What COVID Teaches Us About Racial Equity

In this episode

Wealth stratification, health disparities and the digital divide were evident before COVID-19, but the pandemic made them impossible to ignore. In this episode, our guests talk about the lessons they learned from dealing with racism during the pandemic and from helping others to cope with the disproportionate impact of the virus on their communities while navigating inequitable systems in education and health care. What have been some positive organizational responses to address racial inequities during the pandemic?

This episode was recorded on May 17, 2021.

LISTEN 53:00

Host

Dr. Candy McCorkle has served WMU as the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for almost three years. Prior to serving at WMU, she served Alma College as the director of Diversity and Inclusion. She also served as a professor of undergraduate psychology and graduate faculty member and program director of Counseling at Spring Arbor University. Dr. McCorkle has contributed to a guidebook for diversity practitioners and authored a chapter in a book on the impact of pre-college programs on retention of marginalized students. She serves on the boards for the Society of History and Racial Equity and Communities in Schools Kalamazoo.

 

 

 

 

 

Guests

Nathan Nguyen is the Director of LBGT Student Services at Western Michigan University. Prior to WMU he worked at North Carolina State University, University of North Florida, Northeast Florida AIDS Network, and the Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network (JASMYN). While at JASMYN, he was an HIV tester and counselor, in addition to assisting with case management, youth development, and federal grants for HIV prevention. Nguyen has served in various national organizations addressing issues of diversity and inclusion around race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

 

 

 

 

 

Liliana Salas leads the Western Michigan University College Assistance Migrant Program (WMU CAMP), a federally funded grant program for students with a background in agriculture. She is a second-year doctoral student in education at WMU. Lily is also a founding member of Empowering Latina Leaders and Advocates for Success (ELLAS), a local Latina leadership organization. Her expertise lies in college access for first-generation underrepresented students, as well as in migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their experiences in higher education.