Accessibility and Disability Service and Student Disability Services highlight Black History Month.
Rediscover how some members of the Black Civil Rights Movement also played essential roles as activists in the US Disability Rights Movement, and paved the way for disability rights activists to influence social change and legislation. Many people with disabilities were part of both movements and continue to be today. Crip Camp shows how intersectional being black and disabled can be - beyond the Black Panthers. Further back in history, learn new things about the famous Black figures who also had disabilities. For instance, Harriet Tubman lived with epilepsy and narcolepsy.
In the links described below, we hope you may find information you will be happy to rediscover or learn for the first time. Black history is being made this moment, and there is an endless amount to learn from the past. A little time spent exploring Black history this month may lead you in enlightening directions. Research forays have been known to start at (link)Brad Lomax, and end up at the (link) Wild Zappers, a DC-based all black all deaf dance company - what new-to-you ancestral influencers and history-makers will become front-of-mind to you?
Test your knowledge by taking this quiz with the National Black Disability Coalition (NBDC): (link)http://www.blackdisability.org/content/black-disabled-trivia
Important figures in Black History:
· Enter “Black History” plus any disability (i.e. "autism," "dyslexia," etc.) into a search engine and explore more about the intersectionality of disability.
Explore Black History and Disability Rights:
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has a great article about the integral role Black disability rights activists played in securing rights for all US citizens with disabilities. (link)https://www.ncld.org/news/honoring-black-history-month-unsung-heroes-of-the-disability-rights-movement/ For more on Brad Lomax, a leader in the 1977 protests that led to the implementation of section 504 of the rehabilitation act, see this NYT obituary (link) https:/www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/obituaries/brad-lomax-overlooked.html
Black Disabled and Proud: College Students with Disabilities is a website by the HBCU Disability Consortium. Their page titled “Black Lives Matter and Disability” speaks to the recent and daily making of Black history as it intersects with disability. (link)https://www.blackdisabledandproud.org/black-lives-matter.html The page includes links to thoughtful articles as well as self-care info.
The Disability Visibility Project’s Black Lives Matter page has podcasts (with transcripts) that explore the individual experiences of people who are actively contributing individually and/or organizing to raise awareness about being Black and having a disability. (link)https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/tag/black-lives-matter/ Click through on the posts and find things like Jen White Johnson’s Black Disability Lives Matter mural (link)https://jenwhitejohnson.com/Black-Disabled-Lives-Matter-Mural-Project
More UMBC posts and events are going up over the course of the month. If you are looking for disability resources - use these links:
Spring Center Hours
The Mosaic: Center for Cultural Diversity is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday. COVID QTY: 11
The Pride Center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. COVID QTY: 10
The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. COVID QTY: 26
**Spaces are only accessible when i3b professional or student staff are present.**
We’d also like to introduce you to our Google Group listservs for each space, as well as various initiatives. Please fill out the Google Form to be added to our listservs.
i3b Community:i3bCommunity-usergroup@umbc.edu
This is our general listserv for any and all UMBC undergraduate, graduate students, staff, faculty, alumni and campus community partners to stay up to date with all i3b events, programs, initiatives and news
i3b's Mosaic Listserv:i3bmosaic-usergroup@umbc.edu
i3b's Gathering Space Listserv:i3bGatheringSpace-usergroup@umbc.edu
i3b’s PrideCenter Listserv:pridecenter-usergroup@umbc.edu
This is a Google Group for the Pride Center, one of three Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion and Belonging (i3b) centers housed within the Division of Student Affairs. This group is meant to communicate information related to the Pride Center and LGBTQIA+ engagement more broadly.
These three listservs are for center-specific news and events.
i3b Retriever Immigrants United:i3bRIU-usergroup@umbc.edu
This is the official mailing list for all news, updates, resources and announcements related to the 1st and 2nd generation immigrant population that RIU centers.
i3b SistaCare:i3bSistaCare-usergroup@umbc.edu
This is the official mailing list for all news, updates, resources and announcements related to SistaCare, a self-care and community-building group open to all undergraduate and graduate Black/Africana women (e.g. trans, cis) and femmes, regardless of their gender expression.
i3b Campus Partners:i3bPartners-usergroup@umbc.edu
This Listserv will be composed of primarily staff and faculty partners, as well as select student and alumni leaders that facilitate outreach across campus on behalf of our shared work at i3b.
