ADDI Update – June 2021

Dear Friedman Community,

There has been a lot to celebrate in June – Pride Month, Juneteenth, and the continued easing of COVID-related measures.  A highlight of my month was the panel discussion with BIPOC farmers as part of the second annual Day of Reflection, Commitment, and Action for Racial Justice. Many thanks to recent alum Melissa Gordon for organizing and moderating the panel! There is a recording of it on the event website. 

There has been ongoing progress toward implementing the Friedman Anti-Racism Action Plan. A couple areas to note this month: 

• Orsolya Szabo has taken on the action item related to creating an inclusive physical environment for 150 Harrison. She spent some time gathering input and collecting ideas from various groups at Friedman and then put together a plan and presented it to the School’s Administrative Cabinet. The plan includes some ideas for the School website, for example a designated spot on the homepage for poster sessions and talks students participate in, as well as for mini-profiles of students. It also includes adding more content to the public space monitors, such as a photo loop of events, community engagement photos, and images related to holidays and other traditions that are meaningful to members of the Friedman community. Orsolya will also request photos and other items for display in the Friedman spaces. These are just a few examples! Over the next few months, Orsolya will be reaching out for information and materials.  Many thanks to her for taking this on!  
• The Service Learning Working Group of Friedman’s Service Scholar’s Program is working with Dean Saltzman and me to pilot the addition of a service learning component in two existing courses. Service learning, at its most fundamental, involves classroom learning that is coupled with volunteering with a community organization. Reflection is also a key component, designed to deepen the student’s learning. I’m incredibly excited about this effort, as I believe that breaking down the walls between the academy and the community is essential for DEI in multiple ways. I will do my best to ensure a successful pilot, with the hope of expanding this program!  Many, many thanks to the Service Learning Working Group (Lizzy Cooper, Gabby Rao, and Emily Sanchez) for their time and dedication to this. 

It’s summer!  I hope everyone has a restful July (I will be taking the last two weeks off!). As always, please just reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. 

Best,
Sara 

EVENTS:
It’s generally a quiet summertime, but a couple things to look forward to in the fall: 

Friday 17 September 2021, 1-3 PM: Can We Talk? Difficult Conversations with Underrepresented People of Color. Screening of the movie “Can We Talk?” by Dr. Kendall Moore and discussion led by her and Tufts facilitators. Open to the Tufts community. More info to come on location and registration. Event Contact: Todd Quinto, Math Dept., todd.quinto@tufts.edu

21-23 September 2021, 12:30-5:30 PM: NIH workshop on “Food Insecurity, Neighborhood Food Environment & Nutrition Health Disparities: State of the Science.”  The goal is to review the state of the science around food insecurity and the neighborhood food environment, identify research gaps and explore innovative research strategies that could inform policies and practices. Experts in these fields will come together for a series of panel discussions that address nutrition health disparities. This online event, which is free and open to the public, features panel discussions, networking opportunities and two poster sessions. NIH encourages early stage investigators, as well as doctoral and postdoctoral students, working in the areas of food insecurity, neighborhood food environments, and other related nutrition health disparities topics to submit an abstract for a poster. Submit your poster abstract by July 9, 2021 for a chance to present your research and receive an award.

RESOURCES:
Qualitative food culture study of functionally diverse people (thanks to Ellen Messer for sending this along) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350103033_The_Denied_Pleasure_of_Eating_A_Qualitative_Study_with_Functionally_Diverse_People_in_Spain