Mission:

Spoon River College recognizes the importance of multicultural engagement as it allows us to acknowledge and celebrate the rich, vibrant lives and histories of not only our students  and staff, but of our diverse friends and neighbors as well.

Collage of racially diverse groups and individuals at SRC

SRC Initiatives

Institutional Goals        +

At Spoon River College…

We champion the diversity of our employees, students, and the communities we serve.
We recognize that diversity comes in a variety of forms.
We respect the life experiences that stem from human diversity.
We acknowledge that, when contending with social and historical aspects of American life, diversity results in privilege for some at the expense of others.
We strive to differentiate between equity and equality to foster greater cultural awareness and understanding.
We promote an educational and work environment that promotes inclusivity.
We advocate for the robust sharing of ideas that highlight rather than discount or disparage our diversity.
We remain committed to providing cultural and educational opportunities that will ultimately strengthen our communities for generations to come.

 

Diversity Committee        +
The Diversity Committee develops informational campaigns and sponsors events that are designed to foster education about diversity issues facing the students, staff, and faculty of SRC. Recognizing that diversity includes issues of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender, age, religion, political affiliation, physical abilities, income, military experience, marital status, parental status, and geographic location, the Committee seeks to promote SRC’s core values, specifically Caring, Respect, and Fairness.

 

Diversity Display        +
Diversity display in Taylor Hall 2nd floor hallway

One of the primary responsibilities of the Diversity Committee is to maintain the dynamic diversity displays on the Canton and Macomb campuses. The display features various informational signs that highlight key figures, events, and backgrounds that correspond with a spotlighted cluster of federally recognized diversity months, with the signage changing quarterly according to each cluster. In total. In total, there are four clusters:

  • January-March cluster: African-American History (Feb.), Women’s History (March), Irish-American Heritage (March)
  • April-May cluster: Asian-Pacific Heritage (May), Older Americans (May), Jewish-American Heritage (May)
  • June-September: LGBT Pride (June), National Hispanic-Latino Heritage (Sept.)
  • October-December: National Disability Employment Awareness (Oct.), National Italian-American Heritage (Oct.), National American Indian Heritage (Nov.)

In Canton, the display (pictured) is featured on the second floor of Taylor Hall. In Macomb, smaller displays can be found at various locations on the first floor.

DEI-Related Student Groups

DEI Educational Resources

DEI 101        +

Adapted from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the eXtension Foundation Impact Collaborative, and SRC Sociology Instructor Michael Maher:

Diversity involves all of the ways that humans differ from one another, typically involving “race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, language, (dis)ability, age, religious commitment or political perspective.”

Equity seeks to promote “justice, impartiality, and fairness within the procedure, processes, and distribution of resources by institutions or systems.” It is important to note the distinction between equity and equality. To treat everyone the same, i.e., equally, within a society with so much existing inequality assumes that personal merit, skill, and work ethic alone can overcome our history and unequal opportunity structures. However, what research indicates is that without affirmative actions to address inequality of opportunity, discriminatory patterns will not only persist but intensify. Equity is not about ensuring an equal outcome; equity is a commitment to level the playing field, to provide opportunities to people who have been historically marginalized and who lack resources.

Inclusion ensures that participants representing a range of diverse backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to pull a seat up to the table. This approach enables everyone to have “the power to weigh in on important decisions and participate in development opportunities.”

 

Books        +

 

Documentary Films        +
  • 13th – A documentary film by Ava DuVernay that looks at the 13th Amendment and its complicity in the rise of the prison-industrial complex. (YouTube)
  • America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump – This documentary looks at the current American political landscape and how it reached its current levels of divisiveness. (Prime)
  • And She Could be Next – A film that looks at how women of color are impacting the American political landscape in an effort to preserve democracy. (Prime)
  • Birth of a Movement – A look at a civil rights activist’s fight against the blockbuster film The Birth of a Nation–one in which the hero was the Ku Klux Klan–and the impact of race and representation in popular media. (Prime)
  • The Central Park Five – A film that uses the wrongful conviction of five minority teenagers to unpack how we perceive both crime and race. (SRC Library)
  • Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution – This documentary follows a group of lifelong friends who met at a summer camp for people with disabilities, and how their bond led to much needed systemic change decades later. (Netflix)
  • The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson – An investigation into the death of Stonewall icon and black gay rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. (Netflix)
  • Disclosure – A documentary that explores the impact of trans misrepresentation and/or lack of representation in popular media. (Netflix)
  • East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story – A look at how a lack of affordable housing can lead to a concentration of poverty that disproportionately affects some communities over others. (Prime)
  • God in America – A thorough examination of the role religion has played in shaping the United States. (Prime)
  • Growing Up Trans – An exploration of the experience of being trans in America, focusing specifically on youth, their families, and the choices they must make. (SRC library)
  • Hiding in Plain Sight – An examination of the American mental health crisis from the perspective of young people coping with mental health issues. (Prime)
  • The Jewish People: A story of Survival – A comprehensive look at the history of the Jewish community. (Prime)
  • John Lewis: Good Trouble – A look at the celebrated politician, from his early days as a Civil Rights activist to his later years in Congress still pushing for change. (HBO Max)
  • The Kalief Browder Story – A moving docuseries that highlights the case of Kalief Browder, a young man who allegedly stole a backpack and was held in prison for three years without ever having been convicted of the crime because his family could not afford bail. (Netflix)
  • Little White Lie – This film details one woman’s experience with race and her attempt to embrace a racial heritage she did not know she had. (Prime)
  • Making Black America: Through the Grapevine – Henry Louis Gates Jr. spotlights the vast social networks Black Americans created for themselves that were beyond the reach of the “White gaze”, thus enabling them to celebrate Blackness and thrive. (Prime)
  • The Murder of Emmett Till – The murder of Emmett Till was a catalyzing event in the civil rights movement. This film explores the background of the crime, his mother’s brave choice in the aftermath, and the repercussions it had in America and abroad. (PBS)
  • Reel Injun – An insightful film that looks at how indigenous Americans have been portrayed in films over the last century. (Prime)
  • Sacred Water: Standing Rock, Part 1 – The story of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation’s fight to prevent a pipeline from being built across their sacred homeland. (Tubi)
  • Slavery and the Making of America – A history of slavery from its onset through Reconstruction, looking specifically at how it shaped our nation in the south and beyond. (Prime)
  • Slavery by Another Name – A documentary based on the book above by Sam Pollard. (SRC library)
  • Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood, and American Culture – An examination of toxic masculinity and its impact on men and boys in the United States. (Kanopy via SRC)
  • The U.S. and the Holocaust – An in-depth look at how the United States–a nation of immigrants–responded to the humanitarian crisis that was the Holocaust. (Prime)
  • Veiled Voices – A documentary that examines the role of women within the confines of the Muslim religion. (SRC library)
  • We Shall Remain: America Through Native Eyes – From the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620 to the occupation at Wounded Knee in 1973, this documentary looks at the experience of indigenous Americans as the world moved in around them. (PBS)
  • What Was Ours – The film looks at the handling of Native American artifacts and how most are hidden away in museum basements. The filmmakers seek to understand why. (Prime)
  • White Like Me: Race, Racism and White Privilege in America – An important exploration of racism as filtered through a lens of whiteness and white privilege. (Kanopy via SRC)

 

 

TED Talks        +

 

Contact Information

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