By Lisa Gray, Assistant Director of Student Life, Cultural and Spiritual Diversity. 

Earlier this year, Joakina Stone, then a Res Life colleague and collateral work staff with Student Life’s Mosaic Center, along with an amazing group of students, staff and faculty, helped us to co-create our new Mosaic Social Justice discussion series. We exchanged a bunch of ideas for a title – some basic and others long and academic. After ruminating far too long, I finally settled on “What’s the Tea?” Thankfully, Zach Kosinski and Jasmine Malhotra, our Graduate Coordinators, agreed and our series launched this year on October 1st.

Everything seemed to be going well with what we are calling our “pilot semester/year” for the series. It even had what we hope was an effective, context-setting description: “We all talk about how diverse UMBC is. But what does that mean in reality? How does it show up in how we communicate and interact with each other? When does celebrating diversity shift into inclusivity that creates positive social change in and outside our campus community? This new series hopes to help us grapple with these questions. Join us for a facilitated discussion of these topics. Voice your opinions and hear those of your fellow community members.”

This description, along with a co-facilitation model, guided questions, and a brief evaluation has helped us to move forward. Things were going really well, until our November 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion. During that discussion, our well-intentioned start had an unintentional stop. In my desire to get the discussion underway, I unintentionally culturally appropriated the name of the series—“What’s the Tea?”—while talking about cultural appropriation as it relates to native, indigenous peoples.

My blindness as the lead discussion facilitator set into motion what those in the social justice education and activism world would call a concrete example of “intent versus impact.” Thanks to some generous feedback and calling out by a couple of the discussion attendees, next came my PAN, “Pay Attention Now,” moment. PAN and PAN-ing is both an acronym and a practice I learned a couple of years ago during my time at the December 2012 Social Justice Training Institute.

This post is my apology to all the attendees of our November 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion and a thank you to those brave participants for their helpful feedback and “call out.” Through that experience, and all the hours I’ve spent since replaying and processing that discussion with supportive colleagues and students, I’ve learned that there are hills, valleys, starts, and stops in the often times messy yet rewarding work towards social justice. 

Now, for those of you who’ve been patiently waiting and wondering, here’s what’s up with “What’s the Tea?”: This phrase is an extended version of “What’s the T?” a phrase originating from Black Gay Ball culture. Urban Dictionary, Answers.com, and Wikipedia all offer solid definitions and/or historical information on the term and it’s origins.

“What’s the T? – It means like “Whats up?”, “Whats going on?” It’s commonly used in the LGBT Community and is commonly used for gossiping.”

“A term originated in Black Gay culture circa 1970-1989 that indicated some one was the “T”alk of the “T”own, hence the “T”. The term was often used by female impersonators to describe a fellow impersonator that did an exceptionally good job on stage in a live lip syncipated performance which was talked about in the gay circles for long periods of time. The term grew to define any memorable person whose actions were or would soon be largely talked about in the gay circles. Also a person who was popular in the gay community would be talked about may have been referred to as The “T”

It has lasted throughout the decades and can really refer to any person, place or thing.

Mary, did you see Miss thing’s Patty Labelle performance last night? She P’d on stage! She was the “T” last night!

Girlfriend, that party you threw was fabulous, the way you have your new apartment decorated is the deal and that new husband of yours is to die for! You are the T!

It mean what’s the deal! it basically mean what’s up!

It can also refer to one’s own personal business and daily dealings.

Ex: Q: Hey girl what’s T (what’s the T)?

A: No T, girl. I’m just at home answering a question on Wikianswers.”

By replacing “T” with “Tea,” we hope to reframe the definition to one that can apply to the social justice-based topics in the series. So, “Tea” represents the social justice awareness, knowledge, and cross-cultural communication skills that we’re “spilling” like tea into the community – one small group at a time. To help illuminate this more intentionally through imagery, we’re considering re-branding the series next semester.

Hopefully, this post has been helpful and informative. For more information on “What’s the Tea?” and other Mosaic Center programs, please visit our myUMBC page.

