SLPs of Color

Part 2 of 2 Interview with Nima Nima Novak is an Indigenous SLP from the Mohawk Tribe of the Iroquois Nation. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and her master’s degree of science in SLP from California State University San Marcos. She is a school SLP, who has worked extensively in marginalized communities for the last five years, specifically on the west side of Chicago. She’s worked with a range of student populations starting from preschool up to high school. She has seen first hand the negative effects of trauma on speech, language and fluency development. From her personal life experience, she feels strongly that there are no "bad students" but rather students whose needs are not being met to achieve success in school. She is currently studying Polyvagal Theory, Mindful Self Compassion and Reiki to promote healing across the communities she serves, with the intention of loving kindness for all. Her focus on evidence-based practices and empirical research serves to bridge the worlds of healing and science which are often relegated to different categories. Nima’s holistic approach of resilience and education teaches how research-based mindfulness practices can be used to manage trauma in the body for both her students and colleagues experiencing the effects of secondary trauma. She is dedicated to empowering her students and all womxn to pursue their passions through the cultivation of resilience and self-worth. In her school based speech therapy and basketball coaching Nima takes a trauma-informed approach to support BIPOC and all students at every level. Nima is an advisor on Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board and mentor's current students at California State San Marcos in the Students of Speech & Language, Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity Group. For her anti-racism work, she has been featured in Vice Magazine, Medium.com and Authority Magazine. She is a contributing founder and author of the anti-racism work group Living in Empathy. Nima has been featured on Educators for Justice IG live, SLPs Of Color IG live, the FAACT podcast, the Breaking Down Podcast and as The Rainbow Project’s keynote speaker. Since the recording of this episode, Nima has pivoted towards new beginnings in her anti-racism teaching. She is deeply appreciative for the work that she had the opportunity to do in 2020. Nima offers Indigenous anti-racism consultation/training and somatic consultation/training. She has worked at the individual levels, businesses and universities including the prestigious Northwestern University. Catch her next workshops with Chicago Minds! Please find her at @nima.novak on Instagram. Timestamps: 0:37 - Supporting POC experiencing emotional labor 7:28 - Current work and Living in Empathy 13:09 - Coping with COVID 27:55 - Indigenous identity and how it’s impacted on speech therapy 42:43 - The 8% and InterVested 46:07 - Staying passionate in antiracism and speech therapy 51:25 - Advice to younger self 54:44 - Loves and passions 58:44 - Future steps Follow us: Instagram @slpsofcolor Twitter @slpsofcolor FB @slpsofcolor Music in this episode: Intro Beat by Marcus West; Classic by @gar_doh (Soundcloud.com/emergence_sf)

Part 1 of 2 Interviews Nima Novak is an Indigenous SLP from the Mohawk Tribe of the Iroquois Nation. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University and her master’s degree of science in SLP from California State University San Marcos. She is a school SLP, who has worked extensively in marginalized communities for the last five years, specifically on the west side of Chicago. She’s worked with a range of student populations starting from preschool up to high school. She has seen first hand the negative effects of trauma on speech, language and fluency development. From her personal life experience, she feels strongly that there are no "bad students" but rather students whose needs are not being met to achieve success in school. She is currently studying Polyvagal Theory, Mindful Self Compassion and Reiki to promote healing across the communities she serves, with the intention of loving kindness for all. Her focus on evidence-based practices and empirical research serves to bridge the worlds of healing and science which are often relegated to different categories. Nima’s holistic approach of resilience and education teaches how research-based mindfulness practices can be used to manage trauma in the body for both her students and colleagues experiencing the effects of secondary trauma. She is dedicated to empowering her students and all womxn to pursue their passions through the cultivation of resilience and self-worth. In her school based speech therapy and basketball coaching Nima takes a trauma-informed approach to support BIPOC and all students at every level. Nima is an advisor on Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Board and mentor's current students at California State San Marcos in the Students of Speech & Language, Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity Group. For her anti-racism work, she has been featured in Vice Magazine, Medium.com and Authority Magazine. She is a contributing founder and author of the anti-racism work group Living in Empathy. Nima has been featured on Educators for Justice IG live, SLPs Of Color IG live, the FAACT podcast, the Breaking Down Podcast and as The Rainbow Project’s keynote speaker. Since the recording of this episode, Nima has pivoted towards new beginnings in her anti-racism teaching. She is deeply appreciative for the work that she had the opportunity to do in 2020. Nima offers Indigenous anti-racism consultation/training and somatic consultation/training. She has worked at the individual levels, businesses and universities including the prestigious Northwestern University. Catch her next workshops with Chicago Minds! Please find her at @nima.novak on Instagram. Timestamps: 1:00 - Introductions 2:02 - Respecting Native Identity 9:19 - Childhood, college, work 12:50 - Trauma-informed speech therapy 32:35 - Burden of a POC for students, clinicians, and professionals in this field 39:50 - Recognizing signs of emotional labor Follow us: Instagram @slpsofcolor Twitter @slpsofcolor FB @slpsofcolor Music in this episode: Intro Beat by Marcus West; Classic by @gar_doh (Soundcloud.com/emergence_sf)

