The Equity and Diversity Certificate is a program developed by the University of Minnesota System’s Office of Equity and Diversity. This ally model series of workshops help participants develop tools necessary for advancing equity and diversity in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. It’s free of charge and open to all faculty and staff on all University of Minnesota campuses. Please contact [email protected] for a list of Fall 2023 UMN DULUTH ECHO workshops.
The Office for Equity and Diversity and the University Wellbeing Program are collaborating for the 2023-2024 academic year to provide system-wide virtual ECHO programming. Learn more about the complexities of the medical industrial complex and how that interacts with this program here.
For details and workshop descriptions - click here.
Fall 2023 Offerings at the UM, Duluth campus
Registration Information
The Equity Certificate Hosted Online (ECHO) program is free for all current staff and faculty on all five system campuses.
ECHO: Removing Barriers and Creating Access
Description: Growing out of efforts to increase access for marginalized people with disabilities in social justice organizing, creating access refers to an approach toward inclusion that envisions a world where everyone's needs are understood as valid. Whether it's captioning, gender-neutral restrooms, rooms for silent prayer, curb cuts, or inclusive language, the work of equity and diversity involves paying attention to how we design our classrooms, labs, offices, residence halls, work, curricula, and events to be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. In this course, learners will engage in critical concepts of access and accommodations and are given opportunities to assess the inclusivity of their own spaces, products, and communities.
Monday, September 18 - 1:00-2:30 pm (In person KSC 268) - Registration Link
Thursday, September 21 - 9:00-10:30 am (Virtual) Registration Link
ECHO: Addressing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
Description: The University of Minnesota is committed to increasing equity and diversity among its staff, faculty, and students. This includes supporting people of color, people who identify as women, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and other identities across campus. It is essential to recognize and address the presence of implicit bias and microaggressions in our everyday lives. This course explores the concept of implicit bias and how it produces microaggressions that can impact the classroom, work, and social environments. Participants will also be prompted to interactively apply skills in acknowledging and actively addressing bias and microaggressions to use in their everyday lives.
Monday, October 2 - 2:00-3:30 pm (in person, KSC 268) Registration Link
Wednesday, October 4 - 9:00-10:30 am (Virtual) Registration Link
ECHO: My Role in Equity and Diversity Work
Description: If “Diversity is everybody’s everyday work,” what is my role? This foundational course introduces participants to the core concepts around equity, diversity, and social justice. Key topics include foundational terminology, understanding our own identities, exploring bias and oppression, and how to work to be an ally, an advocate, and an accomplice to uplift, support, and actively fight for equity and diversity.
Thursday, October 24 - 10:00-11:30 am (in Person KSC 268) Registration Link
Wednesday, October 25 - 1:00-2:30 pm (Virtual) Registration Link
ECHO: Race, Racism, and White Supremacy
U.S. society, culture, and institutions were founded on racism and white supremacy. Today very little has changed as we continue to see the massive amount of systemic inequities, mass incarceration, health disparities, and the individual lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) lost on a daily basis. Addressing these facts and the complex layers of racial oppression can be difficult for white people to understand due to the race privilege, lack of education and understanding, and on-going advantages built into our systems and culture. This session will explore contemporary dynamics that perpetuate racism and white supremacy, including dominant group patterns and multiple modalities of racial harm. Participants will learn how to actively address and interrupt racism and white supremacy at individual, institutional, and community levels.
November 14 - 2:30-4:00 pm (in person KSC 268) Registration Link
November 16 - 10:00-11:30 am (Virtual) Registration Link
ECHO: Religious and Spiritual Identities
Description: For many people, religion and spirituality are deeply personal and create values that offer a sense of purpose and community. However, religion may be seen as either impolite to talk about or as dangerously divisive in the public sphere. This course will explore how religious, spiritual, and humanist identities interact with culture and other social identities, as well as explore dynamics of power and privilege within historical and modern contexts.
Monday, December 4 - 1:00-2:30 pm (Virtual) Registration Link
Thursday, December 7 - 9:30-11:30 am (in person KSC 268) Registration Link
The Equity and Diversity Certificate helps participants develop tools necessary for advancing equity and diversity in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. It’s free of charge and open to all faculty, staff, and students on all University of Minnesota campuses.
For more information about the certificate program, registration, or to request disability accommodations, contact Susana Pelayo-Woodward at [email protected] or 218-726-8444