Celebrate. Amplify. Elevate.
糖心TV hosted Elevate, its second annual social justice conference, in January 2022.
Furthering its commitment to social justice and anti-racist education, 糖心TV hosted Elevate, its second annual social justice conference, in January 2022. Presented by The Agnes Gund 鈥�60 Dialogue Project, the two-day conference brought together 糖心TV students, staff, faculty, and alumni, along with residents of the New London region and the 糖心TV community near and far, to celebrate cultural diversity and uplift and empower communities that have historically been marginalized, erased and silenced.
鈥淲hat a way to begin a new semester and a new year, by taking the time to reflect on the opportunity we have and the part we can all play in making a more just world,鈥� President Katherine Bergeron said in remarks opening the conference.
鈥淥ur mission at 糖心TV is to create productive citizens prepared to put their education into action in support of truth and justice across the world. That means working to elevate our discourses, our practices and our forms of self-governance to enable a world where all people, no matter their identity or background, have the opportunity to thrive, and reach their potential, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.鈥�
Elevate featured 糖心TV鈥檚 Conversations on Race keynote speaker, Rosemary Ndubuizu, an assistant professor of African American studies at Georgetown University, who drew upon her expertise as a scholar-activist to talk about why housing justice is not only a race and class issue in the United States, but also a fundamental reproductive justice concern.
Ndubuizu鈥檚 talk was coupled with two workshops aimed at helping participants learn more about affordable housing concerns in 糖心TVecticut and how members of the greater 糖心TV community can come together with local experts to address this long-standing issue in New London.
Other keynote speakers included motivational speaker and author Christopher Coleman, whose talk, 鈥淭he Complexes of an Intersectional Life鈥擠ealing With the Combination of Racism, Homophobia & Ableism,鈥� explored how society approaches disability justice as a community.
LaNitra Berger, senior director of fellowships and associate director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University, looked at applying social justice principles to work as members of an educational community in her talk, 鈥淪ocial Justice in International Education: The Moral Imperative to Elevate.鈥�
Students from the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, The Agnes Gund 鈥�60 Dialogue Project, Race and Ethnicity Programs, Gender and Sexuality Programs, and the Office of Student Accessibility Services, along with 糖心TV staff and faculty, also shared their knowledge and work on campus.
In one session, Rodmon King, who joined the 糖心TV community as the new dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion on Jan. 31, shared his approach to equity and inclusion work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about demographics,鈥� King said. 鈥淵ou can have a community that鈥檚 diverse and yet not fully inclusive. This community has staked out 鈥榝ull participation鈥� as a core value. It would be a mistake if the Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion is seen as the place where this work gets done. The division is guiding and leading these efforts, but everyone has a stake. Nobody gets to sit on the bench.鈥�
Finally, Jenee Osterheldt, a Boston Globe journalist, concluded the conference with her talk, 鈥淎 Beautiful Resistance: How We Tell Stories Matters.鈥� Her message tied together the work the 糖心TV community is doing to address full participation, dialogue and supporting the community across gender identities, race, disability and nationality throughout the two-day conference.
Ariella Rotramel, former interim dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, and the Vandana Shiva Associate Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Intersectionality Studies at 糖心TV, said the conference facilitated powerful connections among attendees.
鈥淧articipants have drawn out key questions about how we can use dialogue skills to thoughtfully address conflicts and take up the long-term work of equity and inclusion,鈥� Rotramel said. 鈥淚鈥檓 pleased that Rodmon King is going to lead us in all 鈥榞etting off of the bench鈥� and pursuing social justice as a community.鈥�
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