I am excited to share with you some of the great work the Honors College is doing! The St. Louis Civil Rights Speaker Series is an on-going discussion on race in St. Louis and the importance of 
activism in the city’s past and present. The final conversation will be October 27th at 6:30pm with Sylvester Brown. Sylvester was a former columnist from Post-Dispatch and writes for the St. Louis American. He was the opening narrator for the Pruitt-Igoe Myth documentary and has come to campus numerous times to talk to students about growing up in Pruitt-Igoe. Sylvester also participated in the Beyond the Building videos and is currently the founder of the Sweet Potato Project. This was created to restore economic activities in North St. Louis to teach youth a sustainable business and entrepreneurial skills.
Category Archives: Events
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, ODEI is proud to partner with Dr. April Regester, Associate Professor, Special Education, UMSL College of Education to offer a session on Inclusive Language for our disability community.
This session will provide you with an opportunity to learn about currently appropriate terminology as well as the reasoning behind why these terms are generally preferred. This will be a safe space to ask questions, voice concerns, and share your experiences.
Black Futurity Reading Group’s October Event
Dear UMSL Faculty, Staff, and Students,
The Black Futurity Group invites you to join us in a virtual discussion of an excerpt from Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers 
Her Superpower.
When: Thursday, October 29th at 1 pm
Where: Via Zoom, passcode: 000498
Reading: “Orchestrated Fury”
For questions, contact Kara Moskowitz (moskowitzk@umsl.edu), Lauren Obermark (ObermarkL@umsl.edu), or Kimberly Welch (kwelch@umsl.edu).
Out at Work – LGBTQ Panel Discussion
Join the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Gender Studies and the Office of Student Involvement as we present Out at Work, a panel discussion on workplace experiences from members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Please also check out the following resources:
Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index-www.hrc.org/resources
The Black Futurity Reading Group Invites You to Join us in a Virtual Discussion
Dear UMSL Faculty, Staff, and Students,
The Black Futurity Reading Group invites you to join us in a virtual discussion of microaggressions and black life through excerpts from Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric.
When: Wednesday, September 30th at 1 pm
Where: Via Zoom, passcode: 805948
Reading: Citizen: An American Lyric, excerpts
Additional note: There are several Situation videos that correspond to section vi of Citizen. We will discussion Situation Video 1. For questions, contact Kimberly Welch (kwelch@umsl.edu).
Race-Based Stress and Trauma Group at CPS
In the wake of recent events and related resistance movements, there is increasing awareness of the experience of stress and anxiety related to racial identity. This telehealth (online or phone) group intervention seeks to target race-based stress and trauma through open discussions supplemented by cognitive-behavioral practices.
Specific session topics include discussions and exercises tackling the experience of interpersonal and systemic racism, race-based stressors and their impacts on mental health, and empowerment related to racial identity.
Sessions will be led by doctoral graduate students in the UMSL Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology under the direct supervision of licensed psychologist faculty members.
For more information click here .
Celebrate 50 years of LGBTQ+ Pride!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of LGBTQ Pride, first started to honor the Stonewall Uprising that served as the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Read more about the history of Pride Month.
Although Pride Month is usually marked with festive parades and celebrations worldwide, this year organizers rise to the challenge of our times by planning several virtual events.
This year provides additional cause for celebration with the recent Supreme Court ruling banning LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace. Although this decision is historic, it’s hard to believe that it has been such a long fight for equality in the workplace for our LGBTQ communities.
And as we celebrate this victory, we must remember that Black Lives Matter protests are not just about the police killing Black men, but also about the violence committed on Black women and members of the LGBTQ community…whose stories of violence by the police we usually don’t see on the news. The energy and support of the current protests are also serving to bolster support for Black Trans Lives Matter protests as well.
So we take a pause to celebrate some good news, while keeping our voices raised for justice and racial equality!
Join us for a Virtual Gathering for Racial Unity
Join the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as we host a
Virtual Gathering for Racial Unity
Thursday, June 18, 2020 12:00 P.M. – 1:30 P.M.
ODEI is hosting a virtual gathering that will allow individuals to come together for a facilitated panel discussion in order to process, share and listen. This is the first of many facilitated discussions on racial equity and unity sponsored by ODEI in collaboration with campus and community experts. This virtual gathering is open to all UMSL students, faculty and staff. You must register with an UMSL or UM System email. You will receive an Outlook invite and Zoom link prior to the event
Registration Link
Anonymous Survey for Virtual Gathering
ODEI Racial Unity Event Flyer – 6.11.20 (1)