Politics and Public Advocacy: While the materials in this section place a heavy emphasis on an increasing prevalence of policy (and even legislation) targeting inclusive academic programming, they also comment on the health(care) dangers of narrowing the scope of focus on and participation in these inclusive objectives. The materials additionally point to articles highlighting public work from those from non-dominant positionalities attempting to re-center physical, mental, and social well-being not just throughout but also beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, in ways that advocate for less traditionally centered voices to take space within developing conversations.

Blackstock, O. J., Isom, J. E., & Legha, R. K. (2024). Health care is the new battlefront for anti-DEI attacks. PLOS Global Public Health, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003131.

Dickinson, B. (2024, October). “Rest is resistance.” Art Monthly 480, 5-8. https://www.artmonthly.co.uk/magazine/site/issue/october-2024.

Ellis, N. T. (2024, April 17). “A lawmaker proposed a bill that would ban DEI in medical schools. Doctors say it could roll back progress toward improving Black maternal health.” CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/us/dei-medical-schools-black-maternal-health-reaj/index.html#:~:text=Greg%20Murphy%20introduced%20the%20%E2%80%9CEmbracing,including%20promoting%20beliefs%20that%20a.

Hegert, N. (2024). Turning up the Heat: Inside the controversy sparked by drag, censorship, and public funding in a west texas city. Southwest Contemporary. https://southwestcontemporary.com/lubbock-drag-controversy/. 

Hodge, J. G., White, E. N., Piatt, J. L., & Laude, C. (2024). Assessing impacts of “anti-equity” legislation on health care and public health services. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 52(1), 172–177. https://doi.org/10.1017/jme.2024.55.

Iyer, A. (2022). Understanding advantaged groups’ opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies: The role of perceived threat. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 16(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12666.

Kearney, K., Wilson, C. D., & Ramirez, E. (2024). Overcoming Barriers of Incorporating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in Nursing Schools. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(1), 53–56. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20230815-01.

Levins, H. (2024, June 5). “How a rising wave of anti-DEI politics harms patients and health workers.” Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. https://ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/research-updates/how-a-rising-wave-of-anti-dei-politics-harms-patients-and-health-workers/.

Maybank, A. (2024). The Plight of DEI Leaders—Heavy Expectations and Limited Protection. New England Journal of Medicine, 390(14), 1258–1260. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2402660.

McCrane, S. M., & Tallman, S. D. (2023). The Ethical Responsibilities of Forensic Science Organizations in an Era of Oppressive Legislative Action. Human Biology, 94(2), 111–121. https://doi.org/10.1353/hub.2023.a933269.

Ramzy, L. M., Monson, S. P., Chao, H. W.-I., Hileman, B., Podewils, L. J., & Pereira, R. I. (2024). Power Dynamics Perpetuate DEI Inaction: A Qualitative Study of Community Health Clinic Teams. The Annals of Family Medicine, 22(3), 203–207. https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3099.

Topol, E. (2019, August 5). “Why Doctors Should Organize.” The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/why-doctors-should-organize.

Veltman, C. (2020, May 13). California arts advocates make case for artists as “second responders” to pandemic. KQED. https://www.kqed.org/news/11817285/california-arts-advocates-make-case-for-artists-as-second-responders-to-pandemic.

Weber, S. (2024, March 21). “Proposed bill could end student aid for US med schools with DEI programs.” Medscape Medical News. https://www.mdedge.com/edermatologynews/article/268387/diversity-medicine/proposed-bill-could-end-student-aid-us-med.