Welcome to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion's February Newsletter, ODI Matters! This month, we are starting with a project by Emma Newcom and Hanna Montalvo. Read what they have to say about the project and watch their video below.
This video was created as a final project for our CentreTerm course, “Hybrid Identities in the Global Age.” We chose to create this video because we wanted to depict the hybridity within students at Centre College and to show the hybrid identity of the college itself. We wanted to interview a diverse group of people who were willing to share their personal experiences and backgrounds. All the participants chosen were first-years, as they are still discovering themselves and their personalities. In an attempt to give each person as much freedom as possible for their response, we decided to ask only one open-ended question, “Who are you?”
Updates
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service and Celebration Convocation
We are so proud of the Centre faculty, staff, and students who participated in the First Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service on January 19th in addressing the needs around hunger, food insecurity, and education within the Danville community and Boyle County. We were at Shepherd’s House building little free pantries, at Kroger collecting donations for New Hope Food Pantry, at First Christian Church preparing meals for Soups On Us, and at the Blue Bird Market helping prepare the store for the day’s business. We had site leaders leading important dialogues on how to continue this important work within our community. Thank you thank you thank you.
On Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, we held a celebration in Newlin Hall on January 21st featuring Father Norman Fischer '95 who also serves as the chaplain for Lexington Catholic High School. You can see picture highlights and the entire event below.
Miss the Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Celebration? Want to watch it again? Check out the video below. Do not miss Ashley Oliver's closing remarks at the end of the video.
Title IX Corner
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion is partnering with the Title IX Team to provide you with more information and updates in one location, here. Without further ado:
Ampersand Drop In Space: Presentation screening room of the library. 4 PM-5 PM first Monday of every month, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM third Thursday of every month, and by appointment. Brought to you by The Title IX Team, SPEAC, Grace Doherty Library, and Ampersand. We are really excited about this!
January 30th saw the closing of the comment period for the US Department of Education's proposed changes to guidance on Title IX. Read more about it here. Thank you to the Centre Community members who submitted feedback on their own. Centre College participated in submitting a joint statement from the Associated Colleges from the South (ACS).
In addition to Black History Month, February is Health Relationships Month. Look out for special information about healthy relationships, situationships, and hook ups from Student Health, Residence Life, and the Title IX Team.
All new members of Greek organizations will attend a small, skills-building workshop focused on alcohol, bystander intervention, and consent to fulfill their Greek 101 requirement.
Green Dot Trainings will resume in March when Centre will have five new facilitators. For more information on this and/or other trainings, please contact Sarah Cramer at sarah.cramer@centre.edu.
Finally, stay on the lookout for applications for the Angies Peer Bystander Intervention Program!
Calendar
Want to see our events on your own calendar automatically? Join the Diversity Office Updates group and add us to your outlook calendar. Doing so will get you the latest updates on diversity events across campus. Check it out now to see all the below events and easily add them to your own calendar.
February Calendar Events
January 11th through February 15th, "What Keeps You Up at Night," a new photography exhibit, will be up in JVAC's Aegon Gallery. It is a traveling exhibit of fifty-six prints that addresses a surprisingly vast range of topics. Curated by Tomiko Jones, the artists are faculty and student members of the non-profit Multicultural Caucus of the Photographic Society for Education. This is a great chance to see the work of Centre Professor Isabella La Rocca.
February 5th through the end of the Spring Semester, Gary Crase is offering a continuing class in American Sign Language. The class is not for college credit and will meet once a week on Tuesdays from 6:30pm until 8:00pm in 110 Young Hall. Participants should already have a basic knowledge of ASL including being familiar with expressive and receptive fingerspelling, know how to ask questions, and basic ASL grammar. Regardless of your skill level please come and be a part of the class. Please plan on being there Tuesday, February 5th at 6:30pm in 110 Young Hall. The class is free and open to all Faculty, Staff, and Students of Centre. Email Gary with questions.
February 5th, at 11:30am in room 201 of the Campus Center, is the Beloved Community Potluck Kick-Off Extravaganza. People can RSVP and sign up to bring a dish here. Jimmy Robinson, Centre's Community Service Coordinator and board member of Grace Cafe, will be facilitating discussion about food insecurity in Danville and Boyle County
February 5th, "From Hymnals to Hip-Hop" is a creative conversation featuring Trey McLaughlin, other members of The Sounds of Zumar, and Centre faculty. The provocative nature of the program theme allows for a discourse of race, religion and spirituality through a musical through-line; respecting differences and honoring traditions. This Convocation starts at 11:30am in Newlin Hall.
