Article: Pathway to Dismantling Systemic Racism in CSD

We Still Can’t Breathe: Diversity & Inclusion Fellows Pathway to Dismantling Systemic Racism in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD)

Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Diversity & Inclusion Fellows is more than an affinity group, but a social justice collective committed to dismantling racial injustice in CSD.

By R. Danielle Scott, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Introduction

On May 24, 2020, outside Cup Foods on Chicago Avenue and 38th Street in North Minneapolis, Minnesota, George Floyd pleaded to police officers “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times, only to have his plea dismissed by Derek Chauvin, the white officer pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck. George Floyd’s resounding words have become a rally cry accompanied by the mirror image of systemic racism for the world to see.

The brutal murder of George Floyd was a wakeup call to the colorblindness in Minnesota. The local stance of “Minnesota Nice”, exacerbates racism, and posits the best way to end discrimination is by treating individuals as equally as possible, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. While Minnesota has a long history of genocide and degradation of Black and Indigenous communities, Minnesota State University, Mankato Communication Sciences and Disorders program responded with a call to action.

The Communication Sciences & Disorders graduate program at Minnesota State Mankato designed and implemented an affinity group created to meet the critical need of recruitment and retention of people of color into the profession of speech-language pathology called the Diversity & Inclusion Fellows. 

Preparation and Administrative Buy-In

The Diversity & Inclusion Fellows Cohort was created by a faculty workgroup, including the department chair, Dr. Megan Mahowald and a distinguished faculty member of color, Dr. Sheen Chiou. Design of the program began in 2019. New courses centering diversity, equity and inclusion were added to the curriculum: DEI in SLP: Education and Medical Settings, DEI Seminar, and Cultural Humility. The CSD faculty engaged in professional development in the area of racial equity and developed a Statement on Dismantling Racial Equity, highlighting departmental goals for recruiting students of color and reimagining more holistic graduate admissions requirements. Instead of primarily focusing on GPA and Graduate Record Exam scores, the department decided to no longer require the GRE due to the history of racial/ethnic bias. Graduate applicants were required to address diversity, equity, and inclusion within their personal essays.

All graduate applicants identifying as people of color were eligible for the Diversity & Inclusion Fellows Cohort and a small group of faculty reviewed those applications separately. While preparing for students of color, in order to meet the needs of representation and mentorship, the department recruited and hired its first Black tenure-track faculty member, Dr. R. Danielle Scott. Hiring a faculty member of color and recruitment of Diversity & Inclusion Fellows was supported by the Dean of Allied Health & Nursing, the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Dean of Graduate Education, and the Provost.  With economic equity in mind, the faculty work group also secured graduate assistantships for Diversity & Inclusion Fellows. It is the goal for all Diversity & Inclusion Fellows to receive at least partial tuition assistance.

Starting the Program

In August 2021, the CSD program welcomed 41 new graduate students, seven of whom are D&I Fellows. In August 2022, eight D&I Fellows were welcomed. Currently, there are a total of 15 Diversity & Inclusion Fellows, with historically excluded racial and ethnic identities such as Hmong, Black/African-American, Indian, Korean, Taiwanese, and Latine/Hispanic. Students were recruited from the undergraduate program and from across the United States.

Doing the Work: The Strategic Task Force 

To avoid the racial tokenism of the D&I Fellows, the faculty advisor, Dr. Scott created a strategic task force designed for the purpose of mentorship and collaborative racial equity work. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Task Force consists of five core committees: recruitment, mentorship, current & continuing education, service and research. Social gatherings and events are also prioritized to foster a sense of inclusion and belonging within the affinity group. 

Current and Continuing Education

The current and continuing education committee critically examines current academic practices, policies, and existing courses to address racial/ethnic disparities. The committee also looks to provide professional development and education related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. Major events included the “How to Become an Ally: How to Be Anti-racist" Series which facilitated faculty and student understanding and practical implementation of anti-racism. Another event, “Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CLD) day” was an interactive day filled with learning about Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (CLD) and unlearning stigma. Students enrolled in the Cultural Humility undergraduate course facilitated virtual small group presentations on specific topic areas.

