The Color Purple Coming to Chicago

CEW Upcoming Workshops

RESEARCH ON AFRICAN AMERICANS
AND
TELEVISION

2005-06 SALARY LIST

2004-05 Salary List

2003-04 Salary List

Report on the ABPAFS
Personal Empowerment Conference

Nesha Haniff's Letter to the Michigan Daily on MCRI

African Americans shouldn't get taken to the bank at church

Black Suicide Attempts Worse Than Thought

PARTICPANTS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH ON AFRICAN AMERICANS AND TELEVISION Are you of African descent? Do you watch TV shows that feature Black actors and actresses? Want to particpant in a study and talk about those shows a get $15.00 in return? (university employees will be paid through payroll rather than in cash) Please contact tvstudy@umich.edu If you are interest in being a particpant in this study

Report on the
ABPAFS
Personal Empowerment Conference

July 25, 2006

 The ABPAFS Summer Personal Empowerment Conference was held on July 25 th in Rackham. The paid registration was 55 UM employees. Over 50 attended the all day conference. Thirty seven attendees filled out the online evaluation of the conference.
The conference featured concurrent session in the morning and afternoon. The conference started with a networking breakfast to allow attendees to meet. The morning breakout sessions were:

• Getting in College with Financial Aid for Yourself and Your Children.
  Karen Downing is the Foundations and Grants Librarian at the Graduate Library, was the presenter. The session was attended by 15 people.

• Office Politics Demystified and Becoming Your Greatest Ally for Career Advancement.
  Calvin E. Williams, Associate Vice-President at Washtenaw Community College was the presenter.

• Film Viewing and Discussion
  The Jim Crow Museumand Toni Morrison Uncensored  

• Futuring ABPAFS
  Charles Ransom, President of ABPAFS was the presenter  

The Afternoon sessions started with a luncheon panel presentation on the MCRI. The MCRI panel included:

• Beth Sullivan, Senior Associate for Advocacy & Policy at CEW

• Dr. John Matlock, Associate Vice Provost and Director of Academic Multicultural Initiatives

• State Senator Alma Wheeler Smith

The Afternoon concurrent sessions were:

Organizing Your Personal Investment Club. Renoir Gaither, president of The New Horizons Investment Club in Toledo, Ohio was the presenter

The Office Politics session and Film viewing and discussion were offered again. The two final sessions were

• Training & Educational Oportunities for Staff at UM.
  Jean Tennyson from UM HR.

• Learn to Ballroom Dance (Steppin’) in 2 Hours Mr. Smooth was the presenter 

All of the respondents to the Evaluation survey rated the conference either Excellent or Very Good. Below are some of the Comments on the overall value of the conference

• The set up, workshops, food, lunch speaker, networking opportunity, everything was great! Please make this an annual event!  

• I was interested with the topics of the workshops presented. I also thought the cost was very reasonable. I had hoped to see more people come out for the event, but was very impressed with the people I did get to meet from other areas of the University. It was a very informative day.

• It began at the table I was sitting at. The women at my table counseled me regarding by my troubled daughter. Networking is essential at this University. I got a lot of valuable information in the Office Politics session. I think having conferences to address questions raised here at the "U" is needed. Please continue to provide this resource to us.  

• The speakers were bright, professional, and well-spoken. The information was useful. The people that attended were great!  

• I think we should do this more often.

The conference participants want more workshops on M-Pathways, Office Politics, and Career improvement skills. Below are some of the participant’s comments to Question 4

• Wondering if one of the workshops could be geared toward M-Pathways? I hear individuals saying their departments won't let them take it, maybe someone from Maize could present an intro workshop at ABPAFS. Other ideas, grant writing, something for the more seasoned employees on how to advance to management?

• Anything related to career development and developing leadership skills would be helpful.

• Development of Management and Leadership skills. The campus needs more Black Administrators and Black folks in decision-making positions.

• Specific workshop (non-mandatory) that has the executive board leading a discussion on possible directions for ABPAFS and commitment from conferees to either assume a position or an assistant internship designed to lead to a position. / Panel-led discussion (people who have their own examples about using knowledge to overcome and/or deal with workplace issues. / ABC's of Staff Resources to improve the individual lives of workers, such as FASAP, Work Connections, American Disabilities Office, Diversity and Equity Office, etc.  

• Preparing yourself for a promotion. Ball Room Dancing right after lunch.

Most of the concurrent sessions were rated Excellent, Very Good, or Good. Below are participant’s comments on the workshops:

• I would like to have received more information from Jean on how to navigate the University system. Most of us were professionals who already have a solid resume, the question is how do you as a black professional navigate through the U.  

• I enjoyed my workshops and thought the info was good and like the handouts. I am glad to know now I have more tools at my disposal for getting financially prepared for sending my children to college.

• Sadly enough, this was the first time that I had heard in depth details about MCRI. Since this time I have gathered reader friendly information to share with my friends and family regarding this issue and I have been spreading the word VOTE NO on MCR Initiative, potentially prop 2 on the ballot.

