Diversity, equity, and inclusion are highly valued and prioritized at the Friedman School and at Tufts University. We aim to foster a community at Friedman that leads the way in preparing a set of leaders who are ready to address the effects that inequities have had on food, the environment, and the health of communities in the U.S. and around the world.
The School is currently working to promote and improve outcomes in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion through initiatives such as the standing Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity, the School's overall Strategic Planning Goals, and the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity. Friedman's efforts both support and are supported by a University-wide effort to promote social justice, diversity, and inclusion. Our action plan is outlined in our article about Addressing Racial Injustice With Action and more details will be posted soon with links to updates and progress.
Friedman Faculty, Students, Staff, and alumni perspectives
Read more about perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion from members of our community. To read reflections, click on the links below.
2017 alum Brandon Morgan, M.S., works for the LEAH Project right around the corner from the Friedman School, where he applies what he learned at Friedman with Boston’s youth of color.
Nayla Bezares, PhD Candidate discusses how her work in the food industry and in outdoor education led her to examine resilience and social justice at a deeper level.
Reflecting on her work as a Friedman professor, including in- and beyond- classroom experiences, Dr. Nicole Tichenor Blackstone discusses the intersection of social justice and sustainability as it applies to food systems.
Kat Rancano, PhD Candidate shares how her lived experience influenced the questions she would raise throughout her doctoral research regarding the impact of one’s identity on one’s relationship to food and nutrition.
August 31, 2021
Dear Friedman Community,
As the new semester is about to start, we’d like to wish a warm welcome to all incoming students, and welcome back to returning students!
As announced earlier this month, we launched the Friedman School’s new diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) website to provide one-year updates on this work. Progress is happening, thanks to so many of you across the Friedman School community who have taken a lead, developed plans and strategies, and enacted meaningful change. There is still much work to do, and there are many ways to get involved: through the Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity (SJID), or the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity; or contact me if you have ideas or would like to know more.
August brought two opportunities for learning and discussion. Carine Tarazi adeptly led the inaugural SJID Monthly Discussion Group, in which a group of us discussed an essay from Zadie Smith’s recent collection, Intimations, entitled “Postscript: Contempt as a Virus.” This short piece has tremendous depth, and we had a rich discussion. Keep an eye out for announcements of the upcoming discussions. Knowing how little free time we all have available, Carine has designed these discussions so that the pre-work is very manageable, and you can still participate even if you weren’t able to do the pre-work. The other opportunity for learning was the National Anti-Racism Teach-In, made available to members of the Tufts community this month. This is offered annually. Hopefully some of you were able to attend!
August also brought the departure of Adriana Black, who had been the Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion Education (ADDEI) for the Health Sciences campus. Adriana was involved in most Friedman School DEI-related events, served on SJID, and was always available as a sounding board. She will be missed! We wish her the very best in her new role as Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Sara Folta is currently serving on the search committee to find the new ADDEI's – we’ll actually be getting two for the Health Sciences campus.
We wish you the best as we begin a new academic year. Please just reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
EVENTS
- Full-time Tufts staff and faculty are invited to register for an upcoming Fall 2021 Unpacking Whiteness Dialogue Series. The registration deadline is September 17:
- Unpacking Whiteness: Consciousness Raising Dialogue Series (Curated for White participants) — Holding spaces of privilege, Unpacking Whiteness creates a space for participants to find community and support in learning and understanding how to practice anti-racism in their daily lives. Anti-racism is an active and ongoing process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies, practices, and attitudes in a way that redistributes power, policy, and structures to be more equitable, while drawing attention to the lived experiences of Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color. Apply today!
- Unpacking Whiteness: Radical Healing Dialogue Series (Curated for Staff and Faculty of Color) — Experiencing the impacts of systemic oppression, Unpacking Whiteness: Radical Healing creates a space for healing in response to racism and the impacts of whiteness. Through an examination of racial conditioning and processing traumas associated with racism and other forms of oppression, participants will be empowered to share traumas, healing tactics, dialogue and more to learn concrete and abstract strategies around radical healing form the traumatic perils of Whiteness and racism. Apply today!
- Tufts University Intercultural Learning Community Program: This program is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and open to all faculty, staff, and administrators who want to participate in an open dialog with their peers to foster cultural awareness and enhance their ability to address structural inequities, cultivate a climate of inclusion, and inform equitable practices where they are able to across the university. This 15-week program begins September 15, 2021, and runs through May 18, 2022. Participants will be assigned to a cohort with colleagues from different academic disciplines, departments, divisions, schools, professional roles, and social identities. Each cohort will have two trained participant-facilitators and will meet weekly for 90 minutes to review readings and engage in discussions and activities that will deepen their understanding of social equity, systemic oppression, cultural competency, and other topics. The program is designed to increase institutional cohesiveness and nurture a shared commitment to inclusion among campus professionals. These groups meet on Wednesdays from 2-3:30 throughout Fall 2021. Click Here to learn more and to apply.
RESOURCES
- Hannah Carlan’s Anthropology News piece on “The Racial Language of Fat Phobia” (thanks to Ellen Messer for passing this along)
- Food First Backgrounder featuring an interview with Natalie Baszile on her latest book, We Are Each other's Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy.
June 30, 2021
Dear Friedman Community,
There has been a lot to celebrate in June – Pride Month, Juneteenth, and the continued easing of COVID-related measures. One highlight of the month was the panel discussion with BIPOC farmers as part of the second annual Day of Reflection, Commitment, and Action for Racial Justice. Many thanks to recent alum Melissa Gordon for organizing and moderating the panel! There’s a recording of it on the event website if you are interested and weren’t able to attend.
