This Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Reading List has been developed to assist faculty, staff, and students in gaining understanding and appreciation of DEI issues in our society.
We intend the DEI Reading List to spark conversations and dialogue, and help us to address our challenges and opportunities to improve our university community.
The reading list is not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.
The DEI Reading List contains selected book resources, representing diverse perspectives on societal problems. Most of the books may consider these issues through the lens of the United States, and we acknowledge that other perspectives exist.
The initial motivation for the reading list came from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Audit prepared by IBIS Consulting Group for the University of Missouri Board of Curators and distributed to students, faculty, and staff on December 7, 2016. In particular, the UM System Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force Initial Response to the IBIS Audit Report contains the following recommendation for UMKC : "A DEI reading list should be developed and promoted among faculty and staff."
Books chosen for the DEI Reading List are written for reading by general, non-specialist audiences. The authors of these books are diverse as a group, and efforts have been made to provide different voices and perspectives on any single issue.
Developed in a partnership between the UMKC Division of Diversity and Inclusion and UMKC Libraries, this list shall be a “living document,” and suggestions of books to consider adding to the list are welcome and encouraged.
)