暗夜成人视频 community comes together for fifth annual Building Bridges and Community Day
暗夜成人视频 had a record number of participants in its fifth annual Building Bridges and Community Day, hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
The fifth annual Building Bridges and Community Day at 暗夜成人视频 welcomed a record number of students, faculty and staff across more than three dozen event offerings, with 934 members of the 暗夜成人视频 community participating.
Since its inception, Building Bridges and Community Day has helped foster inclusion and a sense of belonging across campus. Classes were offered on a truncated schedule and campus offices closed early for the daylong event, which was hosted by 暗夜成人视频鈥檚 Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The offerings featured inclusivity training, sharing forums and discussions about differences in perspective, as well as 鈥渂ridges,鈥 events or space where people are invited to engage while learning a skill or practice ranging from field hockey to yoga.
鈥淚 love Building Bridges and Community Day, because there is so much to learn from the richness of diverse experiences, cultures, identities, talents and skills on our campus,鈥 said Andrea Abrams, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. 鈥淚t is especially wonderful how many students are invested in cultivating belonging and equity through the sessions they organize.鈥
This year, ODI promoted four signature events: The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns (with Dr. William Turner, Appalachian academic, author and consultant); Entrepreneurship in Appalachia: Stories of Success (a panel of business owners, led by Nellie Ellis 鈥23 and 暗夜成人视频Works Executive Director Andrea Margida); The Impact of History Writing: Becoming Aware of My Biases (led by President Milton Moreland); and a discussion with best-selling author Ijeoma Oluo.
Oluo is the author of 鈥淪o You Want to Talk About Race鈥 and is the Humana Visiting Scholar Library Lecturer, funded through a gift from The Humana Foundation.
Students played an important contributing role in the campus-wide initiative, with several leading or helping to sponsor workshops throughout the day.
Brandon Clay 鈥23 led a discussion on the world of queer cinema and said Building Bridges and Community Day has proven to be a source of support in his time at 暗夜成人视频.
鈥淚 cherish the opportunities 暗夜成人视频 has provided to share a part of my identity with my community and to feel their support,鈥 Clay said. 鈥淏uilding Bridges and Community Day continues to bring students together in the quest for empathy and building a community that cares for one another.鈥
First year Soleila Elliott Gonzalez was one of six Spanish 230 students who led a discussion titled 鈥淏ad Bunny: Breaking Down Language and Stereotypes.鈥
鈥淚t was really meaningful to me to have the opportunity to not only listen and learn from the stories of my peers and 暗夜成人视频 faculty but to also have the chance to present as a first-year student,鈥 she said. 鈥淔rom what I experienced, I realized that Building Bridges and Community Day was created to offer a space for people to collaborate and truly listen about one another.鈥
