The 2024 WICCD awards are as follows:

Student: Terry Knight-Riddle, Interdisciplinary Major

Terry Knight-Riddle has served as a nurse and advocate for military veterans and their families throughout her life. When she came to UMA, she began to expand her previous experience and education, pursuing the Interdisciplinary Studies major and combining Human Services, Business, and nursing. Through her work in INT 208: Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies, INT 331: Therapeutic Yoga: Theory and Practice for Self-Care and Holistic Healing, and INT 420: Feminist Praxis for Self and Community Care, Terry has broadened her approach by including an intersectional feminist analysis and framework for her work.

“I am an interdisciplinary studies major at the Â鶹APP, focusing on integrating various fields of human services, nursing, and business. This unique combination equips me with a comprehensive skill set to excel as a Family Assistance Specialist with the military. I chose this degree because it allows me to approach problems from multiple angles, bringing together diverse perspectives and methodologies to find innovative solutions. I understand the complex needs of military families and can provide holistic support by integrating emotional care, healthcare advocacy, and resource management.”

Staff: Joy Steward, Coordinator of Student Life: Wellness and Co-Curricular Enrichment

Joy Steward is the Coordinator of Student Life: Wellness and Co-Curricular Enrichment on the Bangor campus. In addition to overseeing the campus fitness center, Joy is actively involved in a number of activities on the Bangor campus that help to build community, connect people, encourage movement and wellness, and work toward food security and environmental stewardship. She organizes, for instance, the spring clean-up, Welcome Back events, the first annual Turkey trot Fun Run/Walk/Watch, and a variety of weekly activities including Zumba, disc golf, soccer, floorball, and pickleball. She’s also involved in managing the food pantry in Lewiston Hall and mini pantry in College Center and facilitating monthly meetings of the Food Security Coalition.

Faculty: Ann Kennedy, Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies

Dr. Kennedy joined the UMA faculty in the fall of 2022, bringing with her a career of teaching, publishing, and service in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. Since arriving at UMA, Dr. Kennedy has developed several new courses that enhance the WGS curriculum including The Female Body in Western Culture (to be offered in the fall of 24) and Feminist Abolition: Gender and the Carceral State. She also teaches the Intro to WGS class and Intersections of Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. Dr. Kennedy also brought with her the feminist zine, Ripple, which was published in the spring of 2023 and will be published again in the spring of 2024. With the generosity of donors, Dr. Kennedy also established a gift fund at UMA, which helps support the production of Ripple and provides an honorarium for the student editor.

ABOUT US

WE ARE WICCD!: Women Invigorating Curriculum and Cultivating Diversity

WICCD honors the diversity that exists in Maine by educating our campus and larger community about local, national, and international issues, initiatives, and ideas related to diversity. Because women have been historically underrepresented in social, cultural, political, institutional, and economic spheres, WICCD centers women, gender, and sexuality while working to challenge injustices and inequalities of all kinds. Led by faculty and staff who work toward gender equality and social justice, WICCD provides opportunities for education and engagement to raise awareness around these important intersectional social challenges.

Students

• Alicia Bell
• Monique Barrett
• Grace Wehrle
• Sarah Cloutier
• Jennifer Hanson

Faculty

• Tim Surrette
• Noel Tague

Amy Rahn, WICCD Faculty Award

Amy Rahn, Assistant Professor of Art History and Charles Danforth Gallery Director

Dr. Rahn is a phenomenal colleague and has passionately supported WICCD’s work since arriving at UMA a few years ago. In addition to her instrumental work on the WICCD book grant project, she has worked to invigorate the curriculum as well as co-curricular initiatives like the exhibition of SĂ©an Alonzo Harris’s photography, which included several events and workshops as well as the related project “Light Confirms My Reality.” This community based photo (and other 2D art) project and exhibition was led by artist SĂ©an Alonzo Harris, in collaboration with faculty and students at UMA and the Charles Danforth Gallery. As described, “This project is a proclamation of radical inclusivity, an invitation to see differently, and transform our perceptions, and therefore our images, of others.” She and Harris also guest taught a session of INT/HON 188: Race and Social Justice. WICCD applauds Dr. Rahn’s service to our campus and larger community!

Amanda Nowak, WICCD Staff Award

Amanda Nowak, Director of the UMA Prison Education Partnership

Director of the UMA Prison Education Partnership

For the last two years Amanda Nowak has directed the Prison Education Partnership at UMA. She has worked collaboratively with many faculty and staff across the UMA, USM, and Maine Department of Corrections systems to enrich the educational opportunities for Maine’s incarcerated and justice-impacted scholars. We wish to honor her passion, dedication, and courage in confronting obstacles and creating pathways to quality education for all.

