Institute on Race and Ethnicity- Category C (Campus Activites)

Mary Buley-Meissner and Vincent Her, UW-Milwaukee
Ken Kohberger, UW-Whitewater
Liz Bonson, UW-Madison
Terri Karis and Roger Ballou, UW-River Falls
Fay Akindes, UW-Parkside
Sue Patrick, UW-Barron County

Mary Buley-Meissner, Department of English, Vincent Her, Department of Anthropology, UW-Milwaukee - "Traditional Knowledge and Modern Medicine: Health Care Issues in the Hmong American Community."
As part of the Hmong American Studies Initiative's ongoing series of public forums, a workshop will be held affording people the opportunity to engage in an educational panel discussion on the impact of Hmong traditional knowledge and belief systems on people's willingness to seek health care services, follow the advice of health care professionals, and incorporate modern understandings of health into their lifestyles. The panel will also address the insights offered by traditional practices and belief systems into the meaning of holistic health, i.e., well-being which encompasses physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual dimensions. Overall, this session will bring together the perspectives of Hmong American medical doctors and traditional healers for the first time on campus. Panel participants will include Dr. Cha Lee, a family physician who serves a large Hmong American population; Dr. Moua Tou Mouanoutoua, a surgeon; and Boua Xang Xiong, a Hmong shaman and cultural expert on Hmong traditional practices who will talk about Hmong spirituality and the maintenance of spiritual health.

Ken Kohberger, Irvin L. Young Auditorium (director), UW-Whitewater - "Cultural Outreach."
The Young Auditorium, Cultural Affairs Committee and the College of Arts and Communication will present three events that will include a master class, workshop, pre-show discussions and a school matinee for regional elementary, middle and high school students. These events will be included in the recommended list distributed to the World of The Arts students, a required general education course for all first-year UW-Whitewater students. The programs will include the Virsky Ukrainian Dance Company; the Urban Bush Women ensemble, who combine their formal dance training with a wide range of vocal, theater, and performance techniques; and the Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a South African choral group.

Liz Bonson, student, PREA (Promoting Racial and Ethnic Awareness), UW-Madison - "Understanding Privilege 2004."
Understanding Privilege is a three-day educational event for students to explore areas of majority privilege while fostering healthy identity development. While all students are welcome to attend, majority students will be targeted. This is intended to be a safe space where they can learn more about race, privilege and diversity and express their beliefs. The event will attempt to train students to see where they fit in with the struggle for a more inclusive and welcoming campus community, and what they can do to see that goal become a reality. It will serve as a parallel event to the Students of Color Connections (SCC), and a third collaborative event (UW Mosaic) to be held in the spring. The last event will bring together students from the SCC and UP to engage in cross-cultural dialogue and collective collaboration.

Terri Karis, Department of Psychology, UW-Stout, and Roger Ballou, Dean for Student Development and Campus Diversity, UW-River Falls - "Framing Racial and Ethnic Diversity Issues."
The goal of this project is to generate imaginative thinking that supports implementation of Phase 2 of Plan 2008, and addresses racial and ethnic diversity at UW-River Falls and UW-Stout. Using the concept of framing, twenty faculty and staff will join facilitator Dr. Troy Duster in a day-long working conversation to explore the conceptual structures used in thinking about diversity. The days experience will involve a student project team who will videograph the day as part of a class project. This will lay the groundwork for long-range systematic diversity plans that express the fundamental values of inclusion, acceptance, and community. Building on this foundation, each campus team will name specific next steps for translating their thinking into action.

Fay Akindes, Center for Ethnic Studies (director) and the Communication Department, UW-Parkside - "Lecture by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum."
Funds from this grant facilitated a guest lecture by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, psychologist and president of Spelman College. She addressed Frameworks for Thinking and Talking About Race, specifically in the context of education. Dr. Tatum is author of the book "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" And Other Conversations about Race. She is a specialist in racial identity development and has done extensive research on the experiences of African-American children growing up in predominantly white environments. Her talk engaged students, faculty, staff, and community members, including teachers in the regional public school system to motivate them to consider their personal spheres of influence in challenging and ending structural racism.

Sue Patrick, Department of History, UW-Barron County - "Lynching, Race, and Memory in Twentieth-Century America."
Professor James H. Madison of Indiana University will present a lecture drawn from his book, Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America, which focuses on the lynching of two young men in Marion, Indiana in 1930. Through this event, he will review America's history of racial violence, explaining the color lines that existed - even in northern areas - in the early part of the twentieth century, and describe the actual lynching and the lasting significance of what happened. The lecture will be open to UW-Barron County and faculty and staff at other UW institutions, as well as the general public.