EQUITY CAUCUS MISSION STATEMENT
The Equity Caucus serves to improve graduate programs through conversations on topics regarding equity, diversity and inclusion. Through early engagement with these concepts, it is our hope that graduate students will become active participants in their own development and practice of advocating for equitable environments in both professional and personal practices.These playbooks provides structured resources for use as a guide for engagement in proactive conversations about our roles as activists. As the education and psychology professions are centered around social justice, enhancing equity must be a part of every conversation. Additionally, we aim to assist future professionals in psychological and educational settings in building understanding, awareness, and capacity to advocate for marginalized youth and families in all contexts of this work. We are committed to engaging and elevating these competencies that will benefit every youth and family we will support throughout our careers.
SUPPORTING STUDENTS FROM NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS
An Equity Caucus Presentation
May 2025
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Slides:
AGENDA
INTRODUCTIONS
MISSION STATEMENT
AGREEMENTS
ALLYSHIP BASICS
CHECK OUT AND EXIT TICKET
Q&A:
INTRODUCTIONS
STAY ENGAGED
UNDERSTAND IMPACT
EQUITY CAUCUS AGREEMENTS
FOSTER GROWTH
Remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue. Reflect on your own responsibility to engage and create a shared space for all community members.
Be willing to take risks and be absolutely honest and vulnerable about your thoughts, feelings, and opinions — not just saying what you perceive others want to hear. Until we can become completely honest and vulnerable, the dialogue we engage in will remain limited and ultimately ineffective.
Recognize and reflect on the effects and impacts your words and actions have on others. When harm occurs and reconciliation efforts are made, the goal is to engage in constructive conversation for the purpose of understanding, not finding solutions.
Remember that in the many facets of our own lives, we have all held beliefs that we no longer hold, articulated thoughts or opinions poorly, and underestimated the impact of our words. While we are all accountable for the things that we say and do, remember to give yourself and others the time and space to grow.
SPEAK YOUR
HONEST TRUTH
RESTORATIVE AGREEMENT
In our shared space, our main goal is to build understanding, awareness, and capacity to advocate for marginalized youth and families. As we engage in these conversations, recognize that regardless of intent, we may say or do something that may be hurtful to another individual or group of individuals in our community group. In our development as advocates, we will make restorative efforts when harm is done to understand and further grow personally and professionally. As a community we understand that there are multiple ways to engage in restorative conversations that include, but are not limited to:
EQUITY CAUCUS APOLOGY STATEMENT
It was brought to Equity Caucus' attention how the use of the term “Non‑Judeo‑Christian” is problematic. We acknowledge the harm this has caused the Jewish community and apologize for using a term rooted in divisiveness. The meeting topic name has been changed to “Supporting Students from Non-Christian Religions." We recognize that this terminology is harmful due to the ways it conflates Judaism with Christianity and erases the diverse beliefs and discrimination faced by Jewish people. Similarly, the term “Abrahamic” religions has also been criticized for erasing parts of Islamic and Jewish history and holds Christianity as the central religion in this discussion.
Society for Humanistic Judaism’ Statement on the term “Judeo-Christian”: https://shj.org/challenging-the-phrase-judeo-christian-values/
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: The problem of “Abrahamic religions” and the possibilities of comparison: https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec3.12339
Judaism
Shinto
Buddhism
Sikhism
Mu-ism
Confucianism
Sikhism
Jainism
Cheondoism
Hoahaoism
Caodaism
Tengriism
Druize
Taoism
Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ
Voodoo
Pawnee Mythology
Gaihwi:io
RELIGIONS IN SEATTLE
Resources to further education on religion
Bullying
Lack of representation or appropriate representation in schools
ANTI-HINDUISM IN SCHOOLS
ANTI-HINDUISM IN SCHOOLS
“You don’t know about your own religion, you have so many gods. Your religion is idol worship (even though they were corrected to say deity worship, and they continued to insist that it’s the same). When teachers say these things, they undermine the students and make a mockery of them.”
“My child went to school with a religious symbol on his forehead. He was bullied until he no longer wanted to attend school. Over the years we have had to change his school three times within East London.”
“My daughter was bullied at school and had beef thrown at her by classmates as she is a Hindu.”
“Shouting ‘Go back home you Paki’; white kids gang up and don’t talk to Hindu kids.”
“In a school open day, the displayed material regarding Hinduism talked about casteism only with reference to Hinduism even though various sects exist also in Christianity and Islam with animosity and lack of mobility between these sects. This type of selective highlighting of social evils and attributing it to Hinduism leads to bullying.”
BUDDHISM
BEST PRACTICES FOR RELIGIOUS STUDENTS
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES TO CONISDER IN SCHOOLS
HINDU AND BUDDHIST HOLY DAYS AND HOLIDAYS
RESOURCES TO FURTHER EDUCATION
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
CHECK OUT
I’M LEAVING THIS SPACE WITH...
I APPRECIATE THIS GROUP FOR...
SOMETHING I’M STILL THINKING ABOUT
IS...
THANK YOU
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