Audrey McGee and Celena Zacchai, WICCD Student Award

Audrey McGee, DEI Action Club member, organizer for the Radical Self-Care Series and the Health Equity Dialogues, Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator.

During her time at UMA, Audrey has been an active participant in the DEI Action Club and a presenter and organizer for the Radical Self-Care Series and the Health Equity Dialogues. Audrey is passionate about bringing opportunities for healing trauma to marginalized individuals and communities. She will be completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies of Embodied Social Justice—Culture, Community, and Trauma and a Minor in Art. Audrey has dedicated her life work to the use of embodied practices for healing and social justice. As an RYT-200 Yoga Teacher, she recently completed a 300-hr training to become a Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator. She plans to continue this work post-graduation.

Celena Zacchai, UMA Rockland Center Student, Newman Civic Fellow, and Maine Policy Scholar

Celena is a self-actualized scholar and a dedicated civic leader who supports food insecurity initiatives and refugee literacy, among other pressing social justice issues in the greater Â鶹APP community. A distance writing tutor since 2019, Celena has supported the peer learning community of the UMA Rockland Center and expanded that influence to include other UMA campuses and the University of Maine System at large. Celena has also been a Newman Civic Fellow and a Maine Policy Scholar, a legacy she continues by mentoring fellow tutors pursuing these same opportunities now. This is only the short version of Celena’s achievements and she will be further honored at Â鶹APP commencement ceremony!

WICCD Book Grant Program, 2022

With WICCD’s book grant program this year we were able to support two staff members, one faculty member, and nine students in their research projects related to a wide variety of topics related to gender, sexuality, and social justice. Here’s what a few students had to say about their book requests.

About WICCD

WE ARE WICCD!: Women Invigorating Curriculum and Cultivating Diversity

WICCD honors the diversity that exists in Maine by educating our campus and larger community about local, national, and international issues, initiatives, and ideas related to diversity. Because women have been historically underrepresented in social, cultural, political, institutional, and economic spheres, WICCD centers women, gender, and sexuality while working to challenge injustices and inequalities of all kinds. Led by faculty and staff who work toward gender equality and social justice, WICCD provides opportunities for education and engagement to raise awareness around these important intersectional social challenges.

With these resource/book grants, we seek to support students, staff, and faculty who are engaged in gender-related research projects this spring and summer. Let us help you build your research reserves! Add new perspectives on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, immigration status, class, disability, and other identities to your bookshelf.

Applying is quick and easy with an Amazon Wish List. This opportunity is open to all UMA students, faculty, and staff. Request up to three items by April 15, 2022, at 11:59 pm.

]]> /news/the-health-equity-dialogs-and-wiccd-present-the-radical-self-care-series/ Tue, 15 Feb 2022 17:59:52 +0000 /?p=14006 … Read More]]> Over the past four years, the Health Equity Dialogs have brought a range of meaningful and important conversations to students, faculty, and staff at UMA and, most importantly, beyond UMA, connecting into our communities and reaching out to form new partnerships. This spring we are going to focus on our corollary project: the Radical Self-Care Series.

In this Radical Self-Care Series, we are looking to share a self-care that is rooted in self-love and self-compassion, which then radiates out to care and compassion for others. When we learn to listen to our bodies and to respond, rather than react, we are building foundations for collaboration and social justice.

To say that self-care is radical is to get to the root or origin of why we need self-care in the first place. Sonya Renee Taylor, author of The Body Is Not an Apology, explains that “using the term radical elevates the reality that our society requires a drastic political, economic, and social reformation in the ways in which we deal with bodies and body difference[s]” (8). We also need to look at the ways in which the mind and the body are part of an integrated whole, working together not separately.

All kinds of self-care are important, but radical self-care is about more than pedicures and mimosas–it is a radical reckoning with our dreams, aspirations, anxieties, challenges, and goals. The embodied practices of radical self-care form a foundation for self-love and self-compassion as well as for unconditional love and expansive compassion.

Expressive Arts: Pathways to Self Care with Christine Little

Monday, March 7, 2022,  Noon to 1:00pm

In this one-hour session, participants will engage in Expressive Arts activities that are easily accessible for the purposes of self-care. We will experience first-hand the healing benefits of the creative process, regardless of product. While we will touch upon foundational principles of the profession, our time together will emphasize the experiential aspect of Expressive Arts practices, such as mindful movement, creative writing, visual art, and music-making. Please have the following supplies handy: blank paper & pencil.