There’s been on-going progress toward implementing the Friedman Anti-Racism Action Plan. A couple areas to note this month:
- Orsolya Szabo has taken on the action item related to creating an inclusive physical environment for 150 Harrison. She spent some time gathering input and collecting ideas from various groups at Friedman and then put together a plan and presented it to the School’s Administrative Cabinet. The plan includes some ideas for the School website, for example a designated spot on the homepage for community engagement photos, as well as for mini-profiles of students. It also includes adding more content to the public space monitors, such as a photo loop of events, and images related to holidays and other traditions that are meaningful to members of the Friedman community. Orsolya will also request photos and other items for display in the Friedman spaces. These are just a few examples! Over the next few months, Orsolya will be reaching out for information and materials. Many thanks to her for taking this on!
- The Service Learning Working Group of Friedman’s Service Scholar’s Program is working with Dean Saltzman and Dean Folta to pilot the addition of a service learning component in two existing courses. Service learning, at its most fundamental, involves classroom learning that is coupled with volunteering with a community organization. Reflection is also a key component, designed to deepen the student’s learning. We are incredibly excited about this effort, as we believe that breaking down the walls between the academy and the community is essential for DEI in multiple ways. We will do our best to ensure a successful pilot, with the hope of expanding this program! Many, many thanks to the Service Learning Working Group (Liz Cooper, Gabby Rao, and Emily Sanchez) for their time and dedication to this.
It’s summer! We hope everyone has a restful July. As always, please just reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
EVENTS:
It’s generally a quiet summertime, but a couple things to look forward to in the fall:
Friday 17 September 2021, 1-3 PM: Can We Talk? Difficult Conversations with Underrepresented People of Color. Screening of the movie "Can We Talk?" by Dr. Kendall Moore and discussion led by her and Tufts facilitators. Open to the Tufts community. More info to come on location and registration. Event Contact: Todd Quinto, Math Dept., todd.quinto@tufts.edu
21-23 September 2021, 12:30-5:30 PM: NIH workshop on “Food Insecurity, Neighborhood Food Environment & Nutrition Health Disparities: State of the Science.” The goal is to review the state of the science around food insecurity and the neighborhood food environment, identify research gaps andexplore innovative research strategies that could inform policies and practices. Experts in these fields will come together for a series of panel discussions that address nutrition health disparities. This online event, which is free and open to the public, features panel discussions, networking opportunities and two poster sessions. NIH encourages early stage investigators, as well as doctoral and postdoctoral students, working in the areas of food insecurity, neighborhood food environments, and other related nutrition health disparities topics to submit an abstract for a poster. Submit your poster abstract by July 9, 2021 for a chance to present your research and receive an award.
RESOURCES:
Qualitative food culture study of functionally diverse people (thanks to Ellen Messer for sending this along).
March 31, 2021
Dear Friedman Community,
Happy Transgender Day of Visibility! It’s a day to celebrate the successes of transgender and nonbinary people. For allies, there are some good resources here.
Thanks to all who attended the Friedman Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Support and Action Session on 19 March and the university-wide Vigil for Mourning and Solidary on 24 March. Unfortunately, horrific incidents continue, such as the brutal attack of a 65-year old woman on Monday. Incidents of verbal and physical violence occur in Boston’s Chinatown, our campus home, and to members of our own community. There are actions to take. A member of the Tufts community put together a resource list with many concrete, actionable items; another created a reading list on AAPI experience and the politics of racism. Also, if you haven’t already, check out the Voices of Chinatown event from last December. The website has a recording of the event, in which community members discuss practical steps that Tufts can take. There is also a list of resources.
Matt Hast is serving as the Friedman representative to the new Bias Education and Resource Team (BERT), which has the role of addressing the impact of incidents of bias that happen both within the Tufts community and externally. BERT will recommend educational programming and resources and will also develop dialogues and healing spaces for impacted community members after bias incidents occur. Many thanks to Matt for serving in this role!
Many thanks also to Courtney King, Ana Maafs, and Deanna Nappi, the ChildObesity180 subcommittee on Creating an Inclusive Physical Environment, for all the work they did to develop the Resource Guide for Creating an Inclusive Virtual Space. The guide has many useful and practical tips! In the coming months, they will turn their attention to creating an inclusive physical environment at 75 Kneeland, and Orsolya Szabo will do this for 150 Harrison. (It’s still a little hard to imagine being in person again! But this pandemic will come to an end…)
For students: on Friday, 16 April 2021 12-1 PM, ADDI Dr. Sara Folta will be hosting a forum for students and alumni, where she will provide updates on the School’s action plan, including some exciting student-led initiatives. She'll also talk about the university-level workstream recommendations are likely to affect Friedman specifically. Come hear what’s going on and ask any questions that you have! All students and alumni are welcome. The Zoom link is here.
As always, please just reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
EVENTS:
Food Solutions New England will be running their 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge again this year, April 5 - 25, 2021. Join with thousands of others across the US (and further afield) to learn more about race and racism in our food systems and get inspired by practical ways to dismantle white supremacist patterns while building equity, justice and liberation into the food system we are creating together. More info and registration
From a colleague at Lehman: The CUNY Institute for Health Equity's Inaugural Speaker Series on Health Equity and Health Disparities dates are April 14th, April 28th, and May 12th. The speakers will present research and perspectives focused on expanding methodological approaches to monitor and reduce health disparities for priority populations. Register for each session of the Inaugural Speaker Series here.
Join the Tufts community on April 15th at 6 PM in a conversation with Elle Hearns, founder of the hugely impactful Marsha P. Johnson Institute. MPJI is a Black Trans-led organization committed to protecting the human rights of Black transgender people through transformative leadership, healing, organizing, and direct action, following the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson. Hearns will be sharing with the Tufts community her experience, wisdom, and advice around activism and community. Register at go.tufts.edu/hearns. This event is co-sponsored by the Division of Student Diversity & Inclusion, Office of the Chief Diversity Officers, AS&E Diversity Fund, AS&E Dean of Student Affairs, Office for Campus Life, University Chaplaincy, and Tisch College.