The University of Minnesota's Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences was one of the first programs that we (SLPs of Color) learned that removed the GRE requirement in 2020. There are other universities that do not require the GRE; however, its removal may only be for this upcoming application cycle and not permanent removal. This interview highlights the process behind UMN SLHS's efforts towards establishing a committee dedicated to eliminating systematic racism. Ben Munson and Marilyn Fairchild from the University of Minnesota discuss their department’s Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee. Ben is a professor and chair of the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences for the University of Minnesota. Marilyn is a Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Supervisor. As a heads up, this episode was recorded in September so there may have been changes and work done with their committee since we spoke. Link to University of Minnesota’s Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences' statement and commitment to justice, equity, and anti-racism: https://cla.umn.edu/slhs/news-events/story/striving-justice-equity-and-anti-racism From the UMN statement: "While we are committed to long-term actions, there is clearly a need right now for immediate changes. These are some of the immediate actions to which we are committed: - We have established a department Justice, Equity, and Anti-Racism Committee who will meet monthly to lead our department’s actions. - We have created an open forum for students, alumni, and community members to anonymously share their feedback, provide suggestions, and make calls for action to our department. You can fill out this form here. - We are creating a page on our department’s website to share our progress and provide resources to our students, alumni, and community members to lead and participate in anti-racism and anti-hatred efforts. - We will no longer require or consider GRE scores as part of our graduate application materials due to the racial, ethnic, and cultural biases inherent in standardized testing. - We will strive for full participation among faculty members in existing programs to ensure academic success of students of color, including the MSROP program and the TRIO McNair Program. We will develop programs within the department to support our own undergraduate students of color. - The Department will pay University application fees for individuals who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color who apply to our Au.D. in Audiology program, M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology program, or Ph.D. program. - We will continue to nominate our incoming professional and PhD students for the Provost’s Professional Educational Diversity Fellowship and the Diversity of Views & Experience Fellowship (DOVE), respectively. " Timestamps: 0:47 - Introductions 13:13 - So UMN is one of the first universities that we heard of that is removing the GRE requirement for graduate admissions. Can you tell us how UMN was able to achieve that? Was this already in the works prior to this year? 21:40 - What was the process like for UMN to remove the GRE? What is the holistic admissions’ process? 49:44 - How does change come about in higher education? 59:55 - Tell us about UMN’s task force. What is it? What is its purpose and mission? 1:06:05 - What goals does the task force hope to accomplish? 1:10:59 - Are there people of color currently present on the committee? 1:29:14 - What recommendations do you have for other universities to start their own task forces? Follow us: Instagram @slpsofcolor Twitter @slpsofcolor FB @slpsofcolor Music in this episode: Intro Beat by Marcus West; Classic by @gar_doh (Soundcloud.com/emergence_sf)

