It’s Not Just One Day.

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Follow-Up From the “Day of Action”

We intend to use this space to share notes from the workshops/discussions that took place during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Action. Since time limited the number of sessions that everyone was able to attend, the hope is that this will provide insight into all of the activities that took place, while leading to thoughts and ideas about how to move forward. It was not just one day.

*This post will be updated as more information comes in from organizers and attendees of the events. Look for more notes and updates to come.


Working Group: “What’s Next?”

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This collaborative and interactive workshop will further flesh out  the ASDG What’s Next? document. A very brief summary of progress to date will kick off the workshop. Then, working in small groups, participants will (a) strategize and develop specific action steps, (b) identify a desired timeline, and (c)  identify those responsible for following up. Student participation in this workshop is key to ensure the vision of What’s Next? is upheld.

FOLLOW-UP: The organizers behind this group continued to meet, using information captured on the Day of Action, to map the next steps. The link contains notes take during the session.

A Compilation of Notes from the “What’s Next?” Session


Diversity and Inclusion in the Honors Program: Recommendations Moving Forward

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Engage in circle work with honors students and others to propose actions for being an anti-racist program. Evaluate the “Give to the Max Day” initiative for diversifying the honors program. Rewrite the mission statement of the honors program. TOPICS: Diversifying the honors program, coursework in the program, inclusion, racial slurs.

Notes from the “Diversity and Inclusion in the Honors Program” Session


Deliberative Dialogue: The Use of Racial Slurs in the Classroom

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: In this session participants (ideally a mixed group of faculty, staff, and students) will identify the advantages, disadvantages, and considerations for implementation of four potential policies on the use of racial slurs in a college classroom setting. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the use of racial slurs in an academic environment and the varied perspectives on it.

FOLLOW-UP: This session will be repeated on Monday, April 8th from 1:15 pm – 2:30 pm in OGC 100.


Recognizing and Resisting White Supremacy in the Classroom

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Participants will explore how white supremacy and racism manifest themselves within classroom and co-curricular spaces, including but not limited to the ways we process knowledge, engage with conflict, think about power dynamics, deliver content, and design assignments. Attendees will discuss ways of creating classes, programs, and events that resist white supremacy and embrace other forms of cultural knowledge and understandings.

FOLLOW-UP: This session was repeated on Wednesday, March 27th from 3:00 pm-4:30 pm in the Marshall Room.


Faculty Accountability: Faculty Handbook Language, Staff Handbook Language, and Tenure and Review Policies

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This workshop and dialogue will explore how best to ingrain anti-racist policies and practices into the institutional fabric at Augsburg, including the Faculty Handbook, Staff Handbook, and tenure and review procedures.

Notes from the Session on Faculty Accountability


Building Classroom Community Using Circles

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: In this session, participants will engage in Circle Work to experience circle as a means to discuss and engage students in the classroom, to develop relationships, and to discuss tense moments in the classroom. This session will include a brief discussion of the history of the circles and the circle process, and will lead into a circle discussion and processing. This session is largely focused on faculty and staff learning the Circle Process as a method for discussing and relationship building in the classroom.


Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Theory and Practice

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Dr. Ladson-Billings researched successful teachers of students of color. This session will historicize and describe Dr. Ladson-Billing’s work on culturally relevant teachers and her ideas about student learning, cultural competency, and sociopolitical consciousness. How might we think differently about freedom and safety on campus and in the classroom? How do we create certain kinds of communities of learners? What does it mean to teach and to learn at Augsburg University in 2019?

Follow-Up: This session was repeated on February 27th at 3:40 pm in OGC 100.


My Sister’s/Brother’s Keeper

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Join ADSG’s President Brandon Williams in a discussion about the tension that exists among students at our University. As Augsburg grows, its diversity continues to expand. Our campus is filled with students of diverse religious beliefs, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and political views. Come with an open mind and an honest heart. Be ready (if you are willing) to speak on your truth as a student and how to support others, while being supported by those around you.


Intentional Diversity in Hiring

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: How diverse are we?  How can we recruit and retain faculty and staff of color? In the session, HR will provide a focused snapshot of factors related to intentional diversity in hiring.  The Dean(s) will also share with us the steps they are taking with HR to live up to our mission of intentional diversity.

FOLLOW-UP: Diversity in Hiring Report


Praying with James Baldwin

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: The writers of this resource say, “We turn to Baldwin as a witness, so that we might hear his words of truth on issues of race and violence. We turn to Baldwin as a prophet, so that we might see his vision of hope for our collective future. We turn to Baldwin as a teacher, so that he might teach us to pray when the words feel so difficult to find. We turn to his books, interviews, and stories to ask how we might pray in this time of #BlackLivesMatter.”


Circle Work for Anti-Racism

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: In this session, students, faculty, staff and community members will have the opportunity to participate in Circle to discuss experience, ideas and beliefs around race, racism, and anti-racism.


Undoing White Body Supremacy: An Introduction to Upcoming Work for White Faculty and Staff

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This session is intended for white faculty and staff, and is an introduction to the work of understanding and addressing the harm caused by white bodies’ subconscious stress responses to daily experiences involving race. By learning to track the sensations (not just the thoughts) that accompany these responses and expand our capacity to stay engaged through them, we can learn to replace habits that uphold white supremacy with habits that undo it. In this session, you can expect an intro, a few practical concepts and tools, and information about the next steps of this work at Augsburg. (Based on the work of Resmaa Menakem MSW, LICSW, SEP and Rachel Martin M.S., LMFT)