When discussing the concept and implementation of brave spaces, a lot of the conversation revolves around the idea that these spaces are inherently physical. We speak of transforming places into brave spaces, designating that certain locations at certain times are deemed an acceptable place to problematize and challenge the dominant power structures in society and the influence that they bear on our opinions and beliefs in conversation with others. What we never speak of is when we create these brave spaces within our own minds, grappling with these same concepts in a way that is more self-reflexive than would be in dialogue. Even though the majority of the time, these mental brave spaces do not come tethered to a specific time or location, they are still important to recognize as a valid form of creating brave spaces. The creation of these mental brave spaces are critical in that they allow people to take their individual connection to dominant power structures and problematize those relationships on their own terms. This is not to say that physical brave spaces don’t allow for the same sort of agency in choosing when to challenge oneself, but to argue that creating mental brave spaces allots for a more personal reflection on these dominant power structures at the pacing of the individual.

Before the rally and march for Justice for Eric Garner last Thursday, I was terrified. Not only for my life, but that I would not have the mental capacity to deal with facing the reality of racial injustice and police brutality. The conversation was everywhere, and I was actively engaged in it, but I did not know to what extent I was mentally and emotionally prepared to be a part of the activism in action. I was aware of the issues of police brutality and racial injustice, but I hadn’t ever been a part of something that had the potential to bring harm to me like the rally and march did. After deep and critical thought on the issue, and almost deciding that I could not bring myself to attend the rally and march, I decided to go. This was my mental brave space: challenging the conditioning that I’d had that caused me to fear the police as a black male-passing individual. The rally itself wasn’t designated a brave space, and there were no guidelines set up or enforced that would make it into one, but my complication of the effects of police brutality and racial injustice on me personally were what made me feel as though I was enacting a mental brave space.

Attending the protest is something that I will never regret, but I know that if I had chosen to stay home, if I had chosen to continue to exist in the fictional safety that society has constructed for those who remain complicit within a system, I would have always wondered. I can’t say that I would have regretted not attending, as I will never know, but I can say that I count myself lucky for having the tools to problematize my own fear and uneasiness and view them within the constructs of racial injustice and police brutality. Knowing how to operate within a physical brave space, and thus having the ability to create a mental brave space for myself, I believe that I was well-equipped to see why it was important in that moment for me to overcome my fear and attend the rally and march. Many of those present at the protest, without the knowledge and language of theory, were able to eloquently express the very same ideals that I’d been taught in my classes while seeming to have created mental brave spaces for themselves. Learning to navigate brave spaces, whether physical or mental, and whether taught through theory or self-learned, is a skill that I believe is becoming critical in this transformative time in our lives.

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.

Earlier this year, Joakina Stone, then a Res Life colleague and collateral work staff with Student Life's Mosaic Center, along with an amazing group of students, staff and faculty, helped us to co-create our new Mosaic Social Justice discussion series.  We exchanged a bunch of ideas for a title - some basic and others long and academic.  After ruminating far too long, I finally settled on “What’s the Tea?”.  Thankfully, Zach Kosinski and Jasmine Malhotra, our Graduate Coordinators, agreed and our series launched this year on October 1st.  

Everything seemed to be going well with what we are calling our “pilot semester/year” for the series.  It even had what we hope was an effective, context-setting description: 

“We all talk about how diverse UMBC is.  But what does that mean in reality?  How does it show up in how we communicate and interact with each other?  When does celebrating diversity shift into inclusivity that creates positive social change in and outside our campus community?  This new series hopes to help us grapple with these questions.  Join us for a facilitated discussion of these topics.  Voice your opinions and hear those of your fellow community members.”

This description, along with a co-facilitation model, guided questions, and a brief evaluation has helped us to move forward.  Things were going really well, until our November 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion.  During that discussion, our well-intentioned start had an unintentional stop.  In my desire to get the discussion underway, I unintentionally culturally appropriated the name of the series—“What’s the Tea?”—while talking about cultural appropriation as it relates to native, indigenous peoples.  

My blindness as the lead discussion facilitator set into motion what those in the social justice education and activism world would call a concrete example of “intent versus impact”.  Thanks to some generous feedback and calling out by a couple of the discussion attendees, next came my PAN, “Pay Attention Now,” moment.  PAN and PAN-ing is both an acronym and a practice I learned a couple of years ago during my time at the December 2012 Social Justice Training Institute.  