November 30, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
We hope everyone is doing well as we near the end of the semester. In the past month, the process of integrating the action plan activities into the fabric of the School has continued. There has also been a lot going on at the university level.
Updates:
- Fostering a Culture
- SJID sponsored two book discussion sessions of How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi, which were held on Thursday 19 November at noon and 7 PM. The event sparked meaningful discussion on several key concepts from the book and concluded with thoughts about how they apply to us professionally and personally. Many thanks to Annie DeVane for leading this and to the rest of the subcommittee (Ellen-Marie Bransfield, Emma Groves Baldacci, and Sarah Laves) for such thoughtful organization of the event.
- SJID is also working on the Bridging Differences Dialogue Series, to take place in February 2021.
- The university-wide mandatory anti-racism training is in the final stages of the approval process.
- Recruitment and Retention of Students
- At Friedman, to increase diversity in the master’s programs, the focus is on the three priority actions below. As these will likely be stronger if implemented, coordinated, and advertised together by multiple master’s programs across Tufts, the Office of Student Affairs is currently working toward connecting with other schools regarding these initiatives.
- Permanently waiving the GRE (announced earlier this year)
- Expanding the Service Scholars program. This program creates institutional relationships with and provides matching scholarships for applicants from service programs including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, Teach for America, City Year, and the U.S. military. It also creates leadership activities at the School following student enrollment.
- Building strong relationships and potential pipeline programs with historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. It will be especially useful to coordinate with other schools at Tufts to create and expand on these relationships.
- At Friedman, to increase diversity in the master’s programs, the focus is on the three priority actions below. As these will likely be stronger if implemented, coordinated, and advertised together by multiple master’s programs across Tufts, the Office of Student Affairs is currently working toward connecting with other schools regarding these initiatives.
- Coursework and Learning Environment
- The Friedman Speaker Series, led by Jiantao Ma and Chris Peters, has developed a plan to increase Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) speakers. In addition to collecting suggestions for speakers from the general Friedman community, they will consult SJID and the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity. They will also work toward increasing efforts to invite and promote the Speaker Series to the surrounding community. This may include engaging with the wider Chinatown community and BIPOC-serving community groups and exploring how the Speaker Series can serve as a platform to elevate voices from the BIPOC community.
- Dr. Sara Folta will be offering a non-credit journal club course in Spring 2021, Nutrition and Racial Inequities. It will take a multidisciplinary lens and is appropriate for students from any program. Faculty and staff are also welcome to participate.
- Four students (Janna Adkins, Amanda Dell, Rachel Frankenfield, and Beth Williams) are completing a fall directed study titled “Understanding Social Change through Theory and Practice” with Nicole Blackstone as the faculty leader. The students learned theories, tactics, and skills necessary to build community and mobilize citizens to change minds and policies. Many concepts in the course are applicable to Friedman’s teachings and will enrich the personal and professional lives of both faculty and staff by highlighting the importance of social justice in every aspect of the food system. The directed study may serve as a template for the development of a permanent course rooted in justice. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend a virtual lunch and learn on December 11th from 12:15pm-1:15pm to learn about this directed study.
- Funding for equity-focused internships will be one of the challenges for Friedman for Giving Tuesday this year (tomorrow!).
- University-Level Activities
- Dean Mozaffarian has joined the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council, which guides the university’s strategy and policies to advance diversity and inclusion among the student body, faculty, and staff to make the university more inclusive and welcoming to all.
- There are five workstreams currently working at the university level as part of the Tufts as an Anti-Racist Institution strategic initiative. All workstreams have been highly active this Fall and will present recommendations by the end of the year, and these will be converged into an implementation plan.
- Krissy Day is serving on the Institutional Audit and Targeted Actions workstream, which is working to identify where structural racism may exist within processes, policies, programs and procedures across all schools and units of the University through a broad audit, focus groups, and interviews; learn what anti-racism-related actions and efforts are already underway; and recommend prioritized targeted actions to remove any structural racism and include ongoing accountability across Tufts.
- Nirupa Matthan is serving on the Compositional Diversity workstream, whose charge is to present data gathered in 4 areas (faculty, staff, students, and administration) on Tufts’ current compositional diversity along with historical data and context; and identify key areas at which efforts are achievable improvement should be focused and suggest strategies for that improvement.
- Dr. Sara Folta is currently chairing a subcommittee on graduate and professionals students for the workstream on Equity and Inclusion. The workstream is focusing on curricula and ensuring that issues of equity and inclusion are addressed in classrooms and all non-classroom learning spaces and throughout the Tufts community. The subcommittee has been considering curricular changes that they would like to see across schools. They've had consensus on the need for courses on the history of racism that are tailored to the disciplines of each school. The subcommittee has also discussed the need for professional development in this area for grad and professional students, especially since they will be taking on leadership roles in their careers.
- Other News
- New Entry Sustainable Farming Project has formed new partnerships with Building Audacity in Lynn and with the Southern New England Farmers of Color Collaborative. They are also sponsoring six participants from the Southern New England Farmers of Color Collaborative to attend their Farm Business Planning Course.
We hope everyone stays healthy and safe.
EVENTS
Tufts University announces the upcoming webinar, Voices from Chinatown: Resilience in the time of COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism. Slated for Friday, December 4 from 12:00-1:00pm (EST), this conversation will bring together community leaders, residents, and Tufts University faculty that work closely with our Chinatown neighbors to discuss their experiences navigating anti-Asian racism and how the community is pursuing resilience, survival, and dignity in this era of COVID-19. We hope that you will join us! Please register for the event here.