Part 2 of our interview. Julian “Jeep” Madison III, M.A., CCC-SLP is a cisgender multi-ethnic male. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio with a double major in Communication Sciences and Sociology. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for his MA in Communication Disorders in 2019. He currently works in Southern California as a school SLP specializing in the area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication or AAC. Dr. Julian Madison II is a Black man, father to four wonderful children, loving husband, and college history professor. He teaches courses, including US History, US Black History, US History through Film, US foreign policy, and immigration. He has been a professor for over 25 years with 21 of those years at Southern Connecticut State University. Jeep: "I started the channel because I would see all over social media that people didn't quite understand the historical context of what is happening today. At first, I would engage people but it seemed like I was having the same repeatedly having the same conversations and was spending most of my time trying to explain what I believed to be commonly known historical information and concepts. When I realized that there was a disconnect of information impairing my ability to engage with people, I decided to take the initiative and share the historical resource that I grew up with, my father. With encouragement from my sister, my father and I decided to create a YouTube channel dedicated to spreading information, resources, and awareness about what we missed in school to help build an educated and informed society." Go look up "What We Missed in School" on YouTube and subscribe to their channel to be educated on the history that we were never taught. Follow Jeep and Dr. Madison: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy0S7gcJff2xvbSHzy0WYQQ Timestamps: 0:38 - Passions in life: Family, Traveling, and more 7:32 - Impacts being a Black professional in your fields and what would you like to see changed? 16:09 - Jeep, have you learned/applied anything from your father’s work into your clinical practice? 18:50 - Staying passionate in the field? What helps you refill your cup when times are rough? 25:58 - Advice, encouragement, explanations to your younger self 30:21- [COVID-19] How has your experience been during the pandemic? What has changed? Challenges? How have you adapted to the changes? 36:53 - What do you have in store for your own future? 43:15 - What goals do you have for your YouTube channel? The @slpsofcolor Interview Series aims to share the experiences of speech-language pathologists who are people of color because visibility​ and representation are incredibly important. ASHA reported in 2018 that "8.2% of ASHA members, nonmember certificate holders, international affiliates, and associates are members of a racial minority (compared to the 27.6% of the US population)." We want their voices to be HEARD, and to inspire the next generation of speech-language pathologists. Follow us: Instagram @slpsofcolor Twitter @slpsofcolor FB @slpsofcolor Music in this episode: Intro Beat by Marcus West Classic by @gar_doh (Soundcloud.com/emergence_sf)

Julian “Jeep” Madison III, M.A., CCC-SLP is a cisgender multi-ethnic male. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio with a double major in Communication Sciences and Sociology. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for his MA in Communication Disorders in 2019. He currently works in Southern California as a school SLP specializing in the area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication or AAC. Dr. Julian Madison II is a Black man, father to four wonderful children, loving husband, and college history professor. He teaches courses, including US History, US Black History, US History through Film, US foreign policy, and immigration. He has been a professor for over 25 years with 21 of those years at Southern Connecticut State University. Jeep: "I started the channel because I would see all over social media that people didn't quite understand the historical context of what is happening today. At first, I would engage people but it seemed like I was having the same repeatedly having the same conversations and was spending most of my time trying to explain what I believed to be commonly known historical information and concepts. When I realized that there was a disconnect of information impairing my ability to engage with people, I decided to take the initiative and share the historical resource that I grew up with, my father. With encouragement from my sister, my father and I decided to create a YouTube channel dedicated to spreading information, resources, and awareness about what we missed in school to help build an educated and informed society." Go look up "What We Missed in School" on YouTube and subscribe to their channel to be educated on the history that we were never taught. This is part 1 of our interview with Jeep and Dr. Madison. Timestamps: 0:41 - Intro 2:39 - Father and son relationship 10:27 - Starting their educational YouTube channel 16:00 - Connecting past historical events to our current lives 22:53 - How their childhoods shaped who they are 29:27 - Cultural identities, self-image, perception from others 42:46 - College experiences and choosing your field 54:40 - Post-college experiences; Jeep’s CF experience, and current work The @slpsofcolor Interview Series aims to share the experiences of speech-language pathologists who are people of color because visibility​ and representation are incredibly important. ASHA reported in 2018 that "8.2% of ASHA members, nonmember certificate holders, international affiliates, and associates are members of a racial minority (compared to the 27.6% of the US population)." We want their voices to be HEARD, and to inspire the next generation of speech-language pathologists. Follow us: Instagram @slpsofcolor Twitter @slpsofcolor FB @slpsofcolor Music in this episode: Intro Beat by Marcus West Classic by @gar_doh (Soundcloud.com/emergence_sf)