This post is my apology to all the attendees of our Nov. 5th Cultural Appropriation discussion and a thank you to those brave participants for their helpful feedback and “call out”.  Through that experience, and all the hours I’ve spent since replaying and processing that discussion with supportive colleagues and students, I’ve learned that there are hills, valleys, starts and stops in the often times messy yet rewarding work towards social justice.

Now, for those of you who’ve been patiently waiting and wondering, here’s what’s up with “What’s the Tea?”:

This phrase is an extended version of “What’s the T?” a phrase originating from Black Gay Ball culture.  Urban Dictionary, Answers.com and Wikipedia all offer solid definitions and/or historical information on the term and it’s origins.  

“What's the T? - It means like "Whats up?", "Whats going on?".  It's commonly used in the LGBT Community and is commonly used for gossiping.” Source: Urban Dictionary

“A term originated in Black Gay culture circa 1970-1989 that indicated some one was the "T"alk of the "T"own, hence the "T". The term was often used by female impersonators to describe a fellow impersonator that did an exceptionally good job on stage in a live lip syncipated performance which was talked about in the gay circles for long periods of time. The term grew to define any memorable person whose actions were or would soon be largely talked about in the gay circles. Also a person who was popular in the gay community would be talked about may have been referred to as The "T" 

It has lasted throughout the decades and can really refer to any person, place or thing. 

Mary, did you see Miss thing's Patty Labelle performance last night? She P'd on stage! She was the "T" last night! 

Girlfriend, that party you threw was fabulous, the way you have your new apartment decorated is the deal and that new husband of yours is to die for! You are the T!

It mean what’s the deal! it basically mean what’s up!

It can also refer to one's own personal business and daily dealings. 

Ex.

Q: Hey girl what's T (what's the T)? 

A: No T, girl. I'm just at home answering a question on Wikianswers.”

Source: Answers.com, http://www.answers.com/Q/What_does_what's_the_T_mean

By replacing "T" with "Tea", we hope to reframe the definition to one that can apply to the social justice-based topics in the series.  So, "Tea" represents the social justice awareness, knowledge and cross-cultural communication skills that we're "spilling" like tea into the community - one small group at a time.  To help illuminate this more intentionally through imagery, we're considering re-branding the series next semester. 

Hopefully, this post has been helpful and informative. Please join us on December 3rd as we make a fresh start and continue the series by exploring the topic: Holiday Traditions.  We hope to see you there.  In the meantime, have a safe and restful holiday break.  

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 

Morgan State University Program in Women’s and Gender Studies Presents the Biennial

Intersections Symposium: Sexuality, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
2015 Theme: Masculinities
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Baltimore, MD

Keynote speakers: Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Professor of African and African American Studies, Duke University; and Mr. Kylar Broadus, Founder, Trans People of Color Coalition

CALL FOR PAPERS
The program in Women’s and Gender Studies at Morgan State University invites papers on themes related to the intersection of masculinities with sexuality, race, gender, and ethnicity. The fluidity of gender and sexual identity is a critical point of consideration in academic and cultural venues; however, it is even more critical when considered within the context of communities of color. Broadening our definitions and conversations on this fluidity, especially as it relates to Black masculine identities and sexuality, is a primary aim of this year’s Intersections Symposium. The Symposium seeks to engage overlapping and intersecting notions and presentations of masculinities in the contexts of identity politics, social change and queer identities as they disrupt the normative and oppressive status quo.

We invite submissions in a variety of academic disciplines that address the intersections of sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity. We encourage panel submissions of 4 presenters as well as individual submissions in the following areas:
· Trans Issues
· Female Masculinities
· Communities of Color
· Global Contexts
· Queer Theory

Submission guidelines: Send 250 word abstract for individual papers and panels in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Rich Text format, and include the following:
a. A cover page with author’s name, title of submission, institutional affiliation, contact information (email, phone number and mailing address)
b. Area of submission
Send materials by December 12th to:
Intersectionssymposium@gmail.com
Notification of acceptance: January 9, 2015

Following the Symposium, presenters are invited to submit conference proceedings for publication consideration in a special edition of the peer reviewed Journal of Men’s Studies.