February 5th (and the 9th), the 5th marks the Lunar New Year and ushers in the Year of the Pig. To celebrate, the Chinese Club and the International Students Association are working together to host a celebration tentatively on February 9th. Watch the Cowan Banners for more information.
February 6th, Trey McLaughlin & The Sounds of Zamar have transcended cultural boundaries with their fresh adaptations of contemporary gospel, pop, and musical theater hits - the group’s music is sung all over the world. Thanks to their viral videos and millions of loyal YouTube followers, they are one of the brightest new groups on the gospel scene today. This Convocation starts at 7:30pm in Newlin Hall.
February 7th, at 7pm in Vahlkamp Theater, join us for the first film in the Black History Month Documentary and Discussion Series, "The Same Difference," with discussion led by members of Centre Pride Alliance. A compelling documentary about lesbians who discriminate against other lesbians based on gender roles. Director Nneka Onuorah takes an in-depth look at the internalized hetero-normative gender roles that have become all too familiar within the African American lesbian and bisexual community.
February 7th, at 7pm at Danville High School, catch a free performance of "The Convergence of Desire: A Musical About Your Future" by Elizabeth Orndorff and featuring music by Mike Archer.
February 14th, at 7pm in Vahlhamp Theatre, we are showing the second film in the Black History Month Documentary and Discussion Series, "Brother Outsider" about Bayard Rustin, an essential leader in the American civil rights movement.His passionate belief in Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence drew Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders to him in the 1940’s and 50’s; his practice of those beliefs drew the attention of the FBI and police. In 1963, Rustin brought his unique skills to the crowning glory of his civil rights career: his work organizing the March on Washington, the biggest protest America had ever seen. But his open homosexuality forced him to remain in the background, marking him again and again as a “brother outsider."
February 16th, from 1:20-5:00p, Difficult Conversations: Focus on Honest Self Expression, Training Opportunity. Be empowered to stand up for yourself while empathically engaging with others through experiential learning. Increase your agility in conflict, enhance your ability to engage in authentic encounters with others and learn tools for engaging in relationships involving power differentials. (RSVP to joel.klepac@centre.edu)
February 16th, "Black History Month Celebration Show" ~ This event’s purpose is to celebrate black history through performances and creative pieces for all students to appreciate the mark on history that an entire ethnicity of people has left. The event will be structured as a performance, with a collection of people performing visual arts, such as dance performances. There will also be a section of vocal performances and then a panel of black students to speak on topics revolving the spirit of black history and campus life. People should come to this event because it shows that the student body on campus is diverse and that diversity can be celebrated and honored. This event is a follow up to a celebration organized last year, the idea behind both events is to bring people together, not only acknowledge our differences but to understand and embrace a new culture and their history and creativity. This Celebration starts at 6pm in in Vahlkamp Theater.
February 18th, Student Question & Answer session about the Centre Speaks Survey Report at 7pm in the Ewen room in the Campus Center. To find more information about the Centre Speaks Survey, visit their CentreNet site.
February 19th, Faculty/Staff Question & Answer session about the Centre Speaks Survey Report during Common Hour in Young 110. To find more information about the Centre Speaks Survey, visit their CentreNet site.
February 19th, Taco Tuesday with Title IX in the Brockmon Commons Common Area from 7:30 to 8:00pm.
February 20th, Shanghai Opera Symphony Orchestra – this program features one of China’s most beloved Western-based orchestra compositions, The Yellow River Piano Concerto composed by Xian Xinghai. This performance is a Convocation starting at 7:30pm in Newlin Hall.
February 21st, "Is Paris Still Burning?" ~ Since its release in 1990, Jennie Livingston’s “Paris is Burning” has been a beacon for queer communities who want to celebrate diversity while acknowledging the racist, homophobic, and misogynistic structure of power shaping the American society. Shot in the mid-to-late 80s in the queer communities of New York facing extinction in front of the AIDS crisis and the complete lack of political support, the documentary focuses on the drag competitions organized by mainly Black and Latinx communities. Focusing on the culture of these competitive “Balls,” the documentary depicts how queer communities survive in a homophobic society by reinventing networks of support and kinship by crossing racial and sexual barriers. Suggesting that racism and homophobia rely on the essentializing of images and appearances, Paris is Burning reveals it’s performative functioning and the potentially subversive power of imitation, performance, and voguing. Dr. Carol Taylor-Shim, Bias Incident Response Coordinator at the University of Kentucky will introduce the film and lead a discussion following the film viewing. This Convocation starts at 7:00pm in Young 113.
