Influencing a Culture of Belonging
Me, The “Other” and the University of Michigan
The University of Michigan’s relationship with the documentary film Me, The “Other” shows how the power of storytelling can harness the collective power of many voices coming together for a united purpose: to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff.
From concept to its world premiere on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Me, The “Other” was supported by diverse representatives from the University of Michigan. This included faculty, students, staff, leadership, alumni, and Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University and the greater Ann Arbor community.
Highlights
2,500 University of Michigan students, staff, faculty, leadership, alumni and the greater Washtenaw community (including Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College) took part in screenings and/or workshops;
8 of 12 cast members and several crew members were U-M students;
Co-producer was professor at U-M School of Dentistry;
Associate producers are U-M staff from Michigan Medicine, Literature, Science and the Arts, and Information and Technology Services; and
U-M leadership support came from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), Human Resources, and Michigan Medicine.
LAURITA THOMAS President of the American Research Universities Human Resources Institute, formerly Associate Vice President of Human Resources, University of Michigan
STEVE VINSON University of Michigan’s Voices of the Staff Co-Facilitator and Michigan Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead
Me, The “Other” (MTO) reveals the inner and outer lives of twelve students living on the frontlines of prejudice and adversity by asking questions we don’t discuss at school, at work or in social spaces.
The same diversity seen on screen was reflected off screen with the film’s cast, crew, producers as well as among the supporters and promoters within the University of Michigan staff, faculty and leadership and beyond.
Students
8 of the 12 cast members and several crew members were U-M students. What students said after seeing Me, The “Other”:
"After seeing this film, my instinct to jump to conclusions is something I intend to make a conscious effort to change." Alicia
"The stories are all different but overall come together to show how we are actually all the same." Mark
“The film showed that by opening up to one another, we can connect through things that we have in common together." Jordyn
"It's crazy seeing what everyone in the film had to go through on a daily basis just to feel [like they] belonged.” Rose
"I find it insane that because Hussain's name has Islamic relation, people were shutting him out so easily and not giving it a chance to get to know him as a person." Evin
“There are so many generalizations made through stereotypes and it was so encouraging to see Sam defy all those assumptions as an Asian.” Len
"The film really made me emotional. I think Me, The "Other" should be essential viewing for all schools and colleges. It made me feel less alone." Lauren
Faculty
From MTO’s co-producer and co-lead, a Professor in the the School of Dentistry, to other U-M faculty, faculty involvement has been critical.
What faculty have said about otherness and the film Me, The “Other”:
"Twenty years ago, I walked into the dental operatory with my staff all wearing their white lab coats. My patient only glanced at me and turned to my male nurse and said: 'Hi.' Because I was a female, he assumed that I was the nurse and the nurse was the doctor. At that moment, I realized that all my life I had been the “other.” Dr. Shahrzad Maghsoudloo Mirafzali, MTO Co-Producer and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry
The Film Me, The Other, is a very important movie that presents the personal and moving experiences of college students regarding their perspectives and everyday interactions as “an other”. Told in their own words, the stories were more powerful than I had expected and shed new light for me on the challenges that college students feel and the strategies they use to cope with the world around them. The movie would appeal to other students and to adults as well. I was part of a panel at the University of Michigan Medical School that provided our perspectives to fellow faculty and staff after a showing of the film. The panel was diverse in race, ethnicity and role in the health system. Regardless, we were all moved by the film and had a robust discussion regarding both how we might now be more sensitized to challenges others may face and also when we ourselves can feel like “the other”. I would recommend the film to those in health care systems as a way to better understand our patients and others whom we serve. Gary L. Freed MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics, Professor of Health Management and Policy, Associate Chair, Dept of Pediatrics, Director of Faculty Programs, Office for Health Equity and Inclusion, University of Michigan
Staff
From across the campus, including significant participation from human resources and DEI leads, staff involvement was critical. Three associate producers of Me, The “Other” are administrators from U-M’s Michigan Medicine, Literature, Science, and the Arts, and Information and Technology Services.
From across the campus, including significant participation from human resources and DEI leads, staff involvement was critical.
“The first time I saw the movie, I just really found it to be an emotional vehicle for change and so impactful which is why I reached to Shidan and Shahrzad, the other co-producer, right after I saw the movie … just to express appreciation, to express how much I enjoyed the film and how much it impacted me and moved me. So after that we established a relationship, Shidan, Shahrzad and I met and we brought Me, The “Other” to the university campus through our DEI Summit which we have every year. I am a part of the employee engagement/employee experience group called Voices of the Staff which Laurita started about 15 years ago.” Steve Vinson, University of Michigan’s Voices of the Staff Co-Facilitator and Michigan Medicine DEI Lead
Leadership
Leadership support for Me, The “Other” at the University of Michigan came from the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI), Human Resources, and Michigan Medicine. Since its launch, MTO has been made available on MiVideo and has been viewed by 2,500 members of the University of Michigan community at 16 major screenings, including 600-plus streams. MTO co-producer, Shahrzad Maghsoudloo Mirafzali, and cast member, Hussain Haider, received the Ida Gray Award at the University of Michigan’s Dental School for their role in the film’s effort in promoting and celebrating diversity.