New Entry event -- Connected Futures: Panel on Building Equity from Farm to Fork on Sunday 6 December from 7-9 PM. Join farmers from New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Kareal Amenumey from Tufts Food Rescue, Professor & Farmer Training Manager Kevin Cody, and Nakia Navarro, the CEO of Building Audacity for a panel on building equity throughout food systems. The conversation will be surrounding historical and existing injustices within the food system. Topics will include Black land loss in Massachusetts, the difficulty sourcing culturally preferred foods, and Black and Indigenous food geographies.
Tufts CTSI is hosting a webinar, Taking Responsibility for Building a Trustworthy Research Enterprise on Wednesday 9 December from 12-1 PM. It will focus on looking at the history of malfeasance in research including up to the present day. It will explore how mistrust of research is mediated through historical and generational trauma and how it impacts present day perceptions of research. There will then be discussion on how to flip the narrative around mistrust of research as a “barrier” to focus on what researchers can do to become more trustworthy. It will conclude with a focus on specific steps you can take to bring awareness to your labs and study teams to engage in anti-racism and anti-oppression in your work.
A new round of the Unpacking Whiteness Dialogue Program will be launched in the spring. Registration isn’t open yet, but keep an eye out for announcements. Several members of the Friedman community have participated and have found it to be a meaningful and impactful experience.
RESOURCES
Research funding opportunities focused on structural racism, diversity, and equity (compiled by the Research Administration team): https://tufts.app.box.com/s/chk9t63tccdgva4xgow20pgmdlq9eghe
Video recording of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi in a discussion about antiracism in higher education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j69g5WI0HTA
October 30, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
Happy Halloween! Unfortunately, things are actually kind of scary right now, with COVID numbers rising and the election just around the corner. We’ve all been living with a high level of uncertainty for some time, and it continues…we hope everyone is taking good care, and doing your best to find and make meaning amidst the challenging situations we are in.
The major activity related to the School’s diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan over the past month has been starting the process of integrating these activities into the fabric of the School. Each of the School deans is working with primary implementers (staff, committees, etc.) to develop plans with milestones and timelines. We deeply appreciate all of you who are involved with this and who have taken pieces on – so many of you have stepped up with leadership, creativity, and dedication to meaningful and lasting change. Things are still in the planning phase, and future updates will have more specifics regarding these efforts.
Other updates:
- Fostering a Culture
- A subcommittee of the Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity (SJID) Committee planned and held an event for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Over 50 attendees watched the film Gather, followed by discussion with Danielle Hill, a Mashpee Wampanoag tribal member who appears in the film. It was a meaningful and food-centric way to honor the day. Many thanks to the subcommittee: Adriana Black, Elena Martinez, Nicole Blackstone, Larry Parnell, and Edwin Ortega.
- SAVE THE DATE: another SJID subcommittee is planning a book discussion of How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi. Please hold Thursday 19 November at noon or 7 PM for the discussion. For options for obtaining the book, please contact Ellen-Marie Bransfield.
- Curriculum
- Sara Folta, Friedman's Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, is currently chairing a subcommittee on graduate and professionals students for the University’s workstream on Equity and Inclusion. The workstream is focusing on curricula and ensuring that issues of equity and inclusion are addressed in classrooms and all non-classroom learning spaces and throughout the Tufts community. The subcommittee has been considering curricular changes that we would like to see across schools. We’ve had consensus on the need for courses on the history of racism that are tailored to the disciplines of each school. We’ve also discussed the need for professional development in this area for grad and professional students, especially since they will be taking on leadership roles in their careers. Overall, the workstream is working toward a report with concrete and actionable recommendations for the entire Tufts community.
- Student Involvement
- Dr. Folta met with members of the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity to discuss student involvement with enacting the School’s action plan, recognizing that students have long been major advocates for DEI at Friedman and bring both prior experience and a willingness to learn. Students will be involved in committees and subcommittees formed specifically to address these issues, and in most cases opportunities will be promoted to the entire student body. There will be some exceptions, for example when an existing committee has a structure for student involvement that is defined by School by-laws. There will also be opportunities for paid work related to implementing the action plan. These will be announced to the student community once the primary implementers become ready to start enacting their pieces of the action plan.
We hope everyone stays healthy and safe.
ELECTION-RELATED RESOURCES AND EVENTS
There are many resources across Tufts to help discuss and process the election, including opportunities to watch results on election night, discuss issues with panels of Tuft experts, and obtain support during office hours with various faculty and staff. Please see https://vote.tufts.edu/election-week-events.
In addition, for faculty: CELT Roundtable: Put On Your Oxygen Mask Before Assisting Others. November 4, 9 - 10 a.m. The upcoming election is destined to be an emotionally taxing event for students, staff, and faculty alike. This roundtable offers an opportunity to process this moment, support each other, and reflect on coping strategies that will enable you to marshal the resources to support your students with empathy and attunement. Zoom link.
OTHER RESOURCES AND EVENTS
Research funding opportunities focused on structural racism, diversity, and equity (compiled by the Research Administration team): https://tufts.app.box.com/s/chk9t63tccdgva4xgow20pgmdlq9eghe
Event: Moving from Nutrition Equity to Power: Viewing Diet, Food Insecurity, and Food Access through the Lens of Structural Violence, Liberation, and Peace. A virtual guest lecture about nutrition and health disparities by Angela Odoms-Young on November 9, from 3:00-4:30 pm EST for NUTR 305 (nutritional epidemiology). Open to the general Friedman community. For questions, please contact Meghan O’Hearn: meghan.o_hearn@tufts.edu
September 30, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
We hope the new academic year is going reasonably well for all of you! It’s been a busy month, and a lot is going on related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Fostering a culture: The Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity has three current workgroups:
- The book discussion workgroup (led by Annie DeVane) and the Indigenous Peoples’ Day workgroup (led by Adriana Black) have planned events – stayed tuned for more information.