February 21st, DominicanYork poet, writer and performer Josefina Báez will give a reading from a selection of works from her anthology "As Is E'" which addresses themes of race, language, migration and belonging. Afterwards there will be a moderated discussion with Báez about her work and influence and time for questions from the audience. Born in the Dominican Republic, Josefina Baez is a storyteller, ArteSana, performer, writer, theatre director, educator, and devotee. She's the founder and director of Ay Ombe Theatre and developer of Performance Autology©, a creative process based on the autobiography and wellness of the doer. This Convocation will start at 7:30pm in Vahlkamp Theatre.
February 23rd, Centre Pride Alliance is hosting a Pride Prom. More details will be available in a Cowan banner, so be on the lookout.
February 24th, Director of Residence Life, Brian Daniel, will be leading a Centre Ally Training Series 401 session, "Out in Sports" from 2-3pm. To register, visit the CATS CentreNet site and view other opportunities.
February 24th, Alfredo Rodriquez & Pedrito Martinez Duo – both musicians are from Cuba and Grammy nominees. The music will feature Afro Cuban, Latin and jazz works. This performance is a convocation and there is a Gathering event where anyone can bring their musical instrument and jam with the musicians. This starts at 7:00pm in Weisiger Theatre.
February 26th, "A Social Justice Activist’s Perspective on Call-Out Culture, Identity Politics, and Political Correctness" ~ Over the last century, social justice activism has played a crucial role in challenging prejudice and promoting equity for women, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, and other marginalized groups. While most of us profess support for these past accomplishments, we may nevertheless resist newer expressions of social justice activism, or dismiss them as examples of “call-out culture,” “identity politics,” or “political correctness” run amok. In this talk, Julia Serano addresses this discrepancy. Julia has written (particularly in her books Excluded and Outspoken) about how social justice movements sometimes become too exclusive, inflexible, or counterproductive—tendencies that likely contribute to resistance toward contemporary activism, and for which Julia has suggested potential remedies. Julia also discusses how the general public’s lack of awareness about how prejudice and discrimination actually work, and how activists can effectively counter them, is a major factor driving this resistance. Striving to generate more light than heat, and to remain accessible to activists and non-activists alike, Julia will discuss the purpose of social justice activism and its limitations. This Convocation starts at 8:00pm in Newlin Hall.
February 28th, "Fashion as Activism" ~ Soreyda Benedit Begley, a fashion designer from Lexington, Kentucky will speak about her life and work in activism. Mrs. Begley is a fashion designer, community organizer and activist originally from Honduras. She is the co-founder of the Lexington Fashion Collaborative. Because of her experience working in sweatshops as a teenager in her native country, Soreyda is an advocate for fair trade, women’s rights and sustainable development. She is known for using unconventional recycled materials in her work, including paper, plastic bags and even tree bark. Soreyda has won many awards for her fashion design work and has been featured in national and international fashion and art publications. Mrs. Begley will be speaking while hosting a fashion show showcasing her designs that were inspired by the Garifuna people's of Honduras. This Convocation will start at 7:00pm in the Combs Warehouse.
February 28th, at 7pm in Vahlkamp Theater, we are showing the final film in the Black History Month Documentary and Discussion Series, "Tongues Untied," with a discussion facilitated by Marc Demont, visiting Assistant Professor of French and Humanities and driving force of this film series. Marlon Riggs’ essay film TONGUES UNTIED gives voice to communities of black gay men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. It broke new artistic ground by mixing poetry, music, performance and Riggs’ autobiographical revelations.
February 28th, Steel Magnolias – presented as a radio play, the story is about sisterhood and the relationships the women of a small town have within the walls of a beauty shop. The play touches on the spirit of the human condition among these very different southern women as they identify their own community. This performance is a convocation and there will be an additional talk related to women’s issues before the performance. This starts at 7:30pm in Newlin Hall.
This calendar is meant to capture events on campus addressing issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. It is not an exhaustive list. If you have events in upcoming months that you would like to see featured, please email them to Jo Teut at jo.teut@centre.edu prior to the 25th of each month.