Girls on Fire and Self-Care with Sarah Hentges

Monday, March 28, 2022, Noon to 1:00

Girls on Fire often burn themselves out caring for the people they love and trying to make the world a better place. We want to think about how we can care for ourselves and for others and engage in social justice work while keeping our flames strong and bright. In this session we’ll consider student projects from the fall Girls on Fire: Feminism, Activism, and the Future as well as the lessons we can learn from dystopia’s Girls on Fire.

The Five Elements of Qigong with Audrey McGee

Monday, May 2, 2022, Noon to 1:00

Qigong (pronounced “chee-gung”) is an ancient healing art based on the idea that nature is balanced and harmonious. Qi means “life energy” and gong means “to cultivate.” With the rapid pace of the world around us we can easily become stressed, sick and tired, neglecting our life energy–our qi. The gentle yet powerful movements of Qigong help to cultivate and circulate Qi throughout the body to increase our physical, mental, and emotional health. Learning to be balanced and harmonious like nature, we are better able to meet life’s challenges with calmness, strength, and resiliency. We will learn to practice five movements that represent elements found in nature and our bodies. All movements can be done seated or standing. Please wear clothing that will allow you to move freely.

For more information, disability accommodations, or to request the related materials to review before the event, please contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu.

February 10—Slavery in the American Criminal Justice System

The documentary, 13th explores Section One of 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution which states: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Sharon McMahon Sawyer (Justice Studies) will lead a discussion where we will discuss 13th and the relationship between this Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States and our current American criminal justice system.

February 17—Race & Racism After Genomics in U.S. Biomedicine

In this talk professor Kate Darling (Social Science/Sociology) discusses some of the ways that the molecular revolution has shifted concepts of race and ancestry among scientists, clinicians, and lay people. Race science has a long history in biomedicine. In our discussion, we’ll think through the ways we know race and racism in contemporary biomedicine.

February 24—Social Determinants of Health

Vickie Ireland (Nursing) will lead the discussion as we examine structural racism and poverty and how this contributes to inadequacies in health and wellness. We will also relate this information to rural populations and discuss Social Determinants of Health within the state of Maine.

March 3—Race and Social Justice in Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal”

Lisa Botshon (English) will lead a discussion on the short story “Battle Royal” by Ralph Ellison, which was first published in Horizon magazine in 1947. A slightly revised version of this short story became Part I of Ellison’s most famous work The Invisible Man, which came out in 1952. We will be reading this piece in conjunction with a Danforth Gallery show on The Invisible Man by Portland photographer Séan Alonzo Harris.

March 10—Art and Social Justice

Join Amy Rahn (Art) and special guest, Portland photographer Séan Alonzo Harris, as we discuss his work as well as his Danforth Gallery show on The Invisible Man. Harris’s work has been named by Maine Magazine as one of the “60 Most Collectible Artist in Maine” and has been featured by USA Today, LL Bean, Yankee Magazine, and Harvard Radcliffe Magazine, among others. He teaches Maine Media Workshops and a variety of collaborative, community-driven projects with nonprofit organizations. More information about .

March 24—Race and Social Justice Issues with Climate Change

Dr. Kati Corlew (Social Science/Psychology) will present research and implications regarding the human dimensions of climate change, with a particular focus on social justice, racial minorities, indigenous populations, and developing nations. Please be prepared to contribute to the Q&A and discussion session that follows.

March 31—Panel Discussion: New Mainer’s Public Health Initiative

Readings/Resources: please review New Mainers Public Health Initiative

Susan Baker (Biology) will chair this panel as Abdulkerim Said, director of New Mainers Public Health Initiative will talk about his work. Abdulkerim is a former student and UMA graduate. Jusuf Abdi, a local PA and UMA grad as well, may be willing to join him.

April 7—Penobscot Nation and Tribal Law

Judge Eric Mehnert and Magistrate Judge Rhonda Decontie will be joining us to share their experience and expertise concerning their work with the Penobscot Nation Tribal Court.

April 21—What Do You Stand For?

Justin Michael Williams argues that we are often fighting against racism when it is more productive to fight for the world that we imagine and envision. Sarah Hentges (American Studies) will lead this discussion as we consider how we move forward, as individuals and as a UMA community, and as a nation.

Readings/Resources: Justin Michael Williams, “Ending Racism: How to Change the World in One Generation”

April 28—Poetry for Social Justice: Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon

In anticipation of Reginald Dwayne Betts’ keynote reading at the Plunkett Poetry Festival on April 29, Noel Tague (English) will lead this session as we read and discuss his collection of poems, Felon. During class we’ll spend some time reading the poems aloud, connecting to earlier discussions in the semester about mass incarceration, and thinking about how poems can function as vehicles of resistance and change. We’ll also set aside some time to experiment with erasure poetry during class.

Alicia Rae Bessey’s parents and sister present a check for $5,000 establishing the Alicia Rae Bessey Memorial Scholarship Fund. Pictured from left to right, Associate Professor of Psychology Kati Corlew, Associate Professor of American Studies Sarah Hentges, Dale Bessey, Ted Bessey, and Amanda Randall (Alicia’s sister)

The Â鶹APP established the  in 2021 with a generous gift received from her family and friends. The scholarship honors the memory of Alicia Rae Bessey and her significant contributions to the UMA Bangor campus. While awards will be made each spring for the following academic year, an inaugural $1,000 award will be made to a qualifying UMA Bangor student for the 2022 Spring Semester.

Alicia was a force for good in everything she did. While she faced mental health struggles throughout her education, she persevered and took life one day at a time, acting as a resource and model for students struggling with similar challenges. Her memory lives on at UMA Bangor, in the hearts and minds of her friends and family, and with this scholarship, the goal is to help students like Alicia pursue their passion for social justice through education.

Alicia provided leadership, comradery, and support in a variety of roles including in her work with the UMA Bangor Garden Club, the Student Government Association, TRIO, the People for Positive Action club, and in her general community and campus organizing. Alicia co-founded the inaugural “Rainbows for UMA-Bangor” LGBTQIA+ student club and helped evolve this club into a group for students, staff, and faculty as “Rainbows Across UMA.” Pursing an interdisciplinary degree, Alicia created her own major in LGBTQ and Sexual Education Advocacy bringing together sociology, psychology, and women’s and gender studies.

During her time at UMA Bangor, Alicia was awarded the WICCD (Women Invigorating Curriculum & Cultivating Diversity) Student of the Year and she was twice awarded the Bangor Campus Garden Student of the Year. She was also awarded the Liberal Studies Associate of Arts Student of the Year and the Bangor Campus Student of the Year award.

Contributions to the  are still being accepted.

For more information, contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu and/or talk to your advisor to see how these classes fit into your overall major program.

JUS 315: Tribal Law

The instructor for this course is Judge Eric Mehnert of the Penobscot Nation Trial Court, who developed a unique Wellness Court model, based on restorative justice principles and native healing practices. The Wellness Court deals with the aftermath of generations of systemic trauma and does an excellent job at restoring people to full participation in their community.
This is a completely different model from our usual court system. If you have an interest in social justice, substance abuse rehabilitation, child and family welfare, Native American culture, or cultural awareness, this course is for you!

HTY 321: US Immigration History

The history of immigration is central to both American history and evolving ideas of what it means to be an American. In this class, we will examine immigration history through several lenses, including social histories of diverse ethnic groups, evolving legal policies, waves of refugee and asylum seekers, and the shifting place of the “immigrant” in the American national imagination.

INT/HON 188: The Interdisciplinary Colloquium: Race and Social Justice

Spring 2022: Offered Thursdays from 4 to 5 pm (and online asynch “delayed viewing” section)
This year’s academic theme is Race & Social Justice. In this 1-credit spring course, students will learn about race and social justice from a variety of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Each week a different faculty member will present/lead discussion based upon an assigned reading, film, or other text. We will consider, for instance: literature/art/poetry, science, and social science approaches as well as health inequities, state violence, the prison industrial complex, identity and representation, embodiment, power and empowerment, and proactive and productive ways to work toward social justice. Students who are interested in earning 3 credits on the theme of race and social justice may choose to enroll in INT 389 in addition to INT/HON 188.
In short: each week for this class students will have a short reading or video to watch each week, a class meeting to attend (or recording to watch), and a post/reply or journal option or one-hour conversation group. A short final reflection will conclude the work for this course.

INT 389 (2 credits)

Topics in Interdisciplinary Studies: Race & Social Justice
Students who enroll in INT/HON 188 may opt to enroll in this 2-credit course, giving them 3 credits total. Students in this 2-credit course will be asked to engage in online discussion and to complete a paper/project on the theme of race and social justice to be presented at the UMA Student Research Conference on April 22, 2022. Offered asynchronous online.

