Hello, Diversity Champions: It was amazing to see all of you again, and as always, a very refreshing experience!

In our August 4th session, we explored the “We Have Work to do Campaign” themes:

• Confronting Bias
• Building Equitable Learning Environments
• Establishing a Sense of Belonging
• Transforming Our Future
• Creating Coalitions

These themes help us recognize the strides we have made to advance diversity as a community, while at the same time acknowledging that there is much to be done.

We shared some examples of the different ways the themes show up in our individual roles as Extension professionals, as well as in our organization. We also talked about how this vision and assessment exercise can help our various teams to work collaboratively to create capacity for action at an individual and organizational level, generate hope and optimism for advancing equity and organizational transformation, and appreciate how we all have important insights to offer.

Please take the time to keep exploring the campaign webpage, and come prepared to discuss your ideas for how leadership can look in our realms of influence at our next session on Tuesday, September 8. In addition, please review the guidance and toolkit below:

For our next session, we will be joined by our very own Allison Davis-White Eyes, OSU’s Director of Community Diversity Relations. She will share her experience with various stakeholders across the state, and her perspective about what it means to lead with equity.

Take care until then!

In partnership,

Ana Lu Fonseca

Thank you to everyone who joined our July monthly meeting which focused on Expanding Access to Extension programs and services!

July’s conversation was led by our colleague from the Office of Institutional Diversity, Dawn Marie Alapisco, who serves as OSU’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation (NAGPRA) Coordinator. In addition to this role, Dawn Marie is an educator and strong advocate and for social justice, accessibility and access.

In preparation for our conversation, the team was asked to consider the following prompts:

1.           Have you received accessibility requests in your programs or offices that have been difficult to accommodate, or caused discomfort within the office or staff?

2.           Have you or someone close to you ever had a hard time accessing a service or other need because of a disability?

By focusing on these prompts and the following questions, we considered both the impacts of, and barriers to communities and individuals receiving Extension services.

• What are your (program’s) goals of providing equitable access?
• What (internal and external) factors impact equity and access?

We encourage everyone to keep these questions in mind, and share them with colleagues or during staff meetings as a brainstorm activity. As always, our office is available for any questions or if additional support is needed.

Join our August meeting next month for the return of our fearless leader, and an overview of an OSU campaign that will help us continue the conversation about Expanding Access.

In partnership,

Your DEI Team

Thank you to everyone who attended our June session: Using an awareness of intersectionality to serve Extension Clientele.

We were joined by Jane Waite, OSU’s senior associate for Social Justice Learning & Engagement, who led a conversation framed by the following prompts:

1. What might be some factors that are impacting the Extension clients that you serve today? Please list as many as you can imagine could be present.
2. For each item on your previous list, brainstorm some possible services that could alleviate that particular factor.
3. Was it challenging or satisfying to maintain boundaries between the factors, why or why not?
4. If we consider ALL of the factors simultaneously, much as our clients must do in order to navigate their lives, what changes?
5. Might we achieve better IMPACTS from our excellent INTENTIONS for our clients by considering their lives through a lens of intersectionality?

What’s Next?
Join us on July 7, 2020 for a meeting with ! More information about the session will be provided in the coming weeks.

Homework
Before our June 2 meeting, please

• Watch this webinar recording: Responding to Racial Bias and Microaggressions in Online Environments
• Read Chapter 7: The Third Condition: Engaging Multiple Racial Perspectives

Additional Resources
Thank you to everyone who shared resources during and after Tuesday’s meeting! To keep sharing and learning, be sure to check out the Diversity Champions channel on Teams, and read the Diversity Highlights section each week in ConnEXTions.

• Intersectionality Matters Podcast
• OWN Conversation: Unpacking Myths About COVID-19
• Under the Blacklight Series: Webinar recordings (and the live conversation continues each Wednesday!)
• OID Case Study Library

As a reminder, you are always encouraged to reach out to our office if you need any support. Thank you again for your engagement and the work you do for our communities. We look forward to seeing everyone again next month!

In partnership,

Your DEI team