Space Usage and Sign-In Process
We are delighted to see our spaces being used by students to study, connect, pray, meditate, and build community. In order to keep up with who is using our spaces, we are moving from paper sign-in sheets to UMBC ID card readers. Just like other events and programs on campus, UMBC ID cards will be scanned at entry for The Mosaic and Pride Centers, and The Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being. Collecting student and visitor data will support our assessment practices, and help us make funding decisions regarding supplies, prayer space and other needs. All data collected will be maintained confidentially within the UMBC Rex system. If a student or guest does not have a UMBC ID card, paper sign-in sheets will be available.
UMBC COVID Protocols and i3b Spaces
We will have surgical masks available in all three i3b spaces and expect that all students, staff, and visitors wear their masks for the entirety of their visit unless they are actively eating or drinking. In order to keep all students and staff comfortable and as safe as possible, please remember that proper mask-wearing is required at all times. Those not in compliance will be asked to leave.
You can find more information about the university mask mandate atcovid19.umbc.edu/masks/
As we continue to navigate this experience, you may also want to begin considering virtual meetings, events, and engagements to prioritize our community's health. ]]>Dear Community Members,
We wanted to share that the Pride Center will unfortunately be closed for the rest of today and we are disappointed to share this news on the first day of spring classes. There has been a ceiling issue in the space that caused the ceiling to cave in. In the interest of the safety of our community, we are working to resolve the issue and get back up and running to be in community again. We hope to be open again tomorrow and for the rest of the week, we will be open from 9am-5pm. In the meantime, it might be unsightly in the space so we pardon our appearance and welcome any further thoughts or questions you have as we work to get it fully repaired. Thank you to our wonderful ABN staff member, Sonia who helped to make sure the space is looking clean and neat again!
In the meantime, we have other awesome spaces across campus to check out today and beyond:
Gathering Space for Spiritual Well-Being, The Center for Well-Being
Monday, 8am-10pm
Women’s Center, The Commons
Monday, 10am-5pm
Thank you for your understanding and patience with us!
-Lucy Delgado, Assistant Director with i3b (she/her/hers/ella)
Hey, everyone!
It's finally time to start the process of electing the LGBTQ+ Student Union's new Financial Director for Spring 2022. As previously mentioned, our previous Financial Director, Eiryn Griest Schwartzman, has just graduated from UMBC! As such, we are seeking an interim Financial Director to take over all of the LSU's Treasurer duties until our next full Board elections for the 2022-2023 academic year!
We will begin with a round of nominations, and then I will announce and share the next steps with all those who are nominated! You may nominate any UMBC student for the position, and self-nomination is not just allowed, but encouraged! Nominations close on THIS FRIDAY, January 28th, so don't hesitate on your submission. You may submit more than one nomination as well. All students nominated will be contacted to see if they accept their nomination and to give them information on their role.
USE THIS FORM FOR NOMINATIONS:
https://forms.gle/r7RJopSM2SUeeKyr6
If you are at all interested, we highly encourage you to apply! This is not only a good leadership opportunity, but also a great way to get involved on campus and in our community! And if you have any questions first, please feel free to reach out to any of our current board members (Jordan Packett, jordanp2@umbc.edu; Emily Tanis, etanis1@umbc.edu; Angelica Mansfield, angelim1@umbc.edu; Maxine Elovitz, melovit1@umbc.edu)!
At UMBC, and across the U.S., college students and young adults are experiencing a number of challenges managing their mental health. While we have some data on the mental health trends of our campus community, we want to hear directly from students to improve upon and develop new ways UMBC can provide support and educational resources.
With the assistance of an outside agency, UMBC will be conducting focus groups with undergraduate and graduate students to learn more about their mental health experience.
There will be upcoming focus groups via Zoom for on the following dates:
Monday, Jan 24
Tuesday, Jan 25
If you are interested in participating, please complete this interest form. We will begin reaching out to interested students on Thursday, January 20.
Interest form link: https://forms.gle/GwRNoqS71THsKXHq7
Sessions will include no more than 20 participants. As a result, not everyone who completes the interest form will be included in the sessions.
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