• I would have liked to have the documents available online for review prior to the conference. I would have liked to engage the panel with questions. Plus, I would have liked the luncheon to be a little longer to accommodate this.

• The Luncheon Panel was informative, but the forms were equally informative. It was nice to hear the representative's address the issue. What do we do if Affirmative Action gets voted out of the education and business environment? What are some ways that we can prevent this from happening? How do we better ourselves?

• Can Mr. Smooth come do classes on a regular basis at UM? We can pay him out of pocket if enough people are interested in learning. Just a thought . . . if not at UM can he come and teach in the Ypsi/Ann Arbor Area say once a week?

• Mr. Smooth was excellent I wish more people had stuck around, maybe he could have been a ice-breaker session during the day.

Some final participant comments:

• Consider talking with the President and Executive officers of the University for support of this organization. I see this organization being a great benefit to African-American professionals at the U, it just needs to be reenergized and Exec. Support would do that.

• Let's take a trip somewhere - How about the Carolinas, Nebraska, Idaho????  

• It was well organized and topics were timely and the audience was enthusiastic. We need to publicize it so we can get more people at our next meetings/conferences.

• I would be interested in devoting a little time to rebuilding this organization. I don't have much time, but I think it is necessary to continue to educate, empower, and move forward in our employment for the University. I also think that this organization can be helpful to not only itself but to the University as a whole through collaboration and education. / Kevin Griffin kegrifin@umich.edu

• Please capitalize on the current interest and participation of those who attend the conference. Ask for suggestions for Futuring the organization, E/Board members and suggestions for meeting topics. Make sure a Sept, 2006 meeting occurs to kick up the year. We have not become inactive.....just resting and gearing up for our second wind.

The conference was viewed as a success by all who attended. ABPAFS should be looking to partner and expand the conference in the future.  

Improvements for Next Time  

1. More lead time for planning and advertising
2. Better coordination on handling payments for registration
3. Pick a better time during the year for the conference
4. Add an M-Pathways session
5. Have some hands-on sessions in M-Pathways
6. Offer some self improvement workshops

I want to thank again the support provided by Women of Color Task Force, Laurita Thomas and Human Resources, Lester Monts, and Anthony Walesby

Click Here to see survey questions

Nesha Haniff's Letter to the Michigan Daily on MCRI 10/05/2006 I admire the commitment that RC Prof. Carl Cohen has for equality and individual rights. I think that this is a wonderful idea and one that we should all work towards. The problem is that the world he wants exists only for some, not for all. We do not live in a color-blind society or one in which hiring, admissions or contracting is privilege-blind, and to pass the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative is to further inscribe the rights of those who already have great individual and civil rights. In his book "The Price of Admission", Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Daniel Golden exposes the university admissions process in the United States, particularly at elite universities, as an affirmation of the individual rights of the white and privileged. In an interview on CBS's Sunday Morning on Sept. 24, he said of elite universities: "The school will say (applicants have) a one in 10 chance, but in reality, since the alumni children may have a one in four chance, the kids of big donors have a one in two chance, the actual kid who doesn't have a connection may face a one in 20 or one in 30 or one in 40 chance of getting in. It strikes at the very basic American notions of fair play and equal opportunity and upward mobility." In his letter to the Daily (MCRI ends racial preferences, not affirmative action, 09/14/2006), Prof. Cohen said this about the language of the initiative to correct what he saw as a misinterpretation of the initiative by University President Mary Sue Coleman: "Some people use the phrase 'affirmative action' to refer to ethnic preferences with a more palatable name. In the light of that usage, the State Board of Canvassers settled upon ballot language (the language voters will it see at the polls) which says, correctly, that the MCRI will 'ban affirmative action programs that give preferential treatment to groups or individuals based on their race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for public employment, education or contracting purposes.'" In light of Golden's expos, will MCRI ban affirmative action for the privileged on the basis of race? As the big donors and alumni are almost all white, will it ban affirmative action on the basis of legacy? On the basis of wealth? None of these words are in the language of the initiative. Race and privilege are not a-historical. Privilege on the basis of race continues to exist largely for those who had uninterrupted individual rights for hundreds of years. A program that seeks to give individual rights to those who have been excluded from such opportunities is one way to make amends. I am afraid, Prof. Cohen and Rep. Leon Drolet (MCRI supports rights of individuals, 09/25/2006), that giving the excluded any preference will only make a minimal dent on the unassailable rights of the privileged in this country - at least not until the excluded themselves become big donors to elite universities and inundate their alumni rosters. And when and how will that happen? Haniff is a lecturer in the Center for Afro-American and African Studies and the Department of Women's Studies CAAS Faculty Brownbag Nesha Z. Haniff MPH, Ph.D “Adolescent MSM in Jamaica: HIV Risk, Homophobia and Gender Stereotypes in Relationships” Wednesday November 1, 2006 12 noon 4701 Haven Hall (CAAS Conference Room) NESHA HANIFF ( nzh@umich.edu ) is a Senior Lecturer in CAAS and the Program on Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. She holds a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Michigan. She is the Director of the Community Education Project on Violence at the Jamaica Planned Association in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, and the Director of the Pedagogy of Action HIV/AIDS Education Program and Study Abroad to South Africa. Professor Haniff’s work has focused on empowerment pedagogies and marginalized populations. She has developed several innovative education modules on topics such as HIV/AIDS, violence, and women’s reproductive health.

