Academics for Black Survival and Wellness: October Workshops
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Online – Please RSVP <here> through Zoom for the Public Lecture by Dr. Della Mosley on October 1, 2021
Online – Students please RSVP for workshops at info@feministmediastudio.ca
Online – Faculty and staff please RSVP for workshops <here>
Academics for Black Survival and Wellness (A4BL) is a personal and professional development initiative for Non-Black academics to honor the toll of racial trauma on Black people, resist anti-Blackness and white supremacy, and facilitate accountability and collective action. A4BL also is a space for healing and wellness for Black people. A4BL was launched in the Summer of 2020 on Juneteenth in response to the countless murders of Black people at the hands of white supremacy. The initiative began as a week-long initiative and call to action for academics to support and be accountable to Black liberation. With over 10,000 participants from across the world, the initiative provided Non-Black participants with training materials to make actionable change to address anti-Black racism in their personal lives and academia. Black participants were provided with virtual community wellness events to build their coping and resistance toolkit.
This Fall, the Feminist Media Studio will launch a series of October “workshops”, organized in collaboration with Dr. Della V. Mosley and Academics for Black Survival and Wellness. A4BL will provide to participating members on each Friday in October materials and activities around a given theme. Participants will be able to go through the materials (including videos, readings, exercises, checklists, etc.) on their own, and complete the exercises to assist in self-reflection and actionable commitments. Participants will organize into smaller “accountability groups” and will meet weekly to discuss the materials, activities and reflections. This is both a personal and collective activity. Participants are invited to move through the material at their own pace, sensitive to their time and personal limits. While each workshop builds on the prior one, we understand that some members may only be able to participate in one or two. We warmly welcome all to participate as they are able.
Dr. Mosley will kick off the October workshop with her reflections on A4BL and the importance of combatting white supremacy in the university and committing to black liberation. You do not need to register for the workshops to attend the kickoff event.
The four workshop themes are:
- Foundations for Black Survival and Wellness (materials available Oct.2nd; accountability meetings between Oct.2-8)
- Exploring Whiteness in the Academy (materials available Oct.9th; accountability meetings between Oct.9-15)
- Practicing Black Allyship (materials available Oct.16th; accountability meetings between Oct.17-22)
- Committing to Black Liberation (materials available Oct.23rd; accountability meetings between Oct.24-9)
We will close this collective activity with a public discussion with Dr. Mosley and Pearis Bellamy on Friday October 29th, 4-5pm.
We warmly encourage all our members to join in these workshops/activities and invite the public to our launch and public lecture by Dr. Mosley. Participation in this crucial project, which constitutes substantive training in combatting anti-Black racism, will create the necessary foundation for a deep-seated collective commitment to Black liberation and combating White supremacy in the academy. In order to register, please send an email to info@feministmediastudio.ca with your name and preferred email account. The FMS will cover the $125 student fee for all participating student members, and will create an account for each participating student to access course materials over the course of the month. Participating faculty are welcome to register directly here.
Alongside these workshops/activities, A4BL will make available wellness resources for BIPOC members of the FMS community. These resources are directed particularly at addressing the strains and pressures that BIPOC academics face in academia. Those interested in committing to these workshops are invited to RSVP to info@feministmediastudio.ca.
Anyone wishing to attend who has specific accessibility needs are invited to get in touch with us.
Della V. Mosley, PhD (She/her) is an Assistant Professor in the APA-accredited Counseling Psychology Program at the University of Florida. She created and leads the Wellness, Equity, Love, Liberation, and Sexuality (WELLS) Healing and Research Collective. She is a Black queer feminist, scholar, activist, and healer committed to Black liberation. Dr. Della’s research focuses on facilitating the wellness of Black and/or queer and transgender People of Color and is undergirded by Black feminist-womanist-paradigms and liberating methods of inquiry (i.e. qualitative research methods). She uses practical, evidence-based, and culturally mindful solutions to fight anti-Black racism and facilitate the healing and liberation of Black people. She has published in top-tier journals, has been invited to speak nationally, and is engaged in radical social justice advocacy work for Black liberation. Dr. Della is an American Psychological Association Minority Fellow, co-authors the Psychology Today blog, “Healing through Social Justice” with the Psychology of Radical Healing Collective, and currently serves as the Presidential Task Force Co-Chair for the American Psychological Association Society of Counseling Psychology.
