Community & Solidarity

Overview

At the Searle Center, we understand, fundamentally, that there are inequities that undermine differentiating needs and ways of knowing among learners. We aim to support our instructors and campus partners as change agents, who bring a critical, socially aware lens to all aspects of the educational experience, and create opportunities for them to have thoughtful, restorative exchanges with their colleagues.

Our Community & Solidarity focused programs and resources activate Lisa Rosenthal’s five ways that practitioners can demonstrate a commitment to the pursuit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. These considerations include engaging and collaborating with communities, addressing and critiquing societal structures, working together/building coalitions, attending to resistance in addition to resilience, and teaching social justice curricula.

We look forward to partnering with centers and departments to develop innovative programs and meaningful mentoring relationships that empower our instructors to support each other, in an identity-informed manner, and to be advocates and change agents within and outside of the classroom. We aspire to weave this spirit of care into our collegial interactions and learning communities.

Programs

Our programs offer the Northwestern community a variety of ways to develop teaching skills, enhance student learning, and find community. The following programs were created to build community and solidarity.

Affinity Groups

We offer logistical and programming support for campus partners and individuals who want to build community among instructors with shared identities. We are currently collaborating with the Women’s Center to support their strategic priority to foster belonging for Black women and gender expansive staff and faculty.

If you would like more information or are interested in starting a group, please reach out to Veronica Womack, Associate Director of Inclusive Teaching, at veronica.womack@northwestern.edu.

Please note that individual names of these groups are kept private.

Learning & Teaching Guides

Guides created by or in collaboration with the Searle Center to help educators and learners find community and solidarity.

• Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching (2021)
• Gender Expansive Guidelines for the University Classroom (2024)
• In Brief: Revealing the Hidden Curriculum of Our Courses (2024)
• Supporting First-Generation College Student Success (2023)

Becoming a white Antiracist: A practical guide for educators, leaders, and activists

Brookfield, S. D., & Hess, M. E., 2021

Teaching Race: How to Help Students Unmask and Challenge Racism

Brookfield, S. D., 2018

Multiculturalism on campus: Theory, models, and practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion

Cuyjet, M. J., Cooper, D. L., Linder, C., & Howard-Hamilton, M. F. (Eds.), 2016

Teaching about race and racism in the college classroom : notes from a white professor

Kernahan, C., 2019

Culturally sustaining pedagogies: Teaching and learning for justice in a changing world

Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (Eds.), 2017

Further Resources

Our current recommendations for both foundational and cutting-edge content related to community and solidarity.

• Pour-Khorshid, F. (2018). Cultivating sacred spaces: A racial affinity group approach to support critical educators of color. Teaching Education, 29(4), 318-329.
• Monahan‐Kreishman, M., & Ingarfield, L. (2018). Creating campus communities of care: Supporting sexual violence survivors. New Directions for Student Services, 2018(161), 71-81.
• Mosley, D. V., Neville, H. A., Chavez‐Dueñas, N. Y., Adames, H. Y., Lewis, J. A., & French, B. H. (2020). Radical hope in revolting times: Proposing a culturally relevant psychological framework. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 14(1), e12512.
• Rosenthal, L. (2016). Incorporating intersectionality into psychology: An opportunity to promote social justice and equity. American Psychologist, 71(6), 474.
• Spade, D. (2020). Mutual aid: Building solidarity during this crisis (and the next). Verso Books.
• Toporek, R. L. (2018). Strength, solidarity, strategy and sustainability: A counseling psychologist’s guide to social action. The European Journal of Counseling Psychology, 7(1), 90-110.
• Wilkins-Yel, K. G., Gumbiner, L. M., Grimes, J. L., & Li, P. J. (2020). Advancing social justice training through a difficult dialogue initiative: Reflections from facilitators and participants. The Counseling Psychologist, 48(6), 852-882.

Awards & Grants

Northwestern University recognizes educators and researchers doing innovative work. The following list includes opportunities which we believe dovetail with work related to community and solidarity.

• Shujaa Award
• Provost Award for Exemplary Faculty Service

Calendar of Events

Below are all of our upcoming events related to community and solidarity.

Contact Us

Reach out to us at teach@northwestern.edu.