February 2, 2023 Letter to the Community

in Allyship, Community, Justice, Law, Our News, Race & Ethnicity

We at BU Diversity & Inclusion have been shocked and saddened by the many recent instances of violence in and perpetrated against marginalized communities in the U.S. The Lunar New Year marks a celebration of family, prosperity, traditions, and renewal for Asian communities around the world. For Asian Americans nationwide, that celebration was shattered after […]

Learn More Series: Queerfolk, Transfolk, Fatfolk, Blackfolk: Intersections of Queer and Black Identities

in Allyship, Diversity, Events Archive, Gender, Health & Wellness, LGBTQIA+, Race & Ethnicity

To be Black and queer is to live at the margins within the margins, erased from both mainstream heteronormative culture and white-dominant LGBTQIA+ culture. It means inhabiting a body that is hypervisible, overpoliced, and under constant threat from society. It also means inhabiting a body in a world where desirability is political, a form of […]

Learn More Series: “A” is for Asexual Liberation: Centering Ace & Aro Identities and Creating a Movement

in Allyship, Diversity, Events Archive, Gender, LGBTQIA+

Despite our societal obsession with sex, sexual attraction and desire are not experienced by all and exist on a spectrum. Over the past 20 years, the asexual and aromantic (or ace and aro) communities have gained visibility and awareness thanks to leaders like David Jay, an asexual activist, and Angela Chen, a journalist and acclaimed […]

Learn More Series: “We’re Not Going Back”: Protecting and Advancing LGBTQIA+ Rights in 2022

in Allyship, Diversity, Events Archive, Gender, Inclusion, LGBTQIA+, Politics

Activists have described it as civil rights whiplash: Despite all of the progress in LGBTQIA+ rights, visibility, and acceptance in this new century, a wave of transphobia and homophobia is sweeping the nation. This year alone, more than 200 pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation have been introduced in 36 states, the majority targeting trans and nonbinary […]

2022-23 Learn More Series Theme

in Allyship, Gender, Justice, LGBTQIA+, Our News

January 24, 2022 — Boston University Diversity & Inclusion (BU D&I) is proud to announce the Learn More Series theme for the 2022-23 academic year will be exploring and understanding LGBTQIA+ Identity and Experiences. Each year, we devote ourselves to investigating a single topic of social importance through our Learn More Series. The effort features nationally […]

Learn More Series: Disability in the Arts with Kristina Wong

in Allyship, Community, Culture, Disability, Diversity, Education, Equity, Events Archive, Higher Education

For this BU Diversity & Inclusion (BU D&I) Learn More Series keynote speaker event, performance artist and comedian Kristina Wong uses humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race, mental health, and gender play out in America today. She performed an abridged piece from her show “Wong Flew […]

Learn More Series: Why We Need Disability Justice with Haben Girma

in Access, Allyship, Community, Culture, Disability, Diversity, Events Archive, Mental Health

For this Learn More Series keynote speaker event, Haben Girma, human rights lawyer and the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, joins Director of BU Disability & Access Services Lorre Wolfe for a fireside chat and audience Q&A about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Haben breaks down her definition of “trauma porn,” shares her […]

BU Today: POV, Higher Ed Institutions Would Benefit from Hiring More Faculty and Staff with Disabilities

in Allyship, BU News, Disability, Diversity, Education, Health & Wellness, Higher Education, News We Care About

“As a person with a disability, this course was the first time I felt like I belonged in academia. I’ve been a BU student for almost two years, but it wasn’t until this course that I began to identify with the school. The sense of community felt is largely due to inclusive curriculum and exploring […]