My compelling passion to support staff member’s ideas, in addition to having learned the power of storytelling and understand that if we are truly going to be an inclusive organization and society, we need to work on the individual level, the team level, and at the very top in order to understand each other and come together to respect each other and our various identities. So the powerful stories in Me, The “Other” – I watched the audience the first time when we screened the film and every single person was rapt. Their attention was on the movie and as soon as it ended, almost every person was visually impacted by some aspect of the storytelling. So the power of storytelling influenced me to want to be a champion of further dissemination of the movie because even people I see today two years later can remember one of the characters and starts to speak about that. Laurita Thomas, President of the American Research Universities Human Resources Institute, formerly Associate Vice President of Human Resources, University of Michigan
“Me, the ‘Other’” is a powerful film that provides an intimate look into the lives of twelve individuals and their struggles to belong in society. The themes explored align with the University of Michigan’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and our goal to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and heard. Through this film, our faculty and staff have been able to delve deeply into these topics through introspection, reflection and discussion. It has been used by individuals, small work teams, even our entire human resources community as a way to facilitate meaningful dialogue and opportunities for growth. The film’s subjects, who share compelling, personal narratives, all hail from the community around the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus. While this creates a strong connection to our U-M community, their stories are so compelling that they will no-doubt resonate with audiences across the world. Rich Holcomb, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, University of Michigan
The film, “Me, the Other'' offers a powerful depiction of the painful and poignant ways that prejudice and othering impact individuals, their families and communities. The film demonstrates the strength and courage needed to overcome bias, and points to the need to remove stigma and create communities that foster inclusion and equity for all. That members of the cast and crew included students and alums from colleges in Washtenaw County - including University of Michigan - makes it resonate even more, though anyone will be moved by this film’s honest and realistic portrayal of ways that understanding differences leads us to the common ground we share. The strong, positive response to the film’s first screening at the University of Michigan led to multiple screenings across campus along with panel discussions and group workshops. This furthered and deepened conversations already underway to activate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as central and inseparable from our mission as a public institution. Katrina Wade-Golden, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer & Director of Implementation for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Plan, University of Michigan, Office of the Provost
Community
From its World Premiere at the historic Michigan Theater on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to the many students outside of U-M who have seen the film, to the generous contributions from the Graduate Inn and Zingerman’s and participation from Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College, the Washtenaw County community has been part of influencing a culture of belonging.
The Washtenaw County Commissioner, Jason Morgan, presented a proclamation honoring Me, The “Other”’s cast and creative team for “a timely film which voices an urgent message of unity for our times.”
Me, The “Other” was well received at 8 film festivals in the United States, Canada, and India, on college campuses, and in local communities across the country and beyond. MTO is increasingly becoming part of DEI efforts in classrooms, universities, organizations, workplaces and communities and U-M plays an essential role in this process.
Alumni
University of Michigan alumni now have access to Me, The “Other” on U-M’s internal MiVideo Stream.
Major Events
Me, The “Other” brought together diverse voices of students into one film and since its launch, it has been viewed by 2,500 members of the University of Michigan community at 16 major screenings, including 600-plus streams, in addition to being shared in the Washtenaw County community.
Our Voices of the Staff, Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion network team brought Me, the “Other” to our campus during the 2018 Diversity Week Summit. We had a screening of the film, followed by a cast and crew panel discussion on our central campus and medical campus. Roughly 200 faculty, staff and students attended the central campus session and about 75 employees attended the medical campus screening. The Voices project was the catalyst for future screenings and panel discussions across the University campus.
In December of 2018, Katrina Wade-Golden, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer, showed the documentary to 100 DEI Leads from across the University of Michigan campus. This screening marked the first time that the film was seen with captions, made possible by Jane Berliss-Vincent, a DEI Lead and Information Technology Manager.
The following year, we organized a specialized screening at The Michigan Theater for all University of Michigan human resource professionals. This retreat for the Human Resources Department included a panel discussion following the movie, in addition to a facilitator-guided conversation about the impact of otherness on our campus. Roughly 500 human resource professionals from across the campus attended the session. The critical dialogue and insights stemming from the sessions were cascaded from our human resources staff to various departments and units across campus.
The popularity and growth of Me, the “Other” on our campus led to a partnership and ultimately an agreement to include the documentary in the University of Michigan’s cloud-based streaming service, MiVideo. This inclusion allows any University of Michigan student, faculty, staff or alumni to view the film and has led to learning and growth through virtual conversations with cast and crew members. To date, over 600 individuals have streamed the online version of the film.
In October of 2020, the Voices of the Staff-ODEI and Leveraging Technology teams partnered to bring the cast and crew from Me, The “Other” back together again, this time in a virtual setting. Faculty, staff and students were encouraged to utilize the MiVideo streaming service to view the film and then join a facilitated Zoom discussion with Shidan and several Me, The “Other” contributors. Over 50 attendees were present to engage with the panel members in a lively and impactful discussion.
The opinions expressed in the above-mentioned testimonials and videos represent the opinions of the individuals and not the University of Michigan.