Eight HFA Proposals Receive Funding from Community, Democracy, and Dialogue Grants

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The Office of Equity and Inclusion has announced 33 proposals that have been selected to receive support from its Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) grants, totaling $75,000. Funded proposals include eight that involve faculty, students, and staff from the College of Humanities & Fine Arts. These grants are a testament to UMass Amherst’s commitment to promoting diverse discourse and open dialogue on critical global and domestic social issues.

The HFA projects and grant recipients are as follows: 
 

Building Bridges as We Walk: A Celebration of New Writing by Latine Scholars and Practitioners

Elisa Gonzales, faculty, Department of Theater

This project invites scholars and practitioners who contributed to The Routledge Companion to Latin Theatre and Performance to speak on campus. The event will feature notable researchers of Latine theater, including Dr. Jorge Huerta, Noe Montez, and Olga Saltveit Sanchez. As part of this event, UMass graduate and undergraduate theater students will perform short scenes. Speakers will be allowed to expand upon their writings and share their perspectives, building ties within UMass Amherst’s Latine community and encouraging open dialogue on Latine performance, identity, and history.

Dialogue across Disciplines: Finding Common Ground

Moira Inghilleri, faculty, Department of Languages, Literature, and Cultures

This project aims to bridge the disciplinary silos that can arise in academia while recognizing that the pressing issues of our times require a holistic approach to problem solving. Working in conjunction with a pre-existing general education initiative, the grant will fund a series of extracurricular events for students, beginning with a student-led forum called “Confronting Stereotypes across Majors,” where they will discuss stereotypes associated with their majors in an effort to dismantle biases related to fields of study.

Colors of Unity: DEI Workshop and Collaborative Art Project

Boram Kim, graduate student, Department of Art

This project aims to address collective efforts to combat discrimination, specifically via the “Stop Asian Hate” and “Black Lives Matter” movements. Drawing inspiration from the artwork of Sam Gilliam and Pacita Abad, “Colors of Unity” combines guided discussions and collaborative art creation. Guest speakers will provide insights into the artists' work, and a student group will lead a guided art-making process using recycled fabric and dye. It will culminate with a large fabric sculpture made by UMass students, faculty, and staff alike.

Y3K: The Future of Belonging

Sandy Litchfield, faculty, Department of Architecture

This project addresses the existential grief and anxiety associated with the current climate crises. To promote a productive and civil discourse, three experts in fostering productive dialogue will be invited to campus to make space for and lead conversations centered on the thorny issues that might divide us. These experts include a local Indigenous leader and cultural steward who is working to revitalize traditional practices, an artist, poet, and novelist who will explore climate grief, anxiety, and alienation in their work, and an actor and theater director who applies theater techniques to inspire dialogue and build community.

The Futures of Postcolonial Studies: Desire and Collectivity

Asha Nadkarni, faculty, Department of English

This project will host a symposium to bring scholars from around the world to engage in conversations about anticolonial thought, which can help bring about better futures by deconstructing colonial practices. This symposium will consist of panels, roundtable discussions, and informal conversations.

The Beyond Borders Speaker Series

Jeff Parker, faculty, Department of English

This project inaugurates a new speaker series, titled “Beyond Borders,” that will be organized by two faculty members and a staff member from the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The series will include international writers and their literary translators who will speak about their work, from poetry to novels, which address relevant global issues. At the end of the writers' presentations, a Q&A will allow the UMass community to engage in conversations around the topics discussed. The project's goal is to facilitate presentations, conversations, and cultural exchange about a wide range of topics to impact many different backgrounds and experiences on the UMass campus.

Perspectives on Spatial Justice

Erika Zekos, faculty, Department of Architecture

This project aims to invite dialogue around the critical topic of spatial justice, which addresses architecture’s intersection with social and environmental justice, and focuses on the unequal ways people are served by the built environment. An invited speaker will lead a series of formal and informal discussions, grounded in a specific reading, to talk about spatial justice and the intersection with social and environmental justice.

Advancing Democracy: Book Session (and potential author speaking)

Jeff Hescock, staff, Emergency Health and Safety

(Book author: Amilcar Shabazz, faculty, Department of Afro-American Studies)

This project is a community reading and discussion of the book Advancing Democracy: African Americans and the Struggle for Access and Equity in Higher Education in Texas by UMass Professor Amilcar Shabazz. Over a series of conversations, members of Environmental Health and Safety will engage with this book and its findings.

Each of the awarded projects embodies our shared values and meets the criteria set forth by the CDD grant program:

• Benefitting the UMass community: These projects are designed to enrich the experiences of our community members and will be implemented right here on our campus.
• Addressing important issues: From international conflicts to issues of inequity and bias, the funded projects tackle pressing global and domestic challenges that resonate with our campus community.
• Encouraging open discussion: Through a variety of activities and events, awardees will foster open dialogue and intellectual exchange on critical social issues, advancing the ideals of diversity in discourse.
• Emphasizing collaboration: The collaborative nature of these projects underscores our commitment to working together as a community to effect positive change.
• Ensuring audience participation: Events featuring speakers will provide ample opportunities for audience engagement, fostering meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas.

Out of the 45 proposals received, 33 were selected for funding, with 15 granted to faculty, 7 to staff, 7 to undergraduate students (including 2 collaborations with faculty), 3 to graduate students, and 1 to a postdoctoral researcher.

These projects exemplify the diverse and innovative approaches our community members are taking to promote dialogue, understanding, and inclusivity on our campus. To see a listing and descriptions of all the funded projects, please visit the CDD website.