Resource Guides: Campus Read: Home

Announcing This Year's Campus Read

This year the team has selected two titles for the campus read, you can choose to read both or either. Harriet A. Washington's Medical Apartheid provides historical background that is foundational to ongoing medical mistrust and health inequities among the Black community in America. Heather McGhee's The Sum of Us looks at how systemic racism and racist policies harm everyone. For more details on each title click the links below or navigate to the tabs above. Copies of each book are available to borrow through the library and free eBook copies are also available through the Diversity and Inclusion Office.

Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington
ISBN: 9780767915472
Publication Date: 2008-01-08
Medical Apartheid reveals the hidden underbelly of scientific research and makes possible, for the first time, an understanding of the roots of the African American health deficit. No one concerned with issues of public health and racial justice can afford not to read Medical Apartheid, a masterful book that will stir up both controversy and long-needed debate.
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
ISBN: 9780525509561
Publication Date: 2021-02-16
McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm--the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can't do on our own. The Sum of Us is not only a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here but also a heartfelt message to a multiracial America.

Join an Upcoming Events

DIO Events

Addressing Microaggressions: How to Be an Upstander

In this interactive virtual workshop, we will define what a microaggression is, review the nuances and complexities of the intervention as an upstander and demonstrate how to support learners and colleagues through experiences of discrimination and marginalization.

Jan. 31, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Feb. 22, noon-1 p.m.

Inclusive Communication: The Language of Belonging

In this interactive virtual workshop, we will review common terminology and concepts used in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and examine how we can promote inclusion and belonging through intentional language and communication.

Feb. 1, noon-1 p.m.

How to Participate

Get a Copy of the Book - Choose which title(s) you would like to read. You can borrow a copy through the Soutter Library or your local public library. Nook eBook codes are also available through the Diversity and Inclusion Office, email Holly for more information.
Read the Book - Read the book (listening to the audiobook version counts!), take notes, write down questions that come up as you read, take time to actively engage with the text.
Gather a Group to Discuss - Get together with your department, a group of interdepartmental colleagues, a class group, your medical school house, a professional organization chapter, or join DIO for a discussion group. Check out our Facilitation Guide for more information and resources to have a productive conversation around the issues highlighted by the book.

Bonus Step: Check out additional resources on this site to "Take a Deeper Dive"

Book Discussion Groups

Campus Reads Book Discussions

Discussions were held:

Dec. 13 – Medical Apartheid, Chapters 1 & 2
Dec. 14 – Medical Apartheid, Chapters 10 & 11
Jan. 10 – The Sum of Us, Full Book
Jan. 11 – Medical Apartheid, Chapters 1& 2
Jan. 18 – Medical Apartheid, Chapters 10 & 11
Jan. 19 – The Sum of Us, Full Book

Join the community conversation on Teams.

Medical Apartheid author to discuss book with UMass Chan community

Harriet A. Washington, a medical ethicist, award-winning medical writer, and editor, will conclude the Diversity Campus Read with a virtual talk about her book Medical Apartheid. Washington has been a fellow in medical ethics at Harvard Medical School.

Diversity at UMass Chan

Support for diversity and the cultivation of an inclusive campus for learners, faculty, and staff is an essential component of UMass Chan's Impact 2025 Strategic Plan.

Connect with the Diversity and Inclusion Office for engagement opportunities including upcoming events, professional development opportunities, information about equity on campus, and learn more about our many diversity initiatives.

A Note on eBooks

The ePUB format for eBook editions available through the library have digital rights management (DRM) which requires Adobe Editions to read. You can download Adobe Editions on your personal devices here. It is available for Mac and Windows operating systems and is also available as an app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. For UMass Chan owned work devices you will need IT support to download the program to your computer.