2022 Winner – Iya-Marie Turner
At the 2015 Winning the Race Conference, the inaugural Delta State Diversity Champion Award was given to and named for Professor Georgene Clark. This award honors a Delta State student, faculty, staff, administrator, campus organization or department who demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the areas of teaching/scholarship, service and leadership. The Diversity Advisory Committee evaluates nominees based on the following seven principles:
Unify—we are one society
Personify—gender is only a word
Identify—you love who you love
Testify—speak for your beliefs
Dignify—we are all capable
Diversify—if we don’t, who will?
Exemplify—see beyond black and white
Past Winners
2021 – Dr. Todd Davis
2019 – Linda Stringfellow
2018 – Sofiya Dahman
2017 – Dr. Garry Jennings
2016 – Delta Center for Culture and Learning
2015 – Professor Georgene Clark
Georgene Clark
Professor Clark’s commitment to diversity and social justice goes back to before her years at Delta State. A native of the Mississippi Delta, she was involved with local civil rights activism as a teen and young adult. At Delta State, she was a professor of English known for her exemