Resources to fuel your learning about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility work

I’m a lifelong learner, constantly seeking out information that either challenges my perspective and/or deepens my understanding of the world. This curated list is a snapshot of the resources that have resonated with me over the past year. 

I shared these resources first with my email list.  If you would like these types of resources and insights sent direct to your inbox on a monthly basis, sign up to for my monthly newsletter. Each month, I share curated resources, personal reflections, and opportunities that align with building greater inclusion, belonging and accessibility.

I’ve organized the resources by the following themes 

1. Systemic injustice and equity 

2. Building inclusive and caring communities 

3. Wellbeing and resilience

4. Activism and social change 

5. Art and culture  

Note: Some resources may fit into multiple categories.

Systemic Injustice and Equity

• Naomi Klein's article "We Need A Exodus from Zionism": Offers a critical perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, challenging dominant narratives.

• Article on the Bracero Program: Exposes the exploitation of Mexican laborers brought to the United States under a guest worker program.

• USC Center for Race and Equity wrote a report on DEI misinformation: Provides evidence-based research to counter harmful narratives about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

• Ava Duvernay's movie Origin Takes the viewer on a powerful journey to better understand how deep the system of hierarchy goes based on race, illuminating its enduring impact on American society and around the world. It’s based on Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste, which explores the nuanced and intersectional concept of caste through a comparative lens, revealing the systemic nature of racial inequality. This Fresh Air Interview with Ava Duvernay is an excellent listen or read to learn more about Origin, especially if you’re not a moviegoer but want to learn more about the film. (The first 20 minutes is the interview with Duvernay.)

• Operation Olive Branch: A platform for providing direct aid to those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This platform can help you choose a cause, area, or group to give to and makes sure to include a tab where you can see the individuals and groups that have received funding to make their next steps feasible. 

Building Inclusive and Caring Communities

• Natania Malin Gazek's post on creating caring spaces: Offers practical advice for fostering inclusivity and belonging within organizations.

• Perry Radford's post on donor culture: Examines the role of philanthropy in shaping campus culture and priorities (especially in times of upheaval).

• Deepa Iyer's post on social change ecosystem: Shares insights on navigating the complex landscape of social justice work.

• Prentis Hemphill's book What It Takes to Heal: Provides a framework for personal and collective healing, emphasizing the importance of community.

• Healing at the Roots organization: Offers retreats and programs focused on spiritual and emotional healing, grounded in indigenous wisdom. Specifically i’ve attended a Grief retreat and highly recommend the experience. 

• Meenadchi's work on dialogue and decolonized communication: Promotes embodied and effective communication practices. I have benefited and utlize within my practice many of the techniques I learned through taking a docoloznied communication course with Meenadchi. 

• Emily Roh's "My Invisible Knapsack": a personal or small group coach who supports groups and people in finding their way through challenges and inequities. 

• Work in Progress Consulting's sabbatical policy: Demonstrates a commitment to employee well-being and work-life balance. Liberatory inclusion work looks like building it into the systems we work within. This is a great example of one way we can build in time off within employees experiences. 

Well-being and Resilience

• Jenny Odell's book Saving Time: Helps us understand how we have arrived at the mind set of “time is money”  and helps us challenge the dominant cultures’ images of what productivity and rest look like to better understand what it might mean for each of us individually.

• Monumental Conflict in Santa Fe podcast: Explores the sordid history and culture of one monument in Santa Fe’s town center. It’s a great listen to better understand how cultural and ethnic groups have come to understand this current moment and what it means to have difference statues represented in public town squares. 

• The Long Time Academy podcast: Provides tools and insights for understanding and reimagining our relationship to time through a series of interviews with very interesting people. 

• Kaira Jewel Lingo's episode on Ten Percent Happier podcast, Three Buddhist Strategies for when the news is overwhleming: Offers Buddhist-inspired strategies for managing stress and overwhelm.

• Forest bathing: A nature-based practice shown to reduce stress and improve overall well-being. Here’s a 15-minute podcast on NPR’s life kit on how Western science (finally catching up) now shares how spending time in the forest can boost health and lower stress. 

• Circle album: Songs to help soothe the soul and create space for healing. This is a dear friend of mine, Julianna Zarzicky, who is a song catcher and song circle leader local to Tonvaaar a.k.a Los Angeles, CA. For this particular album, she invited our Artist Way group to be back up vocals on the song “I Wanna Listen.” It was such a special experience to be invited into the process. I listen to this album often!

• Spells from the Unknown album: Offers a unique approach to mantras and song as ways of being with hard emotions and feelings.  Ahlay Blakley is one of the grief tenders and runs the organization Healing at the Roots. 

• My Invisible Knapsack: Meet a liberatory coach and facilitator who can support you 1:1 or as a team.  She conducts team coaching that support teams in aligning and finding a way forward through the challenges of navigating the task at hand and the needs of the team. A liberatory approach to leadership and coaching. 

• Meenadchi’s TedX talk “My friend broke up with me. Here’s what I learned”: A poignant reflection on friendship and personal growth.  Meenadchi is currently creating a course on working through friend breakups. 

Activism and Social Change

• Reimagined, formerly known as Anti-Racism Daily, Provides daily news and resources on racial justice issues.

• Kuuyam Nahwá’a: As a guest on the land I work and play on, I’ve continually sought out ways to build relationships to support landback movements. This particular fund supports Indigenous land stewardship and environmental protection with indigenous leadership. What to know more about the land you reside? Begin by going to native-land.ca. Then look for organizations helping find funding to support land back, and look into how you can honor native land tax. 

• Operation Olive Branch: A platform for supporting those affected by the crisis in Gaza.

Art and Culture

• Circle album: Demonstrates the power of music to evoke emotions and inspire connection, with yourself and all of what is around us.

• Spells from the Unknown album: Offers a unique approach to mantras and song as ways of being with hard emotions and feelings. 

• Ava Duvernay's "Origin": Uses film to explore complex social issues and inspire critical thinking.

• Britchida art: Provides a visual representation of creativity and expression from a queer and BIPOC lens. I appreciate how it reflects back a lot of complicated emotions using color and texture to communicate. 

I invite you to explore these resources and share your own discoveries. Let's continue to learn, grow, and create a more just and equitable world together. And if you found any of these helpful or interesting feel free ot sign up for my newsletter where you can get them in small doses on a monthly basis!