LMU Anti-Racism and Inclusion Resources

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. 
James Baldwin


imagery of candles at night during a vigil

What will it take to stand in sustained solidarity with our African American colleagues, friends, family, and students, as we are confronted by, and confront, the anti-black systemic racism and trauma that are part of our history, as well as our present reality?

These structures and ways of thinking have been part of our collective story for hundreds of years.  They are insidious, pernicious, and pervasive in the fabric of our institutions and lives.  Taking on the ideology and structures that reinforce systemic racism will require a lifetime journey, and both a personal and collective commitment.  It will neither be easy nor comfortable.  But it is necessary if we are to change the future.  We must change our future.

So, together let us commit ourselves to the long-term project of shaping our society into one that is just and upholds justice, one that recognizes and values the full humanity of each person, and one that sees and celebrates the beauty and contributions of each community. 

On this page, you will find resources, programs, networks, and possibilities for engaging in the self-reflection and action necessary for taking part in dismantling the structures supporting systemic racism.  We invite you to join us in this work. Find a place to begin with one small step, one concrete commitment.

If you have ideas or feedback on how LMU may work toward an anti-racist, inclusive education, please submit them here.

The LMU Anti-Racism Project

The Anti-Racism Project is rooted in our Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount identity and university mission, where we regard and treat each other with respect, recognizing the inherent dignity and immutable humanity of all peoples, made in the image of God.  We are called to be persons for and with others, acting out of our faith—inclusive of our varied religious traditions and worldviews—towards social justice for all.

Overview of The Anti-Racism Project (Emelyn dela Peña, VP for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

Student Resources

Intercultural Facilitator Program
The premise of the Intercultural Facilitator (IF) Program is to develop a group of students, highly skilled in principles of facilitation, to effectively facilitate other students in critical cultural conversations. These conversations lead to an authentic understanding of self, simple but comprehensive ways to engage and inspire community and an honest and inclusive approach to transformative student development.

Together as Effective Accomplices Mobilizing (TEAM)
TEAM is a student organization at LMU that is dedicated to analyzing how ideologies of systematic oppression are constantly being perpetuated throughout the world. TEAM is open for all but essentially provides a space for white people to critically engage in our four main objectives: utilizing our educational tools to analyze one’s own privilege in order to understand how systematic oppression is currently being enacted in everyday life, providing training on how to be effective accomplices to minoritized communities, engaging in coalition building throughout the LMU and Los Angeles community, and providing a safe space for self-care and team building. LMU students, especially white students, are encouraged to contact the group via Instagram @lmu.team for information about upcoming meetings. 

Faculty & Staff Resources

Restorative Justice Project
The vision of the LMU Center for Urban Resilience (CURes) Restorative Justice Project (RJ Project) is to impact systemic education reform and transform social structures towards a more just society. Aligning with LMU’s mission and its commitment to anti-racism, Restorative Justice Practices are based on principles that emphasize how positive relationships are central to building community and involve processes that restore communities when harm occurs. The RJ Project offers culturally grounded ways to address conflict through restorative practices trainings, Restorative Conferencing facilitation services, and opportunities to collaborate. For instance, LMU Restore in Student Affairs works in partnership with the RJ Project for staff training as well as for utilizing Restorative Justice Practices to respond to violations of the Student Conduct Code. 

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES TRAINING
Restorative Practices (RP) is a philosophy that aims to provide communities with safe, inclusive, and effective tools to develop healthy relationships. RP also helps teach Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills such as understanding and managing emotions, exhibiting empathy, and establishing and maintaining positive relationships. The RJ Project provides trainings to equip participants to implement RP in their own divisions.

The RJ Project offers RP training components including:

  • Campus Environment Assessment
  • Implementation
  • Restorative Language Integration
  • Community Building Circles Facilitation
  • Responding to Critical Matters Facilitation
  • Skill-building and Coaching
  • Program Evaluation

RESTORATIVE CONFERENCING FACILITATION SERVICES
When conflict occurs, Restorative Conferences can help hold responsible parties accountable for their actions. A trained, impartial facilitator invites affected parties and their supporters to discuss: 

  • What happened?
  • How has everyone been affected?
  • What can be done to repair the harm?

Restorative Conferences provide a collective discovery process whereby underlying problems can be addressed and potentially help participants connect with much needed resources.  If you are experiencing a conflict at an individual level or trying to figure out how to address a group issue, the RJ Project and LMU Restore stand ready to engage with you, including specific capacity building for your department or area. 

For more information, please contact:

  • Schoene Mahmood
    Program Manager
    Restorative Justice Project
    Center for Urban Resilience
    Schoene.Mahmood@lmu.edu
  • Julia Wade
    Associate Director for Restorative Practices
    Office of Student Conduct and Community Responsibility
    Student Affairs
    Julia.Wade@lmu.edu

Implicit Bias Workshop

LMU's implicit bias campaign continues with classic IB workshops and next-level programs organized to build upon the work. Contact Joseph.Bernardo@lmu.edu to request a workshop for your team or for more information on upcoming workshops. 

Cultural Consciousness Conversations

A year-long cohort of LMU faculty, staff and administrators across all divisions. Increase your comfort level and build community with colleagues. Share your perspective and learn from others on issues such as bias, microaggressions, immigration, sexual orientation and gender identity, and power/privilege. Express your interest here.

Affinity and Networking Groups for Faculty and Staff

Statements of Solidarity

LMU This Week Special Edition, June 2, 2020

Beyond Words: President Snyder's Letter to LMU, June 16, 2020

Acknowledgement of Understanding: Response to BlackatLMU Students' and Black Faculty & Staff Alliance demands, September 4, 2020

Learn

Seek Understanding

Structural Racism VS Individual Racism

Racism describes a system of power and oppression/advantage and disadvantage based on race. Structural racism is a system, or series of systems, in which institutional practices, laws, policies, social-cultural standards, and socio-political decisions establish and reinforce norms that perpetuate racial group inequities. Within the context of the United State of America, and other nations, structural racism takes the form of white supremacy; the preferential treatment, privilege, power, access, networks, and access to opportunities available to white people, which often designate communities of color to chronic adverse outcomes.

Individual racism refers to a person’s racist assumptions, beliefs, or behaviors. Individual racism stems from conscious and unconscious bias and is reinforced by structural racism. Please visit the list of articles, books, videos, movies, and TV shows within this guide to learn more about how racism functions and affects all of our day-to-day lives. 

LMU Faculty Voices

Books

The William H. Hannon Library staff also created a Black Lives Matter resource guide and the DEIA LibGuide

Film and Television

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
  • Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Amazon Prime Video
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Amazon Prime Video & Netflix
  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Sources include Black Lives Matter (@blklivesmatter), A-List Pathway (@alistpathway) and Agency (@agencylmu).

Podcasts and Webinars

Articles and Web Resources

Take Action

Allyship

Watch LMU Alumni Association and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's LMU Solidarity Hour, featuring moving personal stories from Black alumni and words of insight, action and hope from faculty.

Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere (AWARE-LMU)
AWARE-LMU is a white anti-racist affinity group that supports white faculty and staff in deepening our learning about the impact of systemic racism on individuals, institutions, and society. We work with the guidance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethnic and Intercultural Services, and other campus partners, and strive to support efforts led by people of color in our community regarding issues of equity and inclusion.

Watch and Read:
Eyes to See: An Anti-Racism Examen by  the Association of Jesuit Colleges & Universities (AJCU)

 

Empowerment

Resources for Student and Community Activism, Criminal Justice and Police Reform, and more

  • Anguish and Action: Provides resources to learn about police violence and antiracism as well as actions you can take to encourage reform from organizations who have been working on these issues at the local and national level for years
  • How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change: Three ways to implement criminal justice and police reform by former President Barack Obama.
  • Knowing Your Rights if Stopped by the Police: A description of what the law requires and also strategies for handling police encounters. 
  • Promoting Diversity at LMU: Work with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ethnic and Intercultural Services, and other units to encourage the recruitment and hiring of diverse faculty, to diversify course curricula and teaching methods, and promote inclusive excellence in other areas of the university.  
  • Confronting Prejudice: Understand specific definitions and statistics surrounding prejudice and bigotry in the U.S. and learn actions you can take to be an ally. 
  • No Going Back: Policies for an Equitable and Inclusive Los Angeles: #NOGOINGBACKLA is a movement focused on the legacy of injustices against the Black community in the U.S. and calls for a proactive agenda that explicitly dismantles anti-Black racism and an independent study on the state of African Americans in Los Angeles County.

Support and Activism

Support Black businesses:

  • Supporting the growth of Black-owned businesses goes a long way in empowering communities in the long run, not just in this exceptionally dire landscape. There is no doubt that the pandemic has disproportionately affected black communities. Here is a Google doc of all the Black-owned restaurants in Los Angeles. Other ways to find Black-owned businesses:

Submit general inquiries, comments, and concerns to: policecommission@lapd.online 

Self-Care

LMU Student Psychological Services - LMU Student Psychological Services (SPS) provides confidential individual and group therapy; walk-in consultations; emergency psychological services; and psycho-educational outreach programming. SPS also offers psychological consultation to students, faculty, staff or parents who are concerned about a student. There is no charge for our services. SPS is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc. Make an appointment here.

Explore LMU’s Wellness Opportunities

Other Resource Lists: