NASHVILLE, TN — Launched in 2015 to celebrate the University’s diversity and inclusion initiatives campus-wide and invite faculty, staff and students to engage in important conversations, Belmont’s fourth annual Diversity Week is scheduled for Monday, October 1 through Friday, October 5. This year’s celebration will include opportunities for members of the Belmont community to engage in important dialogue, hear from nationally-known authors and speakers, experience privilege in a physical way and view “Would You Be My Neighbor,” among other things.
Some of this year’s events include:
• The Power of Diversity, Mark Charles on Monday, October 1 at 10 a.m. in the
Janet Ayers Academic Center Chapel: Mark Charles is a Navajo Christian Community Development leader who engages the complexities of American history regarding race, culture and faith in order to help forge a path of healing and biblical reconciliation.
• Global Engagement Study Abroad & International Missions Fair on Monday, October 1 at 10 a.m. in the Maddox Grand Atrium
• The Auxiliary Partners Luncheon on Tuesday, October 2 at 11:30 a.m. in the Maddox Grand Atrium:
Director of Bridges to Belmont and the Office of Multicultural Learning and Experiences Dr. Mary Clark will be this year’s featured speaker as she discusses gender in the workforce and strategies that can be adopted to further the talent pipeline. The Auxiliary Partners exist to provide Belmont students with scholastic support, and the event’s $40 ticket covers both lunch and a donation to the scholarship.
• Real Talks (for Students) on Tuesday, October 2 at 5 p.m. in the Johnson Center, Room 422: This event will provide an opportunity for student participants to engage in a ‘real talk’ regarding diversity and inclusion efforts on Belmont’s campus and offers the chance to discuss important issues honestly and authentically.
• I’m Still Here, Austin Channing Brown on Wednesday, October 3 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel and 3 p.m. in McWhorter Hall, Room 110: Austin Channing Brown’s book, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, is a Publisher’s Weekly “must-read” for its exploration of racial justice, faith and black womanhood. Austin has an MSW and served as Multicultural Liaison at Calvin College.
• Fisk University Guided Walking Tour on Wednesday, October 3 at 1 p.m. on Fisk’s Campus: Join us for a visit to Fisk University, a historically black university and the oldest higher education institution in Nashville. Fisk has a rich history, both for its work in the Civil Rights movement and for the contributions of its alumni, from W.E.B. DuBois in the 1880s to contemporary poet and author Nikki Giovanni and US Representative John Lewis. Our visit to Fisk will include a campus tour of Fisk’s Van Vechten gallery, which include works from Cezanne, Picasso, O’Keefe, and as well as examples of African, Oceanic and Asian art.
• Privilege Walk, Walking Towards Awareness, Equity and Action on Thursday, October 4 at 5 p.m. on the Lawn between the Baskin and Johnson Centers: This event provides a unique opportunity for students, faculty and staff to better understand their privilege, and the privilege of the Belmont community, in a physical way. Afterwards, trained facilitators will provide a debrief experience for all participants.
• A Discussion on Race & Sports with Andrew Maraniss on Friday, October 5 at 10
a.m. in Beaman A&B: Andrew Maraniss will be on campus to discuss race and sports. Maraniss is the author of The New York Times bestselling book Strong Inside, the untold story of Perry Wallace who enrolled at Vanderbilt University in 1966 and became the first African American basketball player in the Southeastern Conference. Strong Inside is not just the story of a trailblazing athlete, but of civil rights, race in America, a campus in transition during the tumultuous 1960s, the mental toll of pioneering, decades of ostracism and eventual reconciliation and healing.
• Juvenile Injustice, Judge Sheila Calloway on Friday, October 5 at 10 a.m. in the Chapel: Judge Sheila Calloway was elected Juvenile Court Judge in 2014. She helps lead the Disproportionate Minority Task Force as an advocate for at-risk children and youth and teaches on the undergraduate and graduate levels at both Vanderbilt and American Baptist College.
• “Would You Be My Neighbor” Screening on Friday, October 5 at 9 p.m. in the Johnson Center Theatre: The
film is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Morgan Neville about the life and guiding philosophy of Fred Rogers, the host and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Diversity Week is part of the University’s overarching diversity and inclusion initiative, The Belmont State of Mind.
