Digital Library of Insightful Resources
We have asked our Jacobs School community to share resources that have been stimulating and helpful in learning about cultural awareness, equity, inclusion and social justice. In this “Digital Library of Insightful Resources” we are sharing your
recommendations to encourage more engagement in these topics that are impactful in creating an inclusive learning environment.
We Want to Hear From You!
If you want to contribute with a resource for this digital library:
Thank you for your contributions. Let’s keep building this virtual space for a more compassionate and competent learning community!
Insightful Diversity Resources By Theme
Black History Month Recommendations
Books
Heather Ann Thompson
Learning Impact: History of the Attica uprising outside of Buffalo in 1971. This was one additional transformative moment in my adult life when I (again) realized how little I know about the impacts of racism all around me.
Jesmyn Ward
Learning Impact: Memoir centered on the tragic deaths of five Black young men in the author’s life, between 2000 and 2004.
Michael Marmot
Learning Impact: Made me understand what we are doing wrong.
Sabrina Strings
Learning Impact: It is informative about the racial biases ingrained in beauty standards.
Harriet A. Washington
Learning Impact: How much of medicine and medical knowledge was/is founded on racism.
Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
Learning Impact: Exposes our biases like no other book!
Articles
Racism in Medicine
Learning Impact: This interview had so much treasure that our students and the Black community in Buffalo could learn from. In 1959, Marion Hood, MD, got denied admission to medical school at Emory University because of his race. In 1966, he earned his medical degree at Loyola University of Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine. This is the inspiring story of Dr. Hood.
Streaming
Netflix
Learning Impact: A timely reminder of what African American doctors go through while practicing — a lot to learn from this movie.
Hulu
Learning Impact: The 1619 Project is a book and now a TV series that highlights all the different ways that Black people have shaped American history and culture. It provides Black history that has often been erased from the history that we learn in school.
Other Resources and Initiatives
United Way
21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
Learning Impact: For 21 days, you do a reading and an exercise that opens your mind to different perspectives and experiences in order to understand your own bias and perspective.
Women’s History Month Recommendations
Books
Dorothy Roberts
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
Learning Impact: Understanding the need for reproductive justice for Black Women
Elinor Cleghorn
Unwell Women: Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World
Learning Impact: A fantastic and frustrating book about constant misdiagnosis and misrepresentation in women’s health since the beginning of its time. This book really opened my eyes to how systemic the problems within women’s health are!
Lori Arviso Alvord and Elizabeth Cohen Van Pelt
The Scalpel and the Silver Bear
Learning Impact: I had this book as required reading for my undergraduate course on medical anthropology and it tells the story of the first Navajo woman surgeon. I recommend it to everyone, but especially women going into health care as it demonstrates Dr. Alvord’s struggles of entering a male-dominated field. It teaches about combining western medicine with the traditional healing methods of Native American culture.
Christina Lamb
Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women
Learning Impact: Women's bodies have been used as war weapons throughout war histories, but in many cases, we have normalized it and many perpetrators are never brought to justice. The victims are blamed for the crimes done to them and society expects them to move on. As Buffalo has resettled many refugees in past years, it is important to learn which open wounds many are carrying.
Joyce Green
Making Space for Indigenous Feminism
Learning Impact: Teach us about the importance of giving space to intersectionality and amplify the voices of indigenous woman that, in my opinion, have a lot of wisdom to share with the world.
Emily Nagoski
Learning Impact: Emily’s approach to explaining gender as it relates to anatomy has helped me give language to what I know to be true about bodies, gender identity and sexuality.
Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
Katty Kay & Claire Shipman with JillEllyn Riley
Leslie Feinberg
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman
Learning Impact: This book boasts two major accomplishments: 1.) a brief, palatable overview of transgenderism/gender-queerness through human history. The major impact of this point is an illustration that trans people are not a contemporary blip only seen in modern history — but have always existed and persisted through millennia of targeted bigotry. 2.) The book at its core is autobiographical and the author spent a large portion of her early life here in Buffalo, NY. Due to this, she speaks at length about her own experience with Buffalo’s local history of anti-LGBT legislature, providing critical context for our city’s own experience with gender equality and LGBT justice.
Streaming
By Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney
Learning Impact: Women scientists describe their experience with harassment, discrimination and mistreatment at their workplaces and the impact on their careers.
Netflix
Learning Impact: Women + Aging + Dignity + Sex = great commentary on the current issues & culture.
Articles
Learning Impact: It’s written from my own personal experience as part of the Migraine Mavens Writing Consortium.
Resources
On the Web
Learning Impact: Helping to educate about the different forms of contraception.
Learning Impact: Not-for-profit educational and professional organization dedicated to enhancing the interaction and exchange of information between women surgeons.
Learning Impact: Highlighted stories, problems, history of women in science.
Learning Impact: Delivers vital reproductive health care and sex education.
Learning Impact: They advocate for equality, education and an end to child marriage and gender-based violence.
Learning Impact: This is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, femmes, and girls
In Buffalo
Learning Impact: Books on the topics of reproductive health, gender equality and feminist history can be found here!
Diversity Month Recommendations
Books
"In A Different Key: The Story of Autism" by John Donvan and Caren Zucker
Learning Impact: I learned that it was about Indigenous displacement and colonial land possession in Australia, which I didn’t know when I heard that song in the late ’80s.
History
“Beds are Burning” by Midnight Oil
Learning Impact: I learned that it was about indigenous displacement and colonial land possession in Australia, which I didn’t know when I heard that song in the late ’80s.
Culture/Language
Meaningful words in Japanese Language
Learning Impact: I find Japanese language deep in thought and meaning. Feels like there is so much wisdom put in a concept, that can change your life forever.
Ikigai: Discover your purpose in life. Determine the reason you wake up each morning. Choose something that aligns with your strengths, passions, and the need of the world. This is what gives life meaning.
Shikata ga nai: Let go of what you cannot change. Recognize that there are some things which are out of your control, and that's okay. Let go and focus on what you can actually change.
Wabi-sabi: Find peace in imperfection. Recognize that nothing in life is perfect, including yourself and others. Instead of striving for flawlessness, find joy in the imperfections that make life unique.
Gaman: Preserve your dignity during tough times. Show emotional maturity and self-control, even when faced with challenges. Remember to be patient, resilient and understanding.
Kaizen: Always seek to improve in all areas of your life. Even small changes can add up and make a big impact over time.
Countries
Making a difference in Zanzibar: The Panje Project
Learning Impact: I love water. But I just learned and realized that swimming is a fundamental lifesaving skill for the people that live near the ocean or any body of water. This story is heartwarming. It is such a small project that makes an enormous impact in the community.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Recommendations
Watch
Pacific Heartbeat TV series
Learning Impact: To watch this tv series is to have an intimate look at the Pacific Islander experience. It helps to find similarities and differences of other cultures I know.
Pride Month Recommendations
Follow
Queer Surgeon on Instagram
Learning Impact: Dr. Blair Peters introduce us to a world of understanding, support and education on transgender health and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. Plus, a glimpse of his personal life full of adventures and domestic experiences.
Disability Awareness Month Recommendations
Follow
Special Books for Special Kids Website/Community
Learning Impact: This is a space where disabled and neurodiverse people of all backgrounds share their story, and help us all to learn about it and grow as humans.
Docs with Disabilities Initiative
Learning Impact: The Docs with Disabilities initiative uses research, education, and sharing of stories to drive change in perceptions, disability policy, and procedures in health professions, biomedical and science education.
General Websites of Interest