University Hosts ‘Anti-Racist’ Workshop to Recognize ‘Microaggressions’

The University of Michigan (UM) is hosting a workshop to teach graduate students how to see “racism in everyday life.”

The workshop allows participants the “opportunity to learn terms associated with racism/anti-racism as well as power and oppression and their impact in the global and U.S. context.”

“Additionally, participants will be able to recognize microaggressions and stereotyping that we see portrayed in media and be able to practice responding to real-life incidents of bias and racism that may occur in school, the workplace, or the community,” the workshop’s description reads.

Students participating in the workshop will “gain knowledge of terms associated with racism, anti-racism, power, and oppression,” “gain the ability to identify incidents of bias in the media and real-life scenarios,” and “practice responding to microaggressions or incidents of bias that may occur in our everyday lives.”

The workshop “fulfills the anti-racism requirement for the DEI certificate program.”

The university recently rolled back its DEI requirements for faculty, saying it would “no longer solicit diversity statements as part of faculty hiring, promotion and tenure.”

“Diversity, equity and inclusion are three of our core values at the university. Our collective efforts in this area have produced important strides in opening opportunities for all people,” Provost Laurie McCauley said. “As we pursue this challenging and complex work, we will continuously refine our approach.”

“I’m grateful for this faculty committee, which spent months soliciting feedback from across campus, evaluating our methods and determining the best course forward.”

The University of Michigan has spent $250 million on DEI since 2016.

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