Join the Conversation
DEI Reading Groups are open to all faculty, staff, students, and administrators.
Each year, DEI Reading Groups offer a range of great reading opportunities designed to invite every member of the FIU community into shared conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. In this way, the reading groups support and sustain ongoing conversations around racial justice, feminism, sexual minority experience, mass incarceration, disability studies, and environmental justice.
Please note: To ensure productive discussion, participants should be able to commit to all scheduled meetings. We ask that you review your calendar to confirm you can attend before signing up. For each book, there are approximately 4-5 sessions, each lasting an hour and a half to two hours.
To sign up for the current reading group click here.
Book list
Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last
Clear, actionable steps for you to build new values, experiences, and perspectives into your organizational culture, infusing it with the diversity, inclusion, and belonging employees need to feel accepted, be their best selves, and do their best work. Bypass the faulty processes and communication styles that make change impossible in so many other organizations; access these practical tools and ideas for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your company. Filled with actionable advice Alida Miranda-Wolff learned through her own struggles being an outsider in a work culture that did not value inclusion, and having since worked with over 60 organizations to prioritize DEI initiatives and all the value and richness it adds to the workplace.
Theme(s): Inclusive Teaching
Spring 2023 Group:April 27 and May 11, 18, 25 (Thursdays) 12:00- 1:00 pm
Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence
Derald Wing Sue offers readers the many reasons that race talk is difficult, the explicit and hidden rules that govern how race is discussed in U.S. society, and the detrimental consequences of our failure to engage in honest dialogue about race.
We’ll explore and discuss the qualities and benefits of successful conversations on race, specifically looking at Sue’s proposed solutions in overcoming obstacles to honest race dialogue and what it all means for teaching and learning.
Theme(s): Inclusive Teaching, Dialogue
The Inner Work of Racial Justice
“The work of racial justice begins with ourselves. When conflict and division are everyday realities, our instincts tell us to close ranks, to find the safety of our own tribe, and to blame others. The practice of embodied mindfulness–paying attention to our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in an open, nonjudgmental way–increases our emotional resilience, helps us to recognize our unconscious bias, and gives us the space to become less reactive and to choose how we respond to injustice.”
This group discusses Magee’s ColorInsight framework, explores mindfulness as a path toward racial healing and justice, and reflects on the implications for teaching and student learning
Inclusive Conversations: Fostering Equity, Empathy, and Belonging across Differences
Effective dialogue across different dimensions of diversity, such as race, gender, age, religion, or sexual orientation, fosters a sense of belonging and inclusion, which in turn leads to greater productivity, performance, and innovation. Whether in the workplace, faith communities, or educational settings, our differences can tear us apart rather than bring us together if we do not know how to communicate. Recognizing our collective responsibility to earnestly address our differences and increase understanding and empathy will not only enhance organizational goals but will also lead to a healthier, kinder, and more compassionate world.
Theme(s): Inclusive Teaching, Racial Justice
Suggest a book!
Have you recently read something inspiring or thought-provoking? Would you like DEI to bring back a title we haven't offered in a while?