Women’s Leadership Institute Equity Scholarship Winners Announced

July 16, 2020

The Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) Executive Board at Michigan State University following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the acknowledgment of centuries of injustice perpetrated on communities of color made a commitment to accountable action through engagement opportunities for the MSU community.

The WLI Executive Board released a statement on June 1st standing in solidarity with Black students, colleagues, and communities of color and outlining action steps that would be taken by the institute, saying in part:

“The racism and structural inequalities facing Black people and communities of color runs squarely in opposition of WLI’S mission and commitment to equity and inclusion. The WLI works to ignite women leaders and create equity for all. This means supporting, educating, partnering, and standing with women and their allies. The pursuit of justice and the condemnation of institutional racism is a critical component of leadership and work we must do together.”

The actions steps outlined by the Executive Board included three listening and action-oriented sessions, an equity-focused social media scholarship campaign, and the planning of Fall 2020 programming that will focus on women with intersectional identities.

The equity scholarship asked students to submit mock social media campaigns to raise awareness of racism and inequality and promote equity for women and their allies. The submissions were thoughtful, creative, and impactful ideas that ranged from community book readings, video journals, garden walks, educational programs for all ages and many more.

The winning submissions are listed below: