Education Commons^™

Becoming A More Empathetic Leader And Person, Rachel Shellstrom

Undergraduate Honors Theses

When defining empathy, the most common definition is “stepping into someone else’s shoes.” Along with this definition, many also share that it is important to have empathy and be an empathetic person. Yet, when thinking about its importance and this definition, a few questions arise: can we actually step into someone else’s shoes? Can we truly understand what someone else is feeling and experiencing if we are not them or do not hold the same identities that they do? Through a deeper exploration of existing empathy building certificate programs and empathy research, this thesis project explores these exact questions and …

Social Work Allyship: Exploring White And Bipoc Perspectives At Predominately White Institutions Within The Southeastern Conference, Aubrey Franke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the experiences of allyship through the perspectives of White and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) social work students at primarily White universities within the Southeastern Conference. The study includes 10 semi-structured interviews with Bachelor and Master’s level social work students. The findings from this study present necessary characteristics and qualities for effective social work allyship. Interestingly, BIPOC students emphasize the importance of informed action, while White students share relational qualities such as empathy and willingness to learn. The findings also show that some BIPOC students experience performative allyship from White social work students. BIPOC participants …

Allyship For The Rural Health Care Workforce, Nancy D. Spector, Barbara Overholser

Marshall Journal of Medicine

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a lot about the American impressive yet fragile and overtaxed health care system. Our support systems – both institutional and human- were taxed. Building our network through a variety of methods can help to strengthen our support system while also helping to dismantle the structural inequities that have negative consequences for our workforce and for patient care. Seeking allies in medicine has become an integral component of building one’s network and becoming an ally for those communities that are isolated or under resourced and for those who are underrepresented in medicine has become an important way …

Supervisory Allyship For University Custodial Staff, Daniel Colascione

Theses and Dissertations

This study will examine the lived experiences of campus custodians in search of creating an anti-racist workplace. Custodians will have the opportunity to share about their experiences involving racism and will be asked to explain their expectations of leadership in creating an anti-racist workplace. This study seeks to understand the expectations Black staff members have of their departmental and university level leadership to identify ways to narrow the gap between their expectations and the support they receive from those in positions capable of doing so.

The White Ally Experience: A Look Into The Impacts Of Being A White Ally, Kristen Maclin

Masters Theses

If an ally knew what they would experience, would they be more willing to stand up? Racism, institutional racism, racial bias, discrimination, and microaggressions have existed in our country since its inception. One way to work to overcome these is by growing allyship and having allies who are willing to speak up and stand beside marginalized groups. This research study addressed what allyship means, the byproducts of racist structures that allies have encountered, ally burnout, and ways to overcome burnout. These were researched through surveys from BIPOCs, named allies, and my school colleague populations. My research found that many White …

George-Anne Deep Dive, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Deep Dive

No abstract provided.

George-Anne Deep Dive, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Deep Dive

No abstract provided.

George-Anne Deep Dive, Georgia Southern University

George-Anne Deep Dive

No abstract provided.

Don't Poke The Bear - A Project Report, Nicole Kontolefa, Grace Cannon

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

In 2018, four applied theatre practioners created a forum theatre play and workshop for a small Wyoming community. They wanted to engage participants in a dialogue about inclusion, racism and homophobia, in particular how it manifests in a state known as the "Equality State."

Forum theatre focuses on a protagonist experiencing oppression and how they may break their own bonds. In this report, two of the facilitators and creators reflect on how using forum theatre to follow the actions (or inaction) of a potential ally in a play about the exclusion of a gay woman of color was useful in …

Developing A Practice Of African-Centered Solidarity In Child And Youth Care, Peter Amponsah, Juanita Stephen

Publications and Scholarship

What does it mean to be an ally? More specifically, what does it mean to do the work of allyship in support of Black young people and families? As educators, researchers, and practitioners in the child and youth care field, we seek to initiate a conversation pertaining to the epistemological make-up of child and youth care practice and the movement towards persistent and intentional solidarity work as a framework for cross-racial engagement. Through a series of critical questions, this paper seeks to deconstruct the taken-for-granted practices of White Eurocentric allyship in favour of a new vision for the future of …

Editorial: The Line Between Corporate Allyship And Marketing Shouldn't Be Crossed, Liz Theriault

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

In the world of allyship for marginalized groups and marketing for companies in America’s cut-throat capitalist economy, where does allyship end and unproductive marketing begin? We are all familiar with the yearly advertising clock: a dedication to new resolutions through the first part of the year that transforms to a focus on plastering American flags all over products for the Fourth of July and finally ending on Christmas decorations and commercials that emerge before Halloween even passes. But movements such as Black History Month and Pride Month have been added to the calendar in the past few decades, opening the …

(Social) Class Is In Session: Examining The Experiences Of Working-Class Students Through Social Class Identity, Class-Based Allyship, And Sense Of Belonging, Genia M. Bettencourt

