Texas Christian University’s second annual Diversity Day Conference will be held virtually from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7. The event includes a keynote address by Bakari Sellers and four panel sessions. Advanced registration for each session is required.
The Diversity Day Conference is held each year to build awareness around the broad array of topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion on TCU’s campus as well as the national landscape. This year’s conference theme, Moving Forward through Activism and Advocacy, recognizes the need for individuals, in and out of the academy, to realize our obligation to advocate as a community for the common good. This is accomplished by establishing a multiracial, multifaceted and intergenerational movement for social justice.
“While we understand that everyone’s journey with DEI is different, I believe that people are moving past awareness and are now focusing on activism and advocacy. While bringing awareness to lived experiences and perspectives of diverse populations is of extreme value, we are now looking more and more on what can be done and how it can be achieved,” Florencio Aranda III, coordinator of diversity and inclusion, said. “Our keynote speaker and four content experts will provide rich insight on evidence-based practices that foster effective activism and advocacy which allows us all to move forward together.”
Keynote Address
Moving Forward through Activism and Advocacy with Bakari Sellers
11 a.m.-noon
Bakari T. Sellers is an American attorney, political commentator and politician. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for the 90th District from 2006 to 2014, becoming the youngest African American elected official in the country at age 22. He vacated his seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives to run for lieutenant governor in 2014.
Sellers earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, where he served as student body president, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, in his tireless commitment to public service while championing progressive policies to address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity.
Sellers is currently a political analyst on CNN and is the author of Who Are Your People? and the New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country.
Panel Discussions
Addressing Privilege with Marybeth Gasman, 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Restorative Justice with Hanadi Chehabeddine, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Liberation through Empowerment with Romeo E. Jackson, 2:45-3:45 p.m.
Social Movements with Felipe Hinojosa, 4-5 p.m.
“Together, we can create the necessary changes needed to build environments where all people feel valued, included and heard and have the necessary tools to succeed equitably and unequivocally,” Aranda said.