Digital Commons Network^™

Equity & Inclusion Matters- Issue 11, Fall 2021, Otterbein Office Of Social Justice & Activism

Equity and Inclusion Newsletter

Included in this issue:

• Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Fellows Creating Open Dialogue About Race through Alumni Oral History Project
• Disability Services Consultant Working to End Stigma for Better Student Access
• WeRise Connecting Westerville, Otterbein Resources for Community Change
• Professor worked on Graphic Novel Connecting Puerto Rican History with Pop Culture

Uncivil Disobedience And Democracy: An American Perspective, Walter J. Kendall

The Journal of Social Encounters

From the time of the Athenian democracy there has been the debated question of whether protest and dissent, especially uncivil disobedience to the law was supportive or destructive of a people’s democracy. The debate continues unabated today.

In a recent collection of essays titled Protest and Dissent, Professor Susan Stokes offered an answer to the question Are Protests Good or Bad for Democracy? (Schwartzberg, 2020, p. 269). After considering both possibilities, she concludes, as had James Madison in Federalist 10, that protests “are a natural by-product of freedoms of expression and association which, if curtailed, would threaten democracy itself.”(Schwartzberg, 2020, …

Equity & Inclusion Matters- Issue 10, Spring 2021, Otterbein Office Of Social Justice & Activism

Equity and Inclusion Newsletter

Included in this issue:

• Otterbein Joins with Westerville Community to Launch Racial Equity Organization
• INST Course Helps Stonewall Columbus Tell Their Stories
• Activism on Campus
• Desmond Fernandez '21 Receives Community Honor at MLK Celebration
• Student Organization Spotlight: Otterbein Deaf Culture Club
• MLK Day of Service Project Goes DIY

Roles Of Social Media In The Black Lives Matter Movement During Covid-19, Reilly E. Olson

Honors Projects

By definition social movements reflect unique times in history. To fully grasp the implications of a movement the social and political climate that induce them must be understood. An intersectional model should be used when framing and studying the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a modern descendant of both the NAACP and Civil Rights movement. From its inception, BLM has utilized social media as an important tool by coining #BlackLivesMatter, a hashtag that frequently comes to life offline as BLM organizers use it as a call for action and mobilization. The accessibility of social media made its role in the …

Anti-Unionism And The Chicago Teachers Union, Paul Stromberg

Master's Theses

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is one of the most influential political organizations in Illinois. Like other political organizations, the CTU influences policy through activism, advocacy, and endorsements. Unlike most political organizations, however, the CTU's 20,000 members are responsible for carrying out policy decisions through their roles as teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). In response to this influence, anti-unionists have become increasingly adept at criticizing the CTU, using anti-union rhetoric to malign unionized teachers. Simultaneously, anti-unionists have utilized anti-union litigation to disable teacher unions, stripping them of guaranteed protections. Assisted by conflict theory, this study examines …

Drag Magazine: A Study Of Community, Olivia Austin

Departmental Honors Projects

This research aims to understand the trans/drag community and its relationship to political activism and the lesbian and gay community in the 1970s and early 1980s. I aim to answer the following questions: How did Drag perceive the relationship between the gay/lesbian community and the trans/drag community? How did Drag function in the trans/drag community? How did Drag benefit its readers? Transgender individuals and drag queens were at the forefront of activism in the1960s during the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot and the Stonewall Inn Riots. Recently, there has been more attention to the critical transgender activism by Marsha P. Johnson and …

Climate Change, Activism, And Supporting The Mental Health Of Children And Young People: Perspectives From Western Australia, Naomi J. Godden, Brad M. Farrant, Jaime Yallup Farrant, Emma Heyink, Eva Carot Collins, Bella Burgemeister, Mena Tabeshfar, Jason Barrow, Mara West, Jasmine Kieft, Mason Rothwell, Zoe Leviston, Susan Bailey, Mindy Blaise, Trudi Cooper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The climate crisis has detrimental impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. Psychological effects include feelings of fear, overwhelm, worry, distress, hopelessness and anger; PTSD; depression; anxiety; phobias; panic disorder; sleep disturbances; attachment disorders; learning difficulties; substance abuse; shock and trauma symptoms; adjustment problems; behavioural problems; and, suicidal thinking. First Nations' children and young people are particularly at risk due to loss of place, identity, culture, land and customs informed by kinship relationships with the Earth; while sustainable land use practices and connection to Country and community can enhance climate resilience. In Western Australia (WA), …

A Conversation On Activism, Solidarity, And Burnout In The Academy, Bernadette Marie Calafell, Ersula J. Ore

Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Faculty Scholarship

Drs. Ersula J. Ore and Bernadette Marie Calafell were invited to discuss their experiences with activism in the academy. They discuss what’s at stake and the costs (both emotional and financial) as well as issues of trauma and burnout.