Join the DEI Common-Read Launch: Inaugural Read, Just Mercy

The Office of DEI, Student Life and the Library Council are excited to launch a new initiative this year aimed at cultivating a sense of belonging at NOVA. The inaugural DEI Common Read is Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (published 2014).

After consulting with other community colleges and Penguin Random House, this book was chosen by the Office of DEI because of its focus on critical DEI themes, such as empathy, humanization, integrity, advocacy, hope and resilience. Just Mercy has been named one of the top ten books to read before college by U.S. News & World Report, and has received numerous awards for outstanding literary work. We are excited to join the hundreds of other colleges and universities who have used Just Mercy as their Common Read.

Involvement in the DEI Common Read is completely optional. In order to obtain your free book, we invite all students, staff and faculty to fill out this quick survey and show the confirmation email to your campus librarian to receive your copy. For non-campus staff, you can show the confirmation to a member of the Office of DEI in Brault. The survey provides an option of requesting an ebook (limited availability) or requesting a mailed copy of the book as well.

Common Read programs are designed to foster a greater sense of belonging among the community. Having a shared reading experience for students, faculty, staff and administration across all campuses, disciplines and org charts will provide more opportunities for genuine connection. We encourage everyone at NOVA to get involved with the DEI Common Read as you are able. Our main ask is that you pick up the book, read it and reflect on it with others. Some faculty may choose to creatively incorporate the book into their curricula. Some staff may take five minutes of a staff meeting to share how the book is impacting them. We will focus our efforts this fall on reading the book, and in the spring, we hope to have supporting events that will help us engage with the book in reimagined ways.

Please join our DEI Common Read Virtual Kick-Off event on Friday, August 18, from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. During this webinar, our very own Kim Grewe (instructional designer and professor at NOVA Online) will introduce the new DEI Common Read Canvas Course exclusively for faculty and staff that provides a mountain of resources for lesson planning, activity ideas, virtual engagement opportunities and so much more. We will also hear from Ray Burton (academic dean for MSTB at Manassas Campus) about ways STEM faculty can utilize the Common Read book in unique and powerful ways. Finally, we will leave plenty of time to answer questions you have about the DEI Common Read project and to think through ways that work for you to be part of this new experience.

Register for the webinar here. 

Moving forward, we hope to develop a comprehensive plan for a NOVA Common Read, involving stakeholders from across our community who will develop criteria for selecting the book. If you are interested in future initiatives or have book recommendations, you can submit your info here.

If you have questions about the DEI Common Read, please contact Sherrene DeLong in the Office of DEI (sdelong@nvcc.edu).

Submitted by:
Sherrene DeLong, DEI-Events Coordinator, SDeLong@nvcc.edu