Mindfulness & Anti-Racism class starts Feb. 8 — registration deadline extended!

The UAA/APU Difficult Dialogues Initiative & Books of the Year program invite UAA faculty and staff to apply to join:

My Grandmother’s Hands: An Embodied Antiracism Course
Tuesdays, Feb. 8 through April 5
6-7:30 p.m. | Delivered via Zoom
Apply here by 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7.

Because space is limited, participants need to commit to attending all sessions unless prevented by an emergency.

This is an eight-week virtual mindfulness-based course for UAA faculty and staff to begin to apply the compassionate, body-based anti-racism insights and practices from the UAA Book of the Year, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Healing our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menaken, therapist and expert on conflict and violence.

The description of the book states: "Addressing the effort to heal from generations of white supremacy, the book speaks to the fact that 'our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans — our police. My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide.'"

Utilizing mindfulness and body-based practices, readings from the book and structured small-group dialogue, we will start or continue to develop the life-long work of identifying and applying the most effective ways to engage in antiracism work. Access to the book electronically and in hard copies is available through the Consortium Library (as well as other libraries statewide).

The course will occur eight Tuesday evenings, 6-7:30 p.m., from Feb. 8 through April 5 (skipping March 8 due to spring break) on Zoom. Because space is limited, participants need to commit to attending all sessions unless prevented by an emergency. Please apply here by 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7 (note the extended deadline). You will be notified by Tuesday, Feb. 8, if you are part of this semester’s class.

Facilitators

• Vanessa Meade, LCSW, PsyD, is an assistant professor in the UAA School of Social Work, a licensed clinical social worker and licensed psychologist in Alaska. She is also a certified mindfulness teacher and facilitates mindfulness-based retreats and classes with a focus on social justice and equity. Her background includes being a U.S. Army combat veteran and former Alaska state trooper.
• Sara Caldwell-Kan. As Multicultural Student Services director, Caldwell-Kan promotes the academic and personal growth of UAA’s minoritized students. In her previous position at Oregon State University, she served dual roles as interim assistant director of Diversity and Cultural Engagement, as well as interim director of the Asian and Pacific Cultural Center. In those roles, she developed co-curricular programming centered on racial and ethnic identities, experiences and histories, in addition to training around intercultural communication, identity development and social justice.
• Libby Roderick is Director of the Difficult Dialogues Initiative and Associate Director of the Center for Advancing Faculty Excellence at UAA. She is also co-founder and Board member for the Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center, co-author or editor of several books addressing issues of equity, and recipient of the Chancellors Award for Excellence on Diversity.

February Archive