In 2021-22, CU Denver campus community members shared stories related to being a BIPOC student, staff or faculty member at CU Denver
BIPOC refers to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
The third workshop was conducted in November-December 2022; participants included UCD students, staff members and faculty members who self-identify as BIPOC.
Our project contributes to diversity by creating space for BIPOC community members at CU Denver to share experiences related workplace culture, structural racism and a sense of belonging.
The goal of the workshop is to create a repository of compelling videos to raise the profile of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the university and existing concerns, including policy equity, white privilege, and restorative justice.
Facilitators: Dr. Marty Otañez (Anthropology), Dr. Bryan Wee (Geography and Environmental Sciences), and Donica Snyder, art therapist
Each Participant Who Completed the 2-Day Workshop (10 hours overall) and Completed a Digital Story Received A $250 Stipend
Workshop Activities
- Short writing exercise (300 words) based on a story prompt we provide due 24 hours before our first workshop meeting, noon-5pm Friday 11 November 2022
- Group sharing of BIPOC-related draft stories about lived experiences as CU Denver student, staff or faculty member
- Story development based on feedback from workshop participants and co-facilitators
- Reading your story and recording your voice with a microphone and audio recording device
- Receiving tutorials in art, photography and video editing (using WeVideo, provided to you in the workshop)
- Selecting personal photographs and video clips (no copyrighted imagery or any imagery pulled from the web is allowed in video projects in the workshop)
- Choosing background (instrumental) music and sound effects
- Adding a title and closing credits with CU Denver logo
- Watching the digital stories with other workshop participants
- Completing a workshop evaluation form
- Working an additional three hours or so on an as needed basis to finalize your videos for public dissemination purposes
After the workshop, each participant had a partially developed (incomplete) digital BIPOC story; additional work (about 3 hours) was needed to finalize the story with help from Drs. Otañez and Wee (on sabbatical, fall 2022) to prepare videos for public sharing.
At the end of the workshop, each participant after reviewing the final version of their video decided if they want their completed video to be shared publicly (e.g. Dr. Otañez' faculty web page).
Audience
The audience for the completed digital BIPOC stories is comprised of CU Denver community members who support genuine DEI initiatives and are committed to dismantling systems of white supremacy that persist in university spaces.
Contact: Marty.Otanez@ucdenver.edu; 415 306 4754
Funds Provided by UC Denver DEI Office and CLAS Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Watch videos produced in digital BIPOC workshops in January and April 2022