Recruitment

The recruitment committee raises awareness about the profession of speech-language pathology and recruit students of color for the undergraduate and graduate programs. Events emphasized relationship building on campus as well as with other institutions, to include the local community college South Central Community College, and Historically Black University, North Carolina A&T.

Mentorship

The mentorship committee provides mentorship opportunities to current undergraduate students of color as well as the D & I Fellows. With the first event “unWritten Rules of Grad School”, D & I fellows provided a candid panel conversation for students of color looking to apply to graduate school. Mentorship continued through coaching and support throughout the application period. D & I Fellows also received ongoing mentorship and advising by faculty of color.

Research

The research committee aims to center the voices of SLPs of color who are researchers and/or social media influencers. Each month, the committee disseminates research or highlights social media activism by SLPs of color to the MSU Mankato community through social media platforms. The D & I Fellows also submitted a proposal and were accepted to present at the 2022 ASHA Convention.

Service

The service committee plans and implements outreach activities for underserved youth and adults in the local community. One program was an extension of an existing recreation and literacy program, Rec N Read. Through Rec N Read Remix, D & I Fellows piloted a new graduate clinical placement at a local afterschool program, primarily servicing students of color. Each week, the D &I Fellows implement literacy and recreational activities through a therapeutic and culturally responsive lens, using multicultural books as tools.

Measuring Success

As part of required reporting to the University, the CSD program is assessed annually. Graduate students and community partners are surveyed regarding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and programming. Information is compared year to year. In collaboration with the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) the CSD department completed a Racial Equity Action Assessment, using qualitative methods to explore student experiences with culturally responsive practices and racial equity within academic and clinical work. Data is disaggregated to examine specifically how students of color are impacted. 

Launch Your Own Racial Equity Affinity Group

All communication sciences and disorders should be committed to dismantling systemic racism. Academic programs interested in developing programming to recruit and retain students of color may want to follow these steps:

1. Create a climate that centers diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging so students of color will thrive in their academic program. Ask hard questions about why students of color are not represented currently. Before recruitment begins, you want to critically examine admissions policies, procedures, courses, and teaching pedagogies. Create holistic admissions policies, such as removing the GRE requirement due to associated racial/ethnic bias. Faculty should engage in anti-racist pedagogical training. Courses should be created to address specific topic areas related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Course objectives should be critically examined for culturally responsive language, to include equitable learning outcomes. Locate funding sources for students of color, which may include graduate assistantships.
2. Recruit and retain faculty of color as mentors and advisors. Students need to see themselves in the academic and clinical faculty as well as receive culturally responsive personal and professional mentorship.
3. Create ongoing, practical experiences and opportunities for White students and faculty to learn how to become allies and accomplices on the journey to racial equity. Provide opportunities for critical self-reflection of biases and build capacity for recognizing and responding to racism, discrimination, and microaggressions.
4. Develop a student-centered affinity group mission. Students should be able to co-implement personal goals and objectives to advance racial equity within the collective.

Words from the Diversity & Inclusion Fellows

"Before becoming a fellow, I knew I wanted to be part of what makes the field a better and more equitable space but wasn’t sure what my next steps were. It wasn’t until the task force was formed and we created our mission that I was truly able to have a safe space and sense of community. I felt supported to share and make real meaningful change. Along the way, we were able to support future professionals within the field by turning our words into actions."

Lexis Arnold, Class of 2023

“Being part of the DEI Fellows has given me a sense of community and belonging. I have always lived in very diverse cities and living in a predominantly white community was something very foreign to me. I have also learned about other cultures and how much we have in common. We bonded over similar experiences and hurdles, and as a result, we created our own support system!”

Ashley Figueroa, Class of 2023

"Being a part of the DEI Fellows' felt like being a part of a family. A family where you always have a place, are loved and you belong. I was one of the two BIPOC students in undergraduate and the only international student so needless to say it was a very isolating experience, but as soon as I got to know I was going to be a part of DEI Fellows' in grad school and be a part of a group that could relate to my experiences and provide a listening ear (as well as a shoulder to cry on), it was life changing!" 

Riya Arora, Class of 2023

Danielle Scott, PhD, CCC-SLP, is an assistant professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is an affiliate of ASHA Special Interest Group 14, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.