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Diversity Committee

Feb 01
0

“Harriet Tubman: The Chosen One” coming to Jobe

By | Academics, Diversity Committee | No Comments

Delta State University welcomes Gwendolyn Briley-Strand for her performance of “Harriet Tubman: The Chosen One” on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in Jobe Auditorium.

Briley-Strand has been touring this performance since 1993.

The show takes its audience on one of the many journeys Tubman took on the Underground Railroad. It celebrates the life of this great American who made her way to freedom, and then risked her freedom to free others. 

The performance includes singing of spirituals and the use of the secret language used on the dangerous path to freedom.

Briley-Strand has been a performer for more than 30 years. She has entertained audiences on stage, radio, television and in movie theaters. She is a member of SAG-AFTRA, & Actor’s Equity Association, and she has performed extensively in television and movies. Her commercial voiceovers can be heard on network and cable stations.

Additionally, she has filmed public service announcements for substance and child abuse.

Briley-Strand is also the founder and CEO of See the Fruits, Inc., a company that uses the arts to teach valuable lessons in history.

The performance is sponsored by the DSU Diversity Committee and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Arlene Sanders at 662-846-4095 or asanders@deltastate.edu.

Sep 12
0

I.D.E.A. lunches open to campus

By | Academics, Diversity Committee, Faculty/Staff, QEP, Students | No Comments

Sponsored by Delta State’s Quality Enhancement Plan and the Diversity Committee, two I.D.E.A. lunches will be open to students, faculty and staff this month.

I.D.E.A., which stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Advocacy, aims to improve cultural competency on campus through communication, collaboration and engagement.

“The sessions are designed to engage students in rational and critical discussions in regards to the impact of labels on individuals and groups in society,” said Dr. George Beals, assistant professor of counselor education and member of the Diversity Committee.

The free lunches, open to the first 40 registrants, will take place on the second floor of the Student Union.

Lunch schedule:
– Sept. 19 from 12-1 p.m. – “What’s in a Label?”
– Sept. 20 from 12:15-1:15 p.m. – “What’s in a Label?”

To register for a lunch session, complete the form at https://deltastateqep.wufoo.com/forms/z1bmidsg0jzw82o.

For more information, call 662-846-4170, or contact Johansen at mjohansen@deltastate.edu or Wendolyn Stevens at wstevens@deltastate.edu.

Learn more about the QEP at http://www.deltastate.edu/academics/institutional-research-and-planning/sacs-2014-reaffirmation/quality-enhancement-plan-2014/. Learn more about the DSU Diversity Committee at http://www.deltastate.edu/about-dsu/administration/diversity-committee/.

Apr 25
0

Delta Center presented 2016 Georgene Clark Diversity Champion Award

By | Delta Center, Diversity Committee, Faculty/Staff | No Comments

The Diversity Committee at Delta State University recently awarded the 2016 Georgene Clark Diversity Champion Award to The Delta Center for Culture and Learning.

The inaugural Diversity Champion Award was presented to Georgene Clark, retired assistant professor of English. The award was presented to Clark at the 2015 Winning the Race conference where it was announced that the award was being named in her honor. The annual conference promotes conversations between and among individuals and communities about race relations, social justice, diversity and inclusion.

This is the second year that the award has been presented, which was was established by Delta State University’s Diversity Committee to recognize individuals and divisions/departments that have made extraordinary efforts to promote diversity awareness at Delta State and in the broader community.

Dr. Temika Simmons and Dr. Garry Jennings, co-chairs for the 2016 Winning the Race conference, both praised The Delta Center for its commitment to diversity awareness.

“The Delta Center has been an active partner with the Winning the Race conference since it began three years ago,” said Simmons, assistant professor of psychology and recipient of the 2016 Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning’s Award for Excellence in Diversity. “The Delta Center’s ongoing support of the conference, among several other projects and initiatives, is noteworthy and deserves the university-wide recognition that this award embodies.”

“The Delta Center’s collaboration is essential to the success of the Winning the Race Conference. It means that the conference has the support of an organization deeply involved with the culture, history and, most importantly, the soul of the Mississippi Delta,” said Jennings, professor of political science and director of the The Madison Center. “In keeping alive the history of this region, the Delta Center connects the past to our efforts in the present, building hope for justice in the future. This is essential for our work on the Winning the Race Conference.”

Arlene Sanders, instructor of political science and chair of the Diversity Committee, presented the award during the closing session of the 2016 Winning the Race conference.

