The Racism Pandemic and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Pitt Honors

Listen to Pitt student Isabel Weir interview Pitt alum Marcus Robinson (Class of 2017) about his role as Commissioner for the LGBTQIA+ Commission for the City of Pittsburgh and as a Housing Compliance Analyst at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh. Marcus shares his insight on local government’s ability to strengthen connections with the community, improve accountability and planning processes, and build success rubrics that reflect the actual needs of people. Marcus believes policy should reflect the lived, intersectional experience of the diverse people and identities such policy is meant to serve and address vulnerabilities like low wages, rent, and access to housing and transportation.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)

Listen to Pitt student Katelyn Morrison interview Pitt alum Paula Woods-Thomas (MSW 2009) regarding Paula’s career as a social worker in the Department of Veterans Affairs. While the need for social work has remained unchanged, Paula points out the ways in which delivery of services and equitable access to resources have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, Katelyn discusses her own research designing fair algorithms for social systems and asks Paula to weigh in on the benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in the field of social work, which has persistently dealt with issues of racism, classism, and sexism.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)

Listen to Pitt student Maia Stephenson interview Pitt alum and current doctoral candidate Olivia Enders (Class of 2013) about her academic work regarding the school-to-prison pipeline, exclusionary bias in educational spaces, purposefully resistant student behavior, and the use of education as a liberatory strategy. Find out what Olivia thinks about online learning during COVID-19 and how this moment offers us an opportunity to re-evaluate traditional educational norms and improve experiences for students with disabilities and those who lack access to resources.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)

Listen to Pitt student Trishya Pagadala interview Pitt alum Dr. Cara Margherio (Class of 2005) regarding Cara’s work in academia developing programs and methods of advocation to support academics from underrepresented groups and improve transparency and accountability to address inequities in higher education. As Cara points out, equity transformations are constantly evolving, and the process of change itself must therefore be conducted in an equitable manner. This includes involving a diverse array of people in the equitable policymaking process and cultivating a commitment to the ongoing process of equitable change. Cara advocates for the use of unions to help address power imbalances and drive structural and cultural changes that make workplaces more diverse, more inclusive, and more equitable for everyone.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)

Listen to Pitt student Aparna Ramani interview Pitt alum Dwight Pullen Jr. (Class of 1994) regarding his inspiring and extensive record of community and civic engagement work throughout his life and career. Dwight views civic engagement as a responsibility, and is a proponent of building trust and making connections in diverse environments by engaging colleagues and peers, actively listening, and embracing diversity and promoting equity. Dwight has worked to increase representation in the engineering field and help industries effectively represent the communities they serve. According to Dwight, investing time in people and communities and always being open to learning from anyone, anywhere is key to making a meaningful difference.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)

Produced by the Honors College at the University of Pittsburgh, this “Racism Pandemic & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” podcast is part of the long-term effort to use scholarship, civic engagement, and stories of lived experience to address racism as a social pandemic.



While the coronavirus pandemic has captured the world’s attention for the past year, the Honors College is committed to recognizing and addressing racism as a pandemic in its own right. Racism has been present and institutionalized in American society since before the country was founded, and just as the coronavirus spreads insidiously and intimately harms people and communities, so too does racism and inequity.



This podcast is just one of the ways the Honors College is attempting to take action and share important, captivating, and often uncomfortable conversations about the intersection of race, community, employment, and academia. Listen to our diverse group of current Pitt students and alumni as they discuss a multitude of topics—from fair housing, to critical pedagogy, to global experiences—and offer perspective and advice to current students and young professionals.



We anticipate on releasing a second season of this podcast in the fall.



Music: "Something Elated" by Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated)