UM RacismLab

JOIN US: RacismLab 2023 Annual Symposium on Race and Racism: April 4th/5th DAY 1: April 4th 1:00pm EDT "Racialization & Dynamic Global Racial Hierarchies" Our speakers: @jean23bean @SaherSelod Kazuko Suzuki & Melissa Weiner

We're moving our account - come follow us elsewhere! @ racismlab.bsky.social

🎉Congratulations to @mhicken @UM_PSC @UM_SRC on her new role leading DEI efforts at @umisr. @RacismLab @umichmedicine

Thank you all!!!! You made a 2023 RacismLab Symposium to remember!!!! @SaherSelod @jean23bean @MFWeiner #Kazukosuzuki @DrNeblett @NateurNeuro @KoreyTillman_ @mhicken @hedwig_lee #KessieAlexandre #Christinahuges @lewisjmiles #DeawehBenson

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our symposium this year! From viewers, to volunteers and moderators, to the amazing speakers that we had this year! We are thankful and thinking!!!

Very informative Q&A moderated by Deaweh Benson with panelists @hedwig_lee , @DrNeblett , & @NateurNeuro ! Taking away that we must continue to read and work in a interdisciplinary manner if we want to conduct the important, theory informed structural racism work that is needed!

In thinking about healing, @DrNeblett highlights that while resilience is often examined at the individual level, it is important to think about how resilience may be protecting on a communal level

Dr. Lee reminds us that we need to be mindful of the racism in our fields and departments and institutions, recognizing the biases, as to not marginalize the questions that are important to this work

Dr. Harnett highlights that neuroimaging is important for understanding impacts of trauma, but it is necessary to acknowledge the racial patterning of exposures to trauma!

Dr. Harnett discusses how greater exposure to racial discrimination is contributing to more health problems

Dr. Harnett's work examines how threat circuitry can predict PTSD! They've done some of this by looking at ACES, which are highly racialized

Last panelist, @NateurNeuro , of the day will be discussing racial inequities in neurobiology!

They will specifically be examining cultural representations - looking at how proximity to confederate statues may impact mental health, and also how media, tv programming related to mental health

@DrNeblett discusses a project he's working on using Future Families, to understand how structural racism leads to mental health, looking at multiple physiological systems by which this occurs.

@DrNeblett helps us to see that we shouldn't focus on the clown (the act of racial discrimination), without examining what's going on in the center ring (the why, the how - the institutional & cultural factors)

@hedwig_lee calls us out!! Reminds us to not be the researcher that tries to study what we think makes sense, before actually doing the work of reading the theory!! Great way to close!

Dr. Lee draws on Dr. Bonilla-Silva's work that highlights that the idea of a race-neutral society ignores the reality of history such as with Jim Crow.

When certain structures and actors are not able to quell resistance to racism, another structure may step in and reinforce the other system

Racism exists over time and place, and while its manifestation may look differently over these various contexts, the intent will always be to maintain the status quo.

It is important to understand the ways that cultural racism uphold structural racism, & Dr. Lee provides many examples of scholars who's work inform the work that she and Maggie are doing now!

Dr. Lee reminds us that racism isn't new! While it may be newly named in used in population health, many fields have used the term racism so we much acknowledge this and read this work!