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“Topics addressed in classes I teach often examine issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in K–12 education…Education is always a political act, and in the current political climate, having access to effective tools to navigate potentially polarizing topics seems more important than ever.” – Lenore Reilly

“This is not a college course. It’s a present for your past self and a present for your future self. It’s a gift to your children, and it’s gift to your parents, and it’s a gift to your health and well-being...IGD is foundational to human functionality.” – Alum

Overview

In their Convocation address in 2021, ����ɬ student Lasya Priya Rao Jarugumilli ’24 shared key lessons from their journey: “First, treat every person you talk to with respect, listen to them carefully, be mindful of not interrupting. Second, be as authentic as possible. Be real! Be yourself!...Third, move in and out of spaces, and be mindful of how much space you’re taking up. ...A fourth guideline that I’d like to offer up from my own experience is acting with kindness, compassion and giving grace towards your own self and others.”

Like Laysa, many students, alums, staff and faculty are seeking models for effective dialogue across axes of difference at a time fraught with polarization, misunderstandings and inter and intra-group conflict.

IGD is one evidence-based, interdisciplinary field of practice that seeks to bridge social and cultural divides and create more equitable and just communities by fostering meaningful cross-identity collaborations. A nationally recognized, credit-bearing program that in 1988, its primary goal is to support learning around inter- and intra-group relations, and social justice across a range of social identities including race, gender, sexuality, social class, religion and nationality. Since its inception, IGD has expanded to over 150 colleges and universities across the United States. In addition, this practice has been increasingly recognized as a valuable method for addressing difficult issues in K—12, community and workplace settings.

����ɬ has been engaging with IGD for over 30 years, beginning with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s “Psychology of Racism” course in spring 1990. In 2007 MHC hosted an IGD Conference in collaboration with Dr. Ximena Zúñiga, and in 2019 MHC and UMASS co-hosted the national IGD Conference. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum returned to MHC in 2022 as interim president and worked to further embed IGD into the College through the appointment of Presidential Fellow Dr. Kristie Ford. In 2023 ����ɬ announced its IGD Center, the first of its kind among gender-diverse women’s institutions in the United States, with the goal to realize the power and possibility of dialogic engagement modes for creating social change.