“For several years, The Delta Center has offered programs that highlight the Mississippi Delta’s rich cultural diversity,” said Sanders. “They offer National Endowment for the Humanities workshops that attract educators from all over the country to learn about the Delta. They manage the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area that offers programs like the Delta Jewels Oral History Partnership about African American church mothers. They direct an international blues project that highlights the global influence of blues music and culture. For these reasons and many more, The Delta Center is most deserving of this award.”

Dr. Rolando Herts, director of The Delta Center, accepted the award on behalf of The Delta Center.

“The Delta Center is honored to receive the Georgene Clark Diversity Champion Award,” said Herts. “For over 15 years, The Delta Center has been promoting appreciation of the Mississippi Delta’s diverse culture and history as part of the American experience. That includes telling inclusive stories involving cultural perspectives regarding race, social injustice, civil rights, regional identity, and even expressions of faith.”

The Delta Center met the following criteria for the award: innovative teaching, educational programming, or activities designed to engender diversity within the classroom and/or curriculum at Delta State; a documented record of committee work, community involvement or outreach to the local community by a campus organization or department or division; and active leadership in promoting cultural diversity at Delta State.

To learn more about The Delta Center, visit http://deltacenterdsu.com/.

The mission of The Delta Center is to promote greater understanding of Mississippi Delta culture and history and its significance to the world through education, partnerships and community engagement. The center serves as the management entity of the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area and is the home of the National Endowment for the Humanities “Most Southern Place on Earth” workshop and the International Delta Blues Project.

Feb 12
0

Core Ensemble to celebrate Harlem Renaissance

By | Community, Diversity Committee, Students | No Comments

Delta State University and the DSU Diversity Committee will host the Core Ensemble for the Chamber Music Theatre performance, “Of Ebony Embers: Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance.” The event, free and open to the public, takes place Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in Jobe Auditorium.

Chamber Music Theatre is a unique performance format featuring a marriage of theatrical narrative set to chamber music performance. The format was created by Core Ensemble.

Since 1993, the Core Ensemble has toured nationally to every region of the United States and internationally to England, Russia, the Ukraine, Australia and the British Virgin Islands. The ensemble was the recipient of the 2000 Eugene McDermott Award for Excellence in the Arts awarded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has received support from the state of Florida Department of Cultural Affairs, New England Foundation for the Arts, Palm Beach County Cultural Council, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Virgil Thomson Foundation.

During the performance, Dracyn Blount portrays multiple characters while interacting with the onstage musical trio of cello, piano and percussion.

Celebrating the music and poetry of the Harlem Renaissance era in New York City, the work examines the lives of three outstanding but very different African American poets — Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen and Claude McKay — as seen through the eyes of the great painter and muralist Aaron Douglas.

The script was written and directed by Akin Babatunde.

The Core Ensemble performs music by African American composers ranging from jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk and Charles Mingus, to concert music composers Jeffrey Mumford and George Walker.

 For more information, contact Arlene Sanders at 662-846-4095 or asanders@deltastate.edu.

Jan 14
0

Frederick Douglass performance coming to Jobe

By | Community, Diversity Committee, Students | No Comments

Join the Delta State University Diversity Committee for a free performance of “The Starry Road to Freedom,” a one-man show about Frederick Douglass, one of the most prominent civil rights figures and one of the most influential lecturers and authors in American history.

Actor Darius Wallace will perform the show Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in Jobe Auditorium.

“The Starry Road to Freedom” takes the audience on a journey with Douglass, a legendary African American leader. Douglass was born a slave and ultimately found his true freedom in forgiveness. The performance reconstructs the complexity and radiance of Douglass’ spirit on his path to becoming the leader who inspired President Lincoln and countless thousands who thronged to hear him speak.

Wallace captures Douglass’ essence, humor, outrage and charisma, but the most powerful message delivered in the story is how education completely transformed Frederick Douglass’ life. The show includes singing, monologues and poetry.

Wallace is a native of Flint, Michigan. He began his acting career with the Michigan Shakespeare festival as Caliban in “The Tempest.” He has traveled the country performing as a solo performer as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Langston Hughes. Wallace is currently with the Tennessee Shakespeare company and the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee. His television credits include ABC’s “Nashville.” His Film credits include “Nothing But The Truth,” and he is the voice of the documentary “The Invaders.”

The performance is sponsored by the DSU Diversity Committee and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Arlene Sanders at 662-846-4095 or asanders@deltastate.edu.

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