AME/INT/WGS 430E: Embodied Social Justice: Racialized Trauma and Cultural Transformation

What does it feel like to be centered, grounded, and in your body? How does this state allow us to heal and hold space for others to heal? Embodied Social Justice is an interdisciplinary field/focus of study that combines and expands critical educational theories, critical race theories, and intersectional feminist theory along with trauma studies, transformative justice, Somatics, neuroscience, and so much more. In this course, we will explore theoretical foundations as well as embodied practices as we develop a deeper understanding of individual and structural transformation and empowerment. We will consider the role of the body in social and cultural movements, intergenerational and racialized trauma, compound and collective trauma, cultural appropriation, critical consciousness, and mind/body healing practices like yoga and meditation. 3 CR. Prereqs: any AME, INT, or WGS course OR permission of instructor.

]]> /news/health-equity-dialogues-drinking-water-quality-health-inequalities/ Fri, 29 Oct 2021 18:01:56 +0000 /?p=13069 … Read More]]> The Â鶹APP will host a webinar featuring a panel of experts on drinking water quality and health inequalities.

Date:

Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Noon – 1:30 PM

Location:

Virtual webinar

This event is open to the public, however, an RSVP is required. To register for this event and receive the Zoom link, please complete the following form:

Program:

The Health Equity Dialogues program on November 10 will be a facilitated panel discussion on drinking water quality, including common water contaminants, and environmental inequalities prevalent in Maine in relation to drinking water quality. Representatives of environmental health advocacy, drinking water regulation, and education and policy initiatives around drinking water contamination will take part in the dialogue.

The panel speakers will include:

• Rose Lundy, Health Reporter at The Maine Monitor
• Leo Waterston, M.A., Program Director for the Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE) at Maine Medical Center Research Institute and Project Director for Maine Lung Cancer Coalition
• Sarah Woodbury, Director of Advocacy, Defend our Health
• Andrew E. Smith, SM, ScD, State Toxicologist and Manager of Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Environmental and Occupational Health Program
• Amy Lachance, Maine Drinking Water Program Manager, DHHS Division of Environmental and Community Health

Health equity is the justice principle that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve health. The goal of the Health Equity Dialogues is to convene and connect scholars, community members, public health professionals, and healthcare practitioners across disciplinary divides and silos to work on high-priority community health challenges in Maine.

The Health Equity Dialogues are co-organized by Drs. Kate Darling and Valerie Rubinsky from the Social Science Program, the Maine Public Health Association, and Â鶹APP Women Invigorating Curriculum and Cultivating Diversity Committee. Additional co-sponsors include a UMA Student Success Mini-Grant.

Please contact Audrey McGee (audrey.mcgee@maine.edu) for more information or for disability access needs for the event.

Sponsored by WICCD and the Health Equity & Community Wellness Collaborative

Self-care is more than pedicures and mimosas—it is a vital part of taking care of ourselves and our communities. This series will provide opportunities to learn about and practice self-care in critical, and maybe even radical ways.

For more information, contact Sarah Hentges at sarah.hentges@maine.edu.

Meditation and Mindfulness as Self-Compassion
with Audrey McGee, RYT-200
Wednesday, October 27 from noon to 12:50

What is meditation? What is Mindfulness? In a performance-driven culture where we are asked to do more and be more, all the while having to take care of others, it is easy to lose touch with who we really are. Meditation does not have to be about emptying our minds and distracting ourselves from earthly concerns (we have plenty of opportunities for that on a daily basis). Meditation and mindfulness are about finding a calm resting place within, a place where we can become the observer of our own lives, learning to have acceptance and compassion for ourselves. In this Critical Self-Care session, we will discuss the meanings of meditation and mindfulness and learn some self-care practices for finding a calm resting place within, so we can become our own observers, bringing awareness and compassion to ourselves.

If you have a chance, please .

Embodied Movements for Resilience, Resourcing, and Transformation
With Sarah Hentges, PhD and RYT-200
Wednesday, November 17 from noon to 12:50

How do we navigate the turbulent times we live in? When is it time to act and when is it time to be still? How can we tap into our body’s natural resources and learn to respond rather than react? How can we create more love and more justice for ourselves and for others? What do we want to transform?

In this experiential session, we will learn more about trauma, the nervous system, and the power of embodiment toward individual and structural transformation and personal and collective healing. The activities that we will be doing are accessible tools that you can take with you to practice in your way, in your time, in your life, in your body.

Drawing inspiration from yoga, Black feminist texts, and the Embody Lab’s Embodied Social Justice program, we will practice a variety of activities that incorporate mindfulness, breathing, centering, grounding, and mindful movement.

This session is a “challenge by choice” and “brave space,” meaning that you should take care of yourself and you may choose to opt-out of any activity at any time.