DEI Resources

DEI Reading Suggestions

National Writing Day: Student Viewpoints

In 2009, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) formally designated October 20th as the National Day on Writing. NOVA students were asked to write in response to the following prompt:

"How does writing help you to make your voice heard in the fight for equality? How will you use writing to raise diverse voices to the forefront of the narrative?"

A Guide to Black LGBTQ+ Activism

Black LGBTQ+ activists have changed the course of Black history as a whole. Learn more about how these individuals have been integral to progress.

An Asian American Studies Perspective on Anti-Asian Violence in 2021

The #AtlantaSyllabus was designed for those who want to better understand this incident and this moment in all of their complexity.

African Americans and Jim Crow: Repression and protest, 1883-1922

Readex, Primary Source Collections.

African Americans and Reconstruction: Hope and Struggle, 1865 - 1883 

Readex, Primary Source Collections.

Antiracism: A Guide to Stories, Perspectives, and Connections

Curated by NOVA Libraries, this collection of eBooks, articles, videos, and podcasts explores the "history and conditions that have led to the unrest of 2020," provides resources to deepen an understanding of antiracism, and offers guidance to move forward as individuals and institutions.

Black History Month

A guide highlighting "the work of visionaries across disciplines carving a path towards a future full of black joy" - Created by the Annandale campus library.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Collection

Gale, eBook Collection.

Hispanic Heritage Month

NOVA Libraries offer this selection of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction titles by Latino and Hispanic writers in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

Indigenous Peoples of North America

Gale, eBook Collection.

Women's History Month

A listing of resources compiled by the Annandale Library titled "Confidence and Joy," with inspirational and informative selections from female authors.

Common Read Book: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson
Just Mercy book cover
Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done.Just Mercy, p.17.
  • U.S. News & World Report "10 Books to Read Before College" list.
  • Selected as a common read book at over 100 institutions in the U.S.

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice - from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn't commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship - and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer's coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

How to Get Your Book:

For all faculty, staff, and students:

  1. Fill out this quick survey.
  2. Show the confirmation email to your campus librarian or Office of DEI staff member.
  3. Get your free book!

If you work at Brault, Pender, or are affiliated with NOVA in another way, you can get your copy from the Office of DEI (Brault 208) or by inter-campus mail. To request your copy via inter-campus mail, forward your survey confirmation to Sherrene DeLong . Please include the specific location you would like the book to be mailed to.

Students, staff, or faculty who are remote may also use the survey to request their book mailed to them. Copies of an E-book version are also available in limited quantities based on need.

PLEASE NOTE: Requests for E-books or mailed books will take around 4 weeks to complete. We highly recommend getting a print book from your campus library. NOVA Libraries also has a few E-Books available on a first come first serve basis.

For questions, please get in touch with Sherrene DeLong or ask your campus librarian for more info.

All NOVA students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the DEI Common Read. For the fall semester reading guide, on-campus and virtual processing spaces calendar, and additional resources, please self-enroll in a DEI Common Read Canvas Course:

For frequently asked questions, please see the attached PDF. Contact Sherrene DeLong (sdelong@nvcc.edu) in the Office of DEI for questions.

Facilities

Rooms on Campus

Each NOVA campus has lactation spaces, meditation spaces, and single-occupancy restrooms that are gender inclusive. DEI Campus maps coming soon showing the locations.

DEI Related Educational Resources

DEI Campus Committee Members

  • Meredith Kintzing, Co-chair
  • Octavia Young, Co-chair
  • Karen Schwartz
  • Rhonda Stallings
  • Mariella Abanto
  • Melissa Bautista

  • Ann Stegner, Co-Chair
  • Zahra Rafie, Co-Chair
  • Ghada Abdelmoumin
  • Yessenia Bidwell
  • Mihaela Chamberlin
  • Nate Green
  • CJ Jackson
  • Pamella Johnson
  • Ritu Kansal
  • Tank McCarl
  • Catalina Novac
  • Andrea Scaletta
  • Ben Wang