- The Bridging Differences Dialogue Series workgroup, led by Carine Tarazi, is working to redefine the dialogue topic since so much has changed since the dialogues were originally planned.
- Recruit and retain: Pipeline programs are a key part of successfully increasing the number of students from underrepresented backgrounds. We’ve laid some initial groundwork for a pipeline program by gathering information on how these operate at other schools at Tufts.
- Curriculum: Nicole Blackstone is at the helm of a Curriculum and Degrees Committee subcommittee that will work on integrating issues of systemic racism and injustice in the food system into courses and the curriculum overall, as well as developing principles and practices to ensure inclusive classrooms. In addition, at the university-level, Sara Folta, our Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, is serving on the workstream on Inclusion and Equity that will address, among other things, equity and inclusion in the classroom. I’ll chair the Graduate and Professional Schools subcommittee.
- Health Sciences Campus/University updates:
- A university-wide DEI training has been proposed and is being reviewed and discussed by leadership across the university. Training will be led by the Associate Directors of Diversity and Inclusion Education, Adriana Black and Maren Greathouse. More to come...
- Bias Response Teams are being formed for the Medford/SMFA and Health Sciences Campuses. These are designed to respond to incidents of bias and hate crimes, in coordination with the Office of Equal Opportunity and the President’s office.
Friedman leadership has made a commitment to enacting deep and lasting changes to address structural racism and cultivate diversity, equity, and inclusiveness. Many goals will be achieved in the longer term. We are currently working to integrate activities into the fabric of the School by working with different units to take on specific actions.
Hope you are all staying healthy and safe.
P.S. Two pieces you might be interested in, on writing and publishing: Writing about racial disparities: https://mailchi.mp/communicatehealth/i-think-i-can-i-think-i-can-a-tribute-to-self-efficacy-we-health-literacy-classic-test-905421?e=1759fbe8e2
On Racism: A New Standard For Publishing On Racial Health Inequities https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200630.939347/full/
August 29, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
On 28 August 1963 approximately 250,000 people gathered near the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and heard Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver the “I Have a Dream” speech. The 57th anniversary of this event took place in the wake of news about Jacob Blake being shot, which happened almost exactly three months after George Floyd was killed.
There is a need for action. I think many of us have questions, though, about what we can and should do – as individuals, academics, and nutrition professionals. This was the focus of the Community Conversation on Actions for Racial Justice that was held on Thursday, led by Adriana Black, Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion Education for the Health Sciences Campuses (see attached recap). Using the 4i’s of Oppression framework, we discussed actions we could take at multiple levels, ending with the question: What are some good practices in the world of nutrition, health, and policy that can be implemented in academia to avoid oppressive tendencies frequently seen in the field? This is, of course, and ongoing discussion, and one we hope the Friedman community will continue to engage in.
In the meantime, things continue to move forward on many fronts with our action items. Specific updates:
Encourage all in our community to speak up if they experience or witness bias or intolerance in action.
Jill Zellmer from the Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) attended a combined SJID/Student Alliance meeting last week. A few reminders:
- All members of the Tufts community are encouraged to report any instances of harassment, bias or discrimination. You may speak with someone at OEO or file an anonymous or confidential complaint via the Ethicspoint system.
- The OEO has trained liaisons who are faculty and staff members. They can connect students and employees with OEO to receive resources and support. Matt Hast is the Friedman liaison, but any Friedman community member may contact any liaison on the list.
- Also a reminder that most faculty and staff are mandatory reporters, meaning that they are required to report disclosures of sexual misconduct or discrimination to OEO.
Work with the University to review and, as necessary, update the Tufts Police policies on use of force.
We’ve nominated a Friedman student representative for the university working group that is examining campus policing policies.
Finally, just a note that with the start of the academic year, I’ll be sending these updates less frequently – I plan to send them monthly. Of course, you are welcome to reach out anytime if you have any questions or would like information about the actions being taken at Friedman.
Sara
OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP:
Dean Mozaffarian: monthly, next one will be Tuesday Sept 22nd 4-5pm. The Zoom link will be sent a week ahead of time.
Ed Kleifgen, Executive Administrative Dean: third Thursday of the month (subject to change), 3-4 pm (next one Sept. 17th). The Zoom link will be sent ahead of time.
Ed Saltzman, Academic Dean: monthly, 3rd Wednesday of each month (next one Sept 16th) 10-11 AM, Zoom link will be sent ahead of time.
Sara Folta, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion: weekly, Wednesdays at 4-5 PM.
August 14, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
I hope many of you were able to participate in the National Anti-Racism Teach-In this week. It was a packed three days! Each day had a focus: Monday’s was on exploring white supremacy, whiteness, and systemic racism; Tuesday’s was on becoming an antiracist, and featured a symposium with Ibram X. Kendi; and Wednesday’s was on response and action to confront white privilege and dismantle racist structures and norms, with tools and strategies to reshape teaching, leadership, parenting skills, and overall social behaviors. I haven’t heard anything about it being made available for later viewing, but I’ll be sure to provide the information if it is.
Updates on action items:
Expand focus on structural racism, diversity, and equity in our research efforts.
The Sponsored Research Administration team has established running list of keywords to find funding opportunities to support this work. They’ve also created a list of funding opportunities that will be continuously updated: https://tufts.app.box.com/s/chk9t63tccdgva4xgow20pgmdlq9eghe. SRA representatives have also been working with individual faculty to identify opportunities. If you haven’t heard from yours, you will in the coming weeks.
Value and reward teaching, scholarship, and service that focus on racism, disparities, and social justice.