Black Suicide Attempts Worse Than Thought from The Associated Press CHICAGO October 31, 2006, 4:38 p.m. ET · More U.S. blacks attempt suicide than previously thought, according to a landmark study that could help explode the myth that black suicides are rare because of a mind-set that took hold during slavery. The first nationally representative study to look at attempted suicide among blacks found that about 70,000 of them try to kill themselves each year and 4 percent, or roughly 1.4 million, attempt suicide at least once in their lives. That lifetime rate is similar to that of whites but higher than the 2.8 percent found among blacks in previous surveys. Other research has shown that the actual suicide rate in whites is about twice as high as in blacks, though rising rates among young black men have narrowed the racial gap. Still, there is a common misconception that suicide is rare in the black community because of cultural and religious beliefs dating back to slavery times. The study strengthens evidence showing that belief is false, said University of Michigan researcher Sean Joe, the study's lead author. The findings appear in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers analyzed data from a national survey involving 5,181 blacks age 18 and older. They were questioned about suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts between 2001 and 2003. Data on completed suicides was not included. The study is the first to look at suicidal behavior among the two leading ethnic groups within the U.S. black community -- African-Americans and Caribbean Americans. The lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was much higher among Caribbean-American black men, at 7.5 percent, suggesting that about 53,000 try at least once to kill themselves. The reasons for that relatively high rate are uncertain. Although the study lacked data on how long Caribbean-American blacks and their ancestors had been in this country, it is likely many were more recent arrivals than African Americans and thus more vulnerable to frustrations with discrimination and other societal pressures, said Dr. Carl Bell, a psychiatry professor at the University of Illinois' Chicago campus and expert on mental health issues in the black community. "There is little or no information that is out there that is well-studied and well-documented. From that perspective, this is a huge contribution" that will help mental health professionals serve the black community, said Bell, who was not involved in the research. Dr. Paula Clayton, medical director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, pronounced it a landmark study that adds considerably to knowledge about suicide risks in blacks and could improve prevention efforts. Historically, suicide was taboo in the black community going back to slavery times, at least partly because "it was really frowned on by the black church," said Dr. Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard University psychiatry professor and race relations specialist. "It was a stigma and it brought shame to your family." Blacks "thought life was supposed to be hard for them," and that may have helped protect them from suicide, Poussaint said. Interestingly, suicide attempts in the study were least common among blacks in the South, where that mind-set may linger from slavery times, he said. While depression is strongly tied to suicidal behavior in whites, anxiety disorders were more common than depression in blacks who attempted suicide in the study. That is an important racial difference that could alert doctors to black patients who might be contemplating suicide, Poussaint said. ------ On the Net: JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org

CEW Upcoming Workshops Building Your Financial Future Series: Personal Finance 101 Monday, November 6, 2006 5:00-6:30 pm Center for the Education of Women 330 E. Liberty Street Presenter: Rob Oliver, CFP®, Oliver Financial Planning Get an introduction to the topic of personal finance and learn how to balance your current needs with your financial goals. Topics to be discussed include financial goals planning, estate planning, risk management, budgeting, savings, investments, and taxes. You are welcome to bring related materials and ask questions about your personal finances either during or after the presentation. To register, call 734-998-7080. An Eye Toward Retirement: A Two-Part Series Part I: Four Features of Fulfillment in Second Adulthood and Retirement Tuesday, November 7, 2006 1:00-4:00 pm Center for the Education of Women 330 E. Liberty Street Presenters: Lily Jarman-Reisch, Consultant/CEW Affiliated Scholar Doreen Murasky, CEW Senior Counselor In this first session, we will explore changing concepts of adult development and retirement; retirement as a major transition; cross-cultural dimensions of retirement; and four critical factors for a fulfilling retirement and later life. Registration fee for this 2-part series is $25. Individual sessions are $15 each. To register, call 734-998-7080. Co-sponsored with the University of Michigan Work/Life Resource Center and the University of Michigan Faculty and Staff Assistance Program. Finding Your Motivation and Keeping It Wednesday, November 8, 2006 4:30-6:30 pm Center for the Education of Women 330 E. Liberty Street Presenter: Jennifer Poteat, JD Where does motivation come from, how do we find it, and how do we maintain it? This workshop will assist you in identifying what motivates you. Learn how you can be comfortable in your own skin, waking up every day re-energized and re-invigorated, knowing that you are ultimately responsible for your destiny. Integral to this discussion is identifying those people and situations that will help you succeed in achieving your goals and those that will attempt to derail you. To register, call 734-998-7080. Co-sponsored with the University of Michigan Work/Life Resource Center and the University of Michigan Faculty and Staff Assistance Program.