LWVMA is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.  LWVMA is committed to providing training for its members focused on raising awareness, offering skills to utilize, sharing tools and resources to embody a more inclusive, welcoming, and diverse organization. 

LWVUS Resources to support your League’s effort to educate yourself on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) 

Many great DEI resources can be found on the national website.  Below, we have provided direct links to each category and to a few items that we find particularly useful.

LWVUS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy

Definitions of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI Continued Learning Materials, including Articles, Books and Audio materials

From LWVUS in July 2020 – Diversity Equity and Inclusion Modules

The purpose of these modules is to provide resources and skills that League members can use to deepen their understanding of DEI. 

If you have any questions about these modules or would like to share your DEI Success Stories please contact cdavis@lwv.org.

DEI Module 1: The Whys and What of DEI
The purpose of this module is to offer a deeper understanding of what we mean by Diversity Equity and Inclusion and how it is connected to the work we are doing.

DEI Module 2: Applying a DEI Lens to Our League Work
The purpose of this module is to offer a deeper understanding of what a DEI lens is and how we can apply it to our work.

DEI Module 3: DEI Commitment and Goal Setting
The purpose of this module is to offer a deeper understanding of how to commit to DEI on a deeper level, use it to engage with your community and your League and how to set goals with a DEI lens.

DEI Module 4: Understanding and Partnering With Your Community – Part 1
The purpose of this module is to offer a deeper understanding of how to collect information to understand the diversity of your community, membership, and engagers.

DEI Module 5: Understanding and Partnering With Your Community – Part 2
The purpose of this module is to offer a deeper understanding of how to be equitable and inclusive in how we work in our communities and lead our organization.

From LWVUS in December 2019 – Diversity Equity and Inclusion Guide

“In an effort to assist all members in embracing our commitment to DEI, we want to educate, enlighten, and provoke discussion around this topic. The LWVUS DEI Committee has created a guide to DEI materials we feel are most relevant to this goal. The guide consists of internal resources created by LWV members and staff and external sources recommended by the Committee. The guide can be viewed at https://www.lwv.org/league-management/diversity-equity-inclusion/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-guide. Additional resources and tools will be added as they are created or become available.” -LWVUS

• DEI Basics: Resources in this section provide a basic overview of what DEI is, what we mean by common DEI terms, and why DEI is so important to our League work.
• Individual Learning/Internal Evaluation: This section offers resources to assist with education and evaluation of DEI at an individual level.
• DEI Lens and League Work: Resources in this section are meant to provide tools and education on how Leagues can apply a DEI Lens to all of their League work and center DEI in that work .
• Beyond the Basics: This section offer supplemental resources for those who have reviewed and applied the other resources and are looking for ways to deepen their DEI education and be a strong voice for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Additional  Resources from LWVMA 

Below, we have provided direct links to 5 separate lists.

Audio/Video Resources on Basic Concepts, intended to increase general understanding of DEI among LWVMA Members   

Books and Articles suitable for a book group or individual learning:

• Asian American Resources
• Racial Justice 
• Racial Justice Resources Learn – Reflect – Act
• First Nations History and Perspective 
• LWV History 

Please note: This is a “living page,” meaning we will be adding items as we become aware of them. If you have something to recommend, or you have questions or comments, please email us at: Diversitycommittee@lwvma.org  Thank you!

Suggested Reading List- DEI Edition

The DEI Committee has carefully curated a reading list that explores the stories and experiences of people from a wide range of backgrounds, communities, and identities. We recognize that each of us carries different experiences and perspectives shaped by who we are, and this list is meant to be an opportunity to broaden our understanding and engage with voices that we may not always hear. Many of the books included have been read and recommended by DEI Committee members. We hope that this collection will be eye-opening, encouraging readers to embrace learning and thoughtfully reflect on the lived experiences shared — rather than dismiss or debate them. If you are inspired or moved by something you read and would like to have a conversation, we warmly welcome the opportunity to discuss these stories together.

African American Experience:

1. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, 2010
2. White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, 2018
3. White Rage by Carol Anderson, 2016
4. The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones, 2021
5. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde, 1984
6. Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson, 2017
7. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum, 1997
8. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray, 2021
9. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2015
10. Mr. and Mrs. Prince by GH Gerzina, 2008
11. Never Caught by EA Dunbar, 2017
12. All That She Carried: The Journey Of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles

Indigenous Experience:

1. The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, 2021
2. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2024
3. The Rediscovery of America: Native People and the Unmaking of U.S. History, Ned Blackhawk, 2023
4. Education for Extinction, David Wallace Adams, 2020

Asian American Experience:

1. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D Li, 2022
2. The Color of Success, Ellen D. Wu, 2013

Latinx Experience:

1. Solito by Javier Zamora, memoire, 2022
2. Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America, Juan Gonzalez, 2022
3. Haitian Experience:
4. Ayiti by Roxane Gay, 2011

LGBTQ+ Experience:

1. Sister Outsider, essays and speeches by Audre Lorde, 1984
2. He/She/They: How we talk about gender and why it matters by Schuyler Bailar, 2023
3. Redefining Realness: My path to womanhood, identity, love & so much more by Janet Mock, 2014

Neurodivergent/Disabled Experience:

1. The Maid by Nita Prose, 2022
2. The Anti Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability- Inclusive World, Tiffany Yu, 2024
3. 3. Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century, 2020

LWVMA Statewide DEI Peer Discussion Group

Join your LWVMA colleagues across the state to learn more about what your local league can do to further its work on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Click here to learn more.p