School leadership and the Division Chairs are working on an updated faculty expectation framework, and how to incorporate these issues.
Sara
OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP:
Dean Mozaffarian: monthly, next one will be Tuesday Sept 22nd 4-5pm. The Zoom link will be sent a week ahead of time.
Ed Kleifgen, Executive Administrative Dean: monthly, first one will be Thursday Aug 20th 3-4 pm; will generally be at this time on the third Thursday of the month, subject to change.
Ed Saltzman, Academic Dean: monthly, 3rd Wednesday of each month (next one Aug 19th) 10-11 AM.
Sara Folta, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion: weekly, Wednesdays at 4-5 PM.
August 7, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
Interested in getting involved? SJID/Student Alliance has formed the following working groups. Please contact the workgroup leader for more information or to express your interest.
Bridging Differences Dialogue Series Workgroup. The purpose of the dialogue series is to promote a culture of open discourse around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Structured, facilitated dialogues represent a method for including and considering different voices to come to a deeper understanding of the roots and details of our differences, as well as our common hopes and fears. Dialogues were originally scheduled for April and postponed until fall. The workgroup will finalize materials and plan for the series. Workgroup leader: Carine Tarazi, carine.tarazi@tufts.edu.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Workgroup. This workgroup will plan activities to meaningfully observe the day. Workgroup leader: Adriana Black, Adriana.black@tufts.edu.
Book Discussion Workgroup. This group will plan discussions for the Friedman community throughout the academic year on this year’s book, which is How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. Workgroup leader: Annie DeVane, annie.devane@tufts.edu.
OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP:
Dean Mozaffarian: monthly, first one will be Tuesday Aug 11th 4-5pm
Ed Kleifgen, Executive Associate Dean: monthly, first one will be Aug 20th 3-4 pm; will generally be at this time on the third Thursday of the month, subject to change.
Ed Saltzman, Academic Dean: monthly, 3rd Wednesday of each month (next one Aug 19th) 10-11 AM
Sara Folta, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion: weekly, Wednesdays at 4-5 PM
July 31, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
Here are this week’s updates:
Action item: Train all members of our Friedman community including our leadership team, faculty, students, and staff to actively combat racism.
- We had our second retreat for the Tufts University Council for Diversity and Inclusion (TUCDI) on Tuesday. We learned a little more about and did some brainstorming around the Tufts-wide anti-racist and anti-oppression training. I will keep everyone updated as there are more specifics.
- TUCDI/Tufts is also sponsoring the National Anti-Racism Teach-In, which was announced this morning. All interested faculty, staff, and students to attend – there is no cost for @tufts.edu. Registerby August 4th. The general conference will be held on August 10-12, 2020, and you can attend as your schedule allows. For more information about the speakers and the conference itself, please visit the conference website. (Note, this is for the general conference, not the teen option).
Action item: Foster a culture of openness and self-reflection.
- We had a specific item for this action related to planning for milestones like Black History Month, Pride, etc. It seems like a long way off, but October will be here before we know it. Classes were scheduled for October 12th, which is Indigenous People’s Day, although it is a University holiday. This was a decision made by Arts, Sciences & Engineering – Friedman follows their calendar for the most part; it was based on it being a leap year, which caused some issues with getting all the weeks of class in. However, to ensure that students and teaching faculty will be able to observe Indigenous Peoples Day, Academic Dean Ed Saltzman will ask Monday instructors to conduct classes asynchronously or to reschedule the Monday synchronous sections.
Action item: Encourage all in our community to speak up if they experience or witness bias or intolerance in action.
- Another update from the TUCDI retreat is that Bias Response Teams are being formed for the Medford and Health Sciences campuses, to be launched this fall.
- Two OEO representatives will attend our SJID meeting next week to talk about their role and how it meets our needs for an anonymous reporting system.
Action item: Integrate issues of structural racism and equity into all courses in our curriculum.
- The Curriculum and Degrees Committee met this week and approved the formation of a subcommittee to develop principles and strategies, which Nicole Blackstone has agreed to chair.
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Sara
OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP:
Dean Mozaffarian: monthly, first one will be Tuesday Aug 11th 4-5pm, Zoom details will be sent 1 week before
Ed Kleifgen, Executive Associate Dean: monthly, first one will be Aug 20th3-4 pm; will generally be at this time on the third Thursday of the month, subject to change.
Ed Saltzman, Academic Dean: monthly, 3rd Wednesday of each month (next one Aug 19th) 10-11 AM
Sara Folta, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion: weekly, Wednesdays at 4-5 PM
EVENTS:
Aug 1-21: Academics for Black Survival and Wellness: Training for non-Black academics; Wellness workshops for Black academics
Aug 7, 10:00-11:30 AM: CELT Workshop: An Introduction to Anti-Racist Teaching
Join this workshop as we explore what it means to bring anti-racist principles and practices into the classroom. https://tufts.zoom.us/j/7458197417
Aug 10-12: National Anti-Racism Teach-In as noted above. Register by Aug 4th.
July 24, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
I hope everyone has had a good week! Here are this week’s updates:
Action item: Foster a culture of openness and self-reflection.
- On Wednesday, two doctoral students, Violeta Chacón and Angélica Valdés, led a discussion on Decolonizing Academia: Poverty, Oppression, and Pain by Dr. Clelia O. Rodríguez. They did an incredible job in leading the discussion on this poetic, confrontational, and radical work. Thanks to all who participated.
- SJID is organizing a “book of the year” for the Friedman community to discuss over the academic year. We named a subcommittee and have chosen a book – more to come!
- A reminder that we have established open office hours for senior leadership (see below).
Action item: Encourage all in our community to speak up if they experience or witness bias or intolerance in action.
- I had an initial meeting with OEO about an anonymous feedback system.
