners know what their role is in making the event happen.

Step 6 (Optional but usually helpful): Have opportunities for additional reflection after your event, whether it’s a discussion space or time for writing responses or other thoughts. Also, give participants ideas on how the can stay educated on your topic though further reading, videos, and online resource pages. Share how they can help create change around this topic with potential theme-related service opportunities and advocacy materials.

There have been so many blog posts written within the past three months since Michael Brown’s murder and especially within the past 48 hours documenting the anger, the sadness, the rage in the aftermath of what has (and is) taking place in Ferguson (read this or this or this just for starters).  There is nothing that I can say to the internet world that hasn’t already been said and more importantly, as a white woman in this post-non-indictment America, this is my time to listen and not take up so much space.

So, I wake up and fall asleep to Twitter. I’m listening to the black and brown voices impacted by Michael Brown’s death, the events in Ferguson, and systemic racism. The words of former and future Critical Social Justice keynote speakers repeatedly show up in my feed. For Jay Smooth and Reina Gossett, they have continued voicing the message of questioning power and privilege that they left with us when they visited UMBC. For Franchesca, she is telling us an important story about creating brave spaces in the face of injustice which I know she’ll continue to share when she is here on campus. Here is some of what they’re saying:

As they waited for the outcome of the Grand Jury:

(he then followed up with this great video
about this specific tweet, riots, and human limits)

When they heard the news: 

Ways they were engaging in difficult dialogues:

And creating brave spaces for truth to be heard:

Reminders about self-care:

These are just a sampling of the conversations our Critical Social Justice keynote speakers of past and present are having online. I encourage you to follow them, learn from them, and reflect on their words. For white folks, like myself, thinking about their role in conversations related to Michael Brown, Ferguson, racism, and anti-blackness… know you do have one that includes examining your white privilege, understanding we operate within a white supremacy, and being an ally in dismantling racism. And on that last part of being an ally, here are five tips for being an ally from Franchesca.

Ask any of my friends who know that I’m an avid fan of NBC’s Parks and Recreation and they will tell you that I live by the motto “Treat yo’self!” Not only do I use it as an excuse to splurge on that extra pairs of shoes that I definitely don’t need or to snack on a large side of fries, but this phrase that has become such a buzzword (buzzphrase?) urges me to practice essential self-care that results in the preservation of my physical, mental, and emotional health. Although despite what some may think, it isn’t always easy. Because we live in a fast-paced society that pushes for hard work and productivity, self-care can sometimes be viewed as lazy or selfish. As college students, many of us probably feel guilty when we abandon our textbooks for even an hour to catch up on our favorite Netflix series. (I know I do!) But here’s the truth: self-care isn’t selfish. It’s required for our survival. When we become so involved in our classes and our work and our various time commitments, it’s easy for us to become drained and unmotivated. Self-care is what refreshes us when we need it most. It’s like a fresh glass of lemonade on a hot day; it replenishes our bodies and minds and renews our ability to interact in the world around us.

Because it has been about six months since my last blog post on self-care, I have been reflecting on how self-care has changed over the past year in my own life. Since the start of the new school year, I have been extremely busy trying to balance my time between a full class schedule, two part time jobs, an internship as a student teacher at a local elementary school, and some sort of resemblance of a social life. As much as I enjoy all of my commitments, I have to admit that I’ve felt pretty burnt out and unmotivated at several points throughout the semester. My need for self-care has been at an all-time high. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that self-care is more than just a form of stress relief. While stress relief is meant to lessen the burden of our physical and emotional tension after it has already hit us, self-care is meant to prevent burn-out. It’s an act that should be practiced before we are feeling like we’re at the end of our ropes. My experiences this semester have turned me into a firm believer that self-care should be practiced in some capacity at least every day, even if just for a couple minutes. For those who work in helping professions, taking care of yourself is an essential first step in being able to help others. As a student teacher who happens to fairly introverted, I find myself needing to practice self-care every day in order to just keep up genuine interactions with others. Although I usually get less than twenty minutes for lunch every day, I try to spend that time reading while I eat to clear my mind. Even though it may not be an extensive amount of time, it’s important to sprinkle in a little self-care whenever you get the chance.

In honor of practicing self-care in preparation for finals week, here are some of my favorite ways to unwind and appreciate all that I do for myself:

• I’m a huge fan of hiking and unwinding in nature. If this form of self-care appeals to you too, Maryland State Parks have some great trails of hikers of all levels.
• Who isn’t obsessed with youtube videos of adorable lemon beagles doing adorable things?
• Reading is one of my favorite forms of self-care because it allows me to escape from my busy mind. Here are some free books that you can read online.
• On Dealing with negativity
• 33 Quotes to Inspire Self-Care
• Making a Comfort Box
• The Quiet Place Project

Want to learn more about self-care? Stop by the Women’s Center between 10am and 5pm on Tuesday, December 9th through Thursday, December 10th to practice the “art” of self-care through open-house events focused on DIY self-care.

The Women's Center presents: Self-Care Week 2014

In collaboration with SGA's Stress Free Zone events

Overwhelmed from end-of-the-semester stress? Need to unwind before finals week? Stop by the Center between 10am and 5pm on Tuesday, December 9th through Thursday, December 11th to learn about and practice body positivity and self-care through three open-house events. 

Each day we'll have different activities, games, and craft projects that you won't want to miss! 

Love Your Body Day 

Self-Care Fair 

Pajama Play Day 

The Dresher Center for the Humanities invites applications for two Residential Faculty Research Fellowships for spring 2016. Funding is intended to support and promote significant humanities research at UMBC. The Dresher Center welcomes proposals from all full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty members pursuing humanities research in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.  Applications are especially encouraged from, but not limited to, full-time faculty with appointments in departments and programs with a humanities focus. Two fellowships are available. Proposals will be reviewed by the Dresher Center Advisory Board, with decisions by mid-July 2014.

Dresher Center Residential Research Fellows will receive release from teaching (up to two course releases) in order to work on a significant humanities research project or the training necessary to embark on such a project. Faculty wishing to develop expertise in a new field or discipline towards a future project are also encouraged to apply. Each fellow will have the use of a private office in the Dresher Center and will be awarded $500 to hire an undergraduate research assistant (junior or senior) for the semester. 

During spring 2016, fellows will reside at least one day per week in the Center, conduct two works-in-progress talks (CURRENTS and Fellows and Others), and participate actively in Dresher Center programs. Upon completion of their fellowship, fellows will serve a two-year term on the Dresher Center advisory board.

For information and an application: http://dreshercenter.umbc.edu/scholarly-resources/internal-residential-fellowship-program/ 

Contact Jessica Berman, Director, with any questions: jberman@umbc.edu 

With this playlist, I just wanted comfort and to work through the tangles of relationships. I wanted to explore the complexities of love in individual relationships and in networks of relationships. All of the depth–or maybe the lack thereof–in the joy, the frustration, the passion, the calm, the tears. This playlist rests on the simultaneity of our love and our connection.

Go have a lil’ listen.