Doctoral Dissertations

Working-class students experience numerous barriers in accessing and persisting within higher education. These barriers are often amplified at public research institutions that facilitate greater social class diversity, career opportunities, and degree completion, but cater to middle- and upper-class students. The result is a contrast for working-class students in which higher education can serve as a tool for social mobility while also reinforcing barriers that reproduce class inequality. In this dissertation, I used narrative inquiry to conduct 44 interviews with 24 working-class students regarding their social class meaning-making, perceptions of class-based allyship, and sense of belonging. All three concepts have been …

Enhancing Racial Allyship At A Predominately White Institution, Breana Z. Clark

M.A. in Higher Education Leadership: Action Research Projects

This action research explores how undergraduate students involved in multicultural clubs and organizations at the University of San Diego, define and engage in racial allyship. The purpose of the study was to understand how these students identify allies of color or other racially minoritized groups; as a means to work in collaboration for resource acquisition, persistence, and to magnify student voice. This is important to the research as current social and racial justice rhetoric primarily focuses on white people as allies to communities of color. Thus, my research question was: how can I help students of color enhance their capacity …

What's In An Ally? Closing Gaps In Lgbtq+ Support, Laura Gentner

Journal of Research, Assessment, and Practice in Higher Education

This study will explore the relationship between LGBTQ+ identifying students’ expectations of and experiences with allies, and their perceptions of campus climate. LGBTQ+ ally training programs and visibility of LGBTQ+ allies contribute to both campus climate and LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of that climate, leading to more positive and healthy college experiences. However, it is not clear that current practice in training and educating allies truly reflects the needs of LGBTQ+ identifying students.

While research is available for the design and implementation of ally training programs, there is little to no research on what LGBTQ+ identifying students expect of allies, nor …

Bare Minimums In Activism Do Nothing For A Cause, Sam Tracy

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Your safety pins don’t matter. There has been a recent rise in a silent protest to Donald Trump’s racist, xenophobic, sexist and homophobic rhetoric that involve spinning a safety pin onto your shirt. It started off as a gesture of kindness and a message to the marginalized people, saying: “hey, we’re here and we’re not with them. ”By pinning your shirt, you have a quiet way to show you do not support Trump’s harmful messages and you are a safe person to talk with.

Belonging, Bridges, And Bodies, Sheena Malhotra, Kimberlee Pérez

Graduate Student Scholarly and Creative Submissions

Feminists' negotiations of academic spaces are often facilitated by allies who act as bridges for us. We interviewed three pairs of women who are friends, colleagues, or partners and analyzed their stories for notions of how they were enacting bridgework for each other within the context of fluid identities, and shifting power relationships. We find that bridgework happens primarily along three axes in these relationships: bridging to community, bridging to power, and bridging to consciousness. This paper unpacks the differentials of bridgework done by differently racialized bodies as a means to understanding the conditions for belonging those bodies evoke. We …

Correspondence From A Umaine Alumna, Ruth W. Allen, Donald M. Stewart

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Handwritten letter from an alumna of the UMaine Class of 1973, expressing support for the University's actions related to the Wilde-Stein Club and the Alumni Fund's acknowledgement of her donation. Transcription: May 12, 1974 Dear Mr. Mooers: I read recently in the Washington Post of the struggle of University of Maine homosexuals for the right to meet and organize. I would like to convey through you, my sincere congratulations to Chancellor McNeil and the trustees for a courageous stand in the face of the threat of loss of financial support. The whole article pricked my conscience, and enclosed is my …

Letter Of Support From All Souls Congregational Church, J. Dudley Utterback

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typewritten letter from the chair of the Board of Deacons of All Souls Congregational Church, Bangor, Maine. A vote by members of the Board of Deacons pertaining to the Wilde-Stein Club and the pending "gay symposium" addressing issues faced by homosexual people supported the action of UMaine Trustees and the right of the freedom of speech.

Correspondence From A Maine Citizen, Geri Merola, Howard R. Neville

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typed letter from a Maine citizen in support of holding a "gay symposium" on the UMaine campus. President Howard Neville penned a handwritten response at the bottom of the letter that reads: Dear Gerri Merola - Thanks very much for your letter. The "Ayes" stack is much smaller than the "Nays." Yours helps - S Y - HRN

Letter From Maine Civil Liberties Union, Gilbert Zicklin

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typed letter from Gilbert Zicklin, President of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, to Lawrence Cutler, chair of the University of Maine Board of Trustees supporting the decision to protect the civil rights of Wilde-Stein Club members.

Essay Of Support From A Maine Citizen, Lisa Giguere

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typewritten, five page essay by Lisa Giguere in support of the University of Maine Board of Trustee's support of the Wilde-Stein Club.

Letter Of Support From Parents Of A Umaine Student, F. L. Bull

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typed letter from Mr. and Mrs. F. L. Bull expressing support for the Civil Rights of homosexual students attending the University of Maine.

Correspondence From A Umaine Alumnus, Jon H. Towle, Lester J. Nadeau

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typewritten letter from Jon H. Towle expressing support for the Civil Rights of the members of the Wilde-Stein Club.

Letter Of Support From A Maine Citizen, Jean Vermette

Social Justice: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Typewritten letter from Jean Vermette expressing support for the Civil Rights of the members of the Wilde-Stein Club.