Action item: Recruit and retain to achieve greater diversity among faculty, staff, and students, including a focus on Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
- I had an initial meeting with the Advancement team to work on fundraising for scholarships, student and faculty recruitment, and internships, among many other things. We are working on putting together materials and strategies.
Action items: Integrate issues of structural racism and equity into all courses in our curriculum; Cultivate an inclusive classroom environment.
- Adriana Black, Associate Director for Diversity and Inclusion Education and Ryan Rideau, CELT Associate Director for Teaching, Learning, and Inclusion, and I are scheduled to attend drop-in sessions for faculty, to provide assistance with integrating anti-racist teaching practices into courses as faculty adapt and restructure them for fall. (The sessions also include support from ETS and other instructors with extensive online experience). There are three sessions remaining: 7/29 12:00pm – 1:30pm, Tuesday 8/4 9:00am – 10:30pm, and Friday 8/7 12:00pm – 1:30pm. Faculty can contact Patty Dawson for details (reminders will be sent as well).
Action item: Work with the University’s central administration to prioritize procurement from Black-owned businesses.
- Krissy Day, Director of Business Operations, provided a broad audit of School purchasing. As expected, there is little procurement at the School level; it is predominantly catering, which is unlikely to be needed in any quantity for a while, but which we will review for options.
- Because there is limited procurement by the School, Deans Mozaffarian and Kleifgen have both raised this issue with the central administration, who have been receptive to considering. They will continue these efforts, and stay tuned for updates.
July 17, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
Updates for this week:
- Initial meeting between School leadership and the Student Alliance happened on 7/13
- SJID Committee meeting 7/14
- SJID will meet weekly (rather than monthly) for the foreseeable future to serve a “task force” function
- While work will continue on all fronts, SJID will prioritize actions related to fostering an anti-racist culture
- We considered how to best provide opportunities for the entire community to get involved with the actions (more to come)
- Action item update on “Recruit and retain to achieve greater diversity among faculty, staff, and students, including a focus on Black, indigenous, and people of color”
- Staff Hiring Manual group met to move that work forward, led by Courtney King
- Faculty Hiring Manual group met to work toward moving that toward completion (Academic and Faculty Affairs Officer & Coordinator, ADDI, Student Alliance member)
- ADDI met with a division chair to consider division-specific anti-racist initiatives
- Tufts University Cabinet on Diversity and Inclusion retreat 7/17; this is a meeting of ADDIs across the university, plus the chief diversity officers and the Associate Directors of Diversity and Inclusion Education. We are charged with informing, advising, and supporting DEI initiatives at Tufts.
Events next week:
- Monday 7/20: CELT Roundtable: Discussing Race and Racism in Your Courses, 10:00-11:15 AM https://tufts.zoom.us/j/7458197417
- Wednesday 7/22 Book Discussion: Decolonizing Academia: Poverty, Oppression, and Pain, by Clelia Rodriguez, led by doctoral students Violeta Chacon and Angelica Valdes, 3:00 PM. Link and password available upon request.
- SAVE THE DATE: National Anti-Racism Teach-in Virtual Conference, Aug 10-12 – it will be free for the Tufts community
July 10, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
Continuing with the specifics of the action items, this week’s update is related to fostering a culture of openness and self-reflection. But first, two notes about these updates: a reminder that the specific action items are still a work in progress, and input is always welcome. Second, I’ll be providing these updates with the proposed action items for a few more weeks, and then I hope to start reporting on progress toward goals.
Action item: Foster a culture of openness and self-reflection. Open dialogue and sharing of experiences are essential. We will develop shared spaces so that everyone in the community feels heard and safe, no matter how they prefer to communicate. Our leadership team will be available to listen to all faculty, staff, students, and volunteer leaders and keep the lines of communication open for suggestions and new information on what might help achieve our goals.
Specific activities:
- Proceed with Bridging Differences Dialogue Series (to be completed during Fall 2020)
- Establish open office hours for senior leadership (done – see below!)
- Establish anonymous feedback system (by September 2020 – I am currently in communications with University leadership on the best way to do this and how it will integrate with University systems)
- Establish a "micro-system" for conversations about racial justice (underway – started working with division chairs to help foster these)
- Establish a forum for alumni input
- Take an inventory of activities that are already occurring (in classes, school events, etc.)
- Develop a plan to integrate into Orientation (idea: session on racism in the food system)
- Develop plan for milestones like Black History Month and others; intentionally plan for these
Metrics:
- Overall attrition rates, particularly by BIPOC faculty, staff, students
- Annual climate survey
OPEN OFFICE HOURS WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP:
- Dean Mozaffarian: monthly, first one will be Tuesday Aug 11th 4-5pm, Zoom details will be sent 1 week before
- Ed Kleifgen, Executive Associate Dean: monthly, first one will be Aug 20th 3-4 pm; will generally be at this time on the third Thursday of the month, subject to change; Zoom details will be sent closer to the date
- Ed Saltzman, Academic Dean: monthly, 3rd Wednesday of each month at 10-11 AM starting next week (7/15), Zoom link provided upon request via email.
- Sara Folta, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion: weekly, Wednesdays at 4-5 PM starting on 7/15, Zoom link provided upon request via email.
Also, just making sure that everyone knows that incidences of discrimination or harassment may be reported to the Office of Equal Opportunity. The website has detailed information about the process and options for reporting.
July 3, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
I’ll start this week’s update by expressing gratitude for the time, care, and thoughtfulness of the Student Alliance for Social Justice and Racial Equity in preparing their Open Letter to Friedman Admin. The Dean has responded to say that he is fully aligned on the importance of addressing these issues and that input from our entire community, including this input, will be listened to, valued, and incorporated. A meeting is being planned with the Student Alliance and the Friedman deans to engage in dialogue regarding the demands outlined in the open letter.
This week’s update is related to training.
Action item: Train all members of our Friedman community including our leadership team, faculty, students, and staff to actively combat racism. We will arrange for everyone to complete the initial component of the mandatory training in the coming academic year, with ongoing education and learning thereafter.
These trainings will encompass a number of areas: developing a clear understanding of key concepts such as racial equity and structural racism, building an anti-racist culture, understanding implicit bias and micro-aggressions, moving from ally to accomplice in racial justice, and learning to talk about race constructively.
Specific activities:
- The Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion will work with Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion Education to develop content (summer 2020)
- The Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion will work with division chairs and managers, and faculty coordinators on scheduling (starting Sept 2020)
- From the Open Letter: Establish mandatory, quarterly trainings and discussion seminars through the SJID regarding how students, faculty, and staff can act as allies to end white supremacy and promote DEI in research.
Metrics:
- # trainings conducted
- Total # trained
- Quality of trainings
As always, let me know if you have suggestions or would like to get involved with this or other action items. A number of you have already been in touch, and we’ve been able to find ways for you to work on these actions.
In other news, after the Juneteenth Day of Reflection, Commitment, and Action, it was announced that Tufts would put the search for a new chief of campus police on hold while there is a comprehensive review of policies and practices, acknowledging that the status quo is not the right model. Other actions have been promised as well.
June 26th, 2020
Dear Friedman Community,
We’ve been working on putting some specifics to the action items that were sent out. In an effort to be as open, transparent, and accountable as possible, for the next few weeks I’ll be sending out an email with these specifics. I welcome any input you have on these, and they are still very much a work in progress. Today’s update focuses on the first action item about courses.
Action item:
Integrate issues of structural racism and equity into all courses in our curriculum. School leadership will work with the Curriculum and Degrees Committee to develop foundational principles for such integration into all courses requiring C&D approval, ensure that such issues are incorporated into updated courses as part of our ongoing School-wide curricular review, and measure our success with regular questionnaires and reviews of all courses annually.
Specific activities:
- Include information about racial and ethnic equity and equity-minded practice in summer materials for faculty for course restructuring
- C&D subcommittee to develop principles and strategies (form subcommittee at July 2020 meeting)
- Develop rubric/clearly communicate expectations for courses (subcommittee to do this by October 2020)
- Develop system for consultations or trainings (subcommittee to do this by October 2020)
- Revisions of C&D charter as appropriate (C&D, by end of Fall 2020 semester)
- Creation of questionnaires for students (ADDI with C&D, by end of Fall 2020 semester)
Other ideas:
- Consider Spanish and other language learning (language justice; skill needed for jobs)
Metrics:
- % of courses that have been re-reviewed (to be assessed annually)
- Student satisfaction with level of integration per course (by questionnaires and course evaluations)
If you would like to help with any of the action items, related to courses or otherwise, please contact me.
Lastly, here’s an article of interest from Nature on What Black scientists want from colleagues and their institutions.
Sara C. Folta, PhD - Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
Standing Committee on Social Justice, Inclusion, and Diversity
It is the charge of this Committee to:
- Identify areas within the Friedman School spheres of activity - education, research, service, and public impact - and its partnerships where social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity should be promoted;
- Propose short-term (i.e. one year) and long-term (i.e., 5-10 years) goals to the Friedman School leadership and suggest methods for achieving these goals.
- Propose metrics to assess, and when appropriate, contribute to the assessment of the status of social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equity within the Friedman School.
The Committee’s work aligns with the goals and objectives determined by the School’s Strategic Plan, prioritizing the following: 1) ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School’s teaching, research projects, and partnerships; 2) expanding the field's appeal to groups that are typically underrepresented in the field of nutrition; and 3) working to reduce nutrition-related health inequities. The Committee is composed of faculty, staff, and students and may form subcommittees to address specific issues. The plans developed by the Committee are to be enacted in partnership with the relevant departments and programs within the Friedman School. The committee’s primary responsibilities are to:
- Advise the School in ways to integrate social justice, inclusion, and diversity into teaching, student experiences, research, School partnerships, and advocacy;
- Assist leadership in developing a plan for short- and long-term goals in diversity, inclusiveness and equity and approaches to meeting these goals specifically around issues of recruitment and retention, fostering a culture of inclusiveness within the school, financial support and scholarship, research, and teaching;
- Recommend ways to expand the appeal of the Friedman School to groups that are typically underrepresented in the field of nutrition (including students, faculty and staff);
- Recommend activities that the School can undertake to reduce nutrition-related health inequities;
- Communicate with the Friedman community, periodically including updates at Faculty meetings, on the Committee’s efforts;
- Prepare and submit to the Dean an annual report summarizing the Committee’s activities over the preceding year.
University-Wide Resources Available
Centers at Tufts
Services at Tufts
Groups
Resources
Social Justice
Equitable distribution of resources, opportunities, and privileges within a society.
Diversity
Range of a person's individual attributes, including, but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, language, socioeconomic status, physical ability or attributes, religion, ethical values, geographic origin, veteran status, educational background, neurocognitive functioning, family structures, and political beliefs. Includes perspectives related to both these individual attributes and life experiences.
Inclusion
Inclusion means that everyone's inherent worth and dignity are recognized and that everyone’s involvement is respected. An inclusive community promotes and sustains a sense of belonging; it values and practices respect for the talents, beliefs, backgrounds, talents, and challenges of its members.
Health Disparity
These categories reflect social advantage or disadvantage when they determine an individual’s or group’s position in a social hierarchy. They are likely to reinforce social disadvantage and vulnerability. Disparities in health and its determinants are the metric for assessing health equity, the principle underlying a commitment to reducing disparities in health and its determinants.