Welcome to the YPA’s Racial Justice Subcommittee’s newsletter. Our mission is to create a diverse, inclusive and supportive community of postdocs, whose voices and contributions are valued and respected. These goals include, broadly: assessment of diversity at Yale and education to the Yale community, recruitment of diverse candidates, amplifying and assisting with the YBPA’s goals of retention, support and community for URM postdocs, and community connections with New Haven, as well as existing groups at Yale, to ensure that postdocs at Yale are connected with and contribute to work relating to racial justice in the broader community.
- This mailing is designed to help keep Yale community members up-to-date with events, opportunities to contribute, and educational resources. Sign up for the list here.
- Interested in learning more about the group? Monthly steering committee meetings are held the last Friday of the month, 2-3pm. All are welcome. Please visit the #blacklivesmatter channel on the YPA slack to access the zoom link.
- February is Black History Month. Learn more about it’s origins here.
- Here are some recommended events to attend in February*:
- Wednesday, February 10, 1-4pm: A Chronicle of Racism in America.
- Hosted by the offices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion from YNHH & YSM.
- Keynote speaker Jeffrey Robinson gives a virtual look at 400 years of Black history filled with images, stories, videos and music. Join here
- Monday, February 15, 4-5pm: Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice.
- Hosted by Asian Network at Yale (ANY), Future Leaders of Yale (FLY), and Yale African American Affinity Group (YAAA).
- A discussion with Dr. Maysa Akbar, author of Beyond Ally: The Pursuit of Racial Justice. Her book centers around racial justice work through the creation of the Ally Identity Model, which details the stages of allyship in dismantling systemic oppression.
- Register here.
- Saturday, February 20, 10:00am: Unapologetically Radical.
- Hosted by New Haven Department of Arts & Cultural Affairs in partnership with the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.
- A ONE-DAY virtual event created to address, amplify and activate anti-racism in arts and culture. This is a safe space for truth telling and ground breaking conversations around dismantling systems of racial injustice and applying immediate and direct change. Learn more and register here
- Thursday, February 25, 12-12:40pm: Conversations that Matter- Being Black at Yale.
- Hosted by Yale SOM Community & Inclusion team, in collaboration with the Black Business Alliance, and Yale School of Environment
- Join for a live online conversation featuring Black students from across Yale, and learn about their experience with navigating Yale, and how their identity plays out in the classroom, on campus and beyond. Key themes of this conversation will include intersectionality, privilege and belonging – among others. Register here
- Wednesday, February 10, 1-4pm: A Chronicle of Racism in America.
NEXT YPA RJ SUBCOMMITTEE EVENT:
- We will be hosting a discussion group March 12th from 2-3pm for events attended in February. Please register here.
- We want to use this space to inform and educate each other about the topics covered.
- In the discussion group, we will share information about any events we attended and what we learned with each other.
Additional events: https://oiss.yale.edu/news/celebrating-black-history-month
Check out an online exhibition of Black History here.
Recommended Reading
Articles:
“America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One”
Anti-Racism Daily
Books:
Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Further resources and reading can be found here, including reading lists and how to get involved at a local and national level.