  • Sarah Sweetman – Co-chair
  • Nick Walker – Co-chair
  • Sharis Ahmadi
  • Alton Carroll
  • Barbara Crain
  • Monifa Hamilton
  • Ramani Kharidehal
  • Barbaranne Liakos
  • Paula Rodgers
  • Rosa Sherrod

  • Corinne Graves, Co-Chair
  • Rebecca P. Harris-Scott, Co-Chair
  • Shahrokh Ahmadi
  • Xue Bai
  • Russell Carter
  • R. Daphne Carter-McCants
  • Caitlin Chazen
  • Corey Esparza
  • Jay Gillespie
  • Rania Hammad
  • ThuyTien Ngo-Nguyen
  • Sabrina Ricks
  • Amany Saleh
  • Andria Shoates
  • Karen Todd
  • Alicia Tucker

  • Kimberly Nicely, Co-Chair
  • Marina McGraw, Co-Chair
  • Vickie Beamon
  • Abby Bricker
  • Ellis Colleton
  • Brianna Garber
  • Judy Green
  • Doreatha Johnson
  • Anmarie Kallas
  • Patricia Martin-Mattocks
  • Emily Miller
  • Mark Plaugher
  • Nicholas Zefran

  • Doug Rhoney, Co-chair
  • Lyle Spain, Co-chair
  • Antonia (Toni) De Luz
  • Erin Devine
  • Lawrence Nightingale
  • Sara Mendoza
  • Dac Nelson
  • Jacqueline Weaver

Pronoun Usage Tips

Tips on Personal Pronoun Usage From The Office of DEI

In the interest of inclusive excellence and creating a welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff, the Office of DEI would like to share helpful resources reminding members of the community of techniques to share their personal pronouns and changed names with members of the college community.

The first step is to become more educated about the importance of personal pronouns and gender identity. The Office of DEI recommends faculty, staff and students review information from various resources, including websites like Pronouns Matter and a glossary of terms published by the Human Rights Campaign. In addition, please consult with leaders at the campus level working with student clubs that focus on LGBTQIA+ topics.

Secondly, the Office of DEI would like to encourage all faculty and staff to review information about LGBTQIA rights as ascribed by the College's Title IX office. Please see the website for our Title IX Office for more information.

Finally, to create a more welcoming environment for all students by increasing gender identity and pronoun visibility, the Office of DEI would like to share the following resources and tools.

For Students

Students can change their names in SIS Self-Service. Please see the attached slides for a tutorial on Adding Preferred Names, or follow this link to read about Changing User Preferences in SIS.

Please note that VCCS will ensure that the changed name appears on grade rosters to encourage faculty to use a student's changed name when possible. In addition, SIS will integrate with CANVAS and Navigate so a student's changed name is displayed to the students themselves as well as others they may interact with in virtual environments (classmates, faculty, advisors).

Additionally, per correspondence with VCCS Director of Student Support Services, Dr. Heather Sorrell, VCCS is also actively working to change the online application so under the variable gender in addition to "male," "female," "unknown," or "other" additional options such as "nonbinary" and "none of the above" will soon appear.

Finally, students who have updated Zoom to version 5.7.0 can add their personal pronouns to their Zoom profile so they always appear to users, and a guide to Adding and Sharing Your Pronouns is available via Zoom support.

For Faculty and Staff

NOVA faculty and staff who would like to add pronouns to their e-mail signature can learn how through this link, including instructions on changing your e-mail signature and a short, how-to video. Please remember to follow and incorporate NOVA's guidelines when changing your signature.

In addition, faculty and staff are encouraged to add their personal pronouns to their Zoom profiles. A guide to Adding and Sharing Your Pronouns is available via Zoom support.

As NOVA's Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer noted during PUP 2022, "Using Personal Pronouns and changed names is important because it helps to affirm who students, faculty, and staff are and how they choose to share their identities when they wish. When people feel seen and affirmed, they feel like they belong, and that is so important to our commitment to inclusive excellence."

Additional efforts to help create a more welcoming environment across our campuses and buildings are ongoing.

If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of DEI, NOVA's CDEIO, or representatives from the DEI Council and/or your DEI Campus Committee. Finally, if you or a student experience discrimination of any kind regarding gender identity, please report these incidents to NOVA's Title IX Officer.