Resources to Promote Inclusion and Belonging
By Anjanette Nuñez, PT, DPT; DeAndrea Bullock, PT, DPT; and Sarah Caston, PT, DPT
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The following resource list was generated to reflect a commitment to a collective pursuit of knowledge and best practices in teaching, learning, and engaging with our community of lifelong learners in ways that actively honor the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice. Engagement with the humanities through art, literature, film, and other modalities encourages the practice of authentic self-reflection to promote dialogue and visibility for populations that have experienced marginalization. The humanities, both in medicine and in social justice work, cultivate a sense of belonging and inclusion through shared experiences of humanity. The authors suggest the following resources, available through a variety of platforms, to guide readers along their journey toward creating safe spaces of inclusion and belonging.
Art and Advocacy
Visual Thinking Strategies is a research-based education nonprofit fostering transformational learning through thoughtful, facilitated discussion of art and professional development workshops.
The Inclusion Poster Project 2021, a student art-and-design exhibit presented through the virtual Madelon Powers Gallery, promotes dialogue about inclusion and diversity through art. This is a collaboration between students from the University of São Paulo in Brazil and East Stroudsburg University in the United States.
https://www.esu.edu/madelon-powers/exhibitions/inclusion-poster-project/index.cfm
Inclusion in Art offers exhibitions, workshops, and creative lectures and projects to support artists of color, and connects communities through socially-conscious presentations.
The Ashé Cultural Arts Center offers gallery space for performance and film and serves as an educational center celebrating the people, places, and philosophies of the African diaspora across the American South.
Museum of the Southeast American Indian
The Leaving Home, Building Community digital exhibit shares the lived experience of North Carolina’s Native peoples.
Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition
The Girlhood (It’s Complicated) exhibition website explores the concept and complicated history of girlhood in the US by examining the historical areas of politics, work, education, fashion, and health.
https://americanhistory.si.edu/girlhood
Movies/Videos
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020). A documentary about Camp Jened, which welcomed persons with disabilities from the 1950s through the 1970s, in contrast to many mainstream American summer camps of the era who did not welcome people with disabilities.
Passing (2021). A film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel of the racial identity of two Black women, Irene and Clare, and the differences in their lives and their marriages. Irene is married to a Black man, while Clare is passing as a white woman and is married to an overtly racist white man.
American Skin (2019). A vivid account of a bereaved Black father seeking justice after his son is murdered by a white policeman, the film weaves themes of cynicism and truth, empathy, violence, humanity, and justice.
Encanto (2021). Set in Colombia, Encanto tells a story relatable and enjoyable for both adults and children, with catchy original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The tale first centers around 15-year-old Mirabel Madrigal, who is learning to find her place as the only non-magical member of her enchanted and talented family. As the plot progresses, the characters reveal deeper complexities of emotional tension related to generational trauma, and how woven journeys of self-love and acceptance strengthen familial and community bonds through new beginnings.
Written Word
Beyond Diversity: 12 Non-Obvious Ways to Build a More Inclusive World (2021), by Jennifer Brown and Rohit Bhargava
Jennifer Brown, author of Inclusion: Diversity, the New Workplace, and the Will to Change, and How to be an Inclusive Leader, pairs with Rohit Bhargava and contributing writers to urge readers to move diversity beyond conversation toward real action. The book highlights the themes of storytelling and identity, and explores areas including the education, technology, and retail worlds. The authors compiled conversations among more than 200 global experts in the fields of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent (2020), by Isabel Wilkerson
Caste is a powerful, brilliantly-researched and well-written book that takes the reader on a journey into a historical exploration of caste systems. The text specifically focuses on the hierarchical systems that were powerful drivers of the toxic culture of Nazi Germany; the dehumanization of the Dalit peoples in India; and the degradation of Black individuals in America. Its critical examination of the existence of these systems, and how they drive culture, power, and expressions of humanity, is paramount to moving the needle toward equity, inclusivity, and creating a sense of belonging. Wilkerson’s masterful writing, attention to historical accuracy, and detail compels readers to reckon with the experiences of those who have lived and are living within the ranks of these caste systems. She exposes and challenges raw truths and long-upheld fallacies about where society stands regarding anti-racist and anti-ableist initiatives, and the ideologic transformation it will take to truly realize living in a post-caste era.
Minor Feelings (2020), by Cathy Park Hong
Portraying the racism, erasure, and shame forced upon her as a Korean-American woman, Hong exposes the excruciatingly slow pace of change in US society regarding racism toward Asian-Americans, who are still often seen as nonexistent or insignificant. Through poetic essays, the author shares how daily experiences of covert and overt racism lead to internalized shame and a sense of oppression.
Health and Wellness
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture
“Celebrate Black History Month Through the Lens of Black Health & Wellness.”
This site offers web resources highlighting the stories of Black pioneers of health and wellness, western medicine, and health education, including “Community-Based Doulas and Midwives Addressing the US Maternal Health Crisis,” “Black Pioneers in Medicine,” and topics of racial health disparities, mental health, and self-care.
https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/initiatives/black-history-month
Active Minds
This nonprofit organization supports mental health awareness for young adults through self-care resources, shared spaces, storytelling, research, education, and advocacy. Their stated mission is to change the “conversation about mental health.”
Audio and Visual
Ted Talk Playlist: “Tips for inclusive leadership.” https://www.ted.com/playlists/593/tips_for_inclusive_leadership
Ted Talk Playlist: “What is home?” A thoughtful look at what it means to belong.
https://www.ted.com/playlists/394/what_is_home
Ted Talk Playlist: “A love letter to misfits,” signifying the beauty in being a misfit for all who feel like they don’t belong.
https://www.ted.com/playlists/719/a_love_letter_to_misfits
Ted Talk Playlist: “Fascinating windows into humanity,” a written-word and photography series highlighting diversity and the beauty of human life.
https://www.ted.com/playlists/516/fascinating_windows_into_human
22 Podcasts to Increase Your Awareness Around Diversity and Inclusion. This post provides a list of podcasts addressing diversity, equity, social justice, belonging, and inclusion.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative provides resources including “Behind the Camera” and “The Music Coalition,” and extensively studies inclusion and diversity in entertainment. It examines the representation of women and people of color behind the camera in television, film, and digital storytelling, and engages with music industry leaders and executives to develop research-based solutions to confront inequality.
https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/aii
Asian CineVision (ACV) provides spaces for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the media arts, and organizes the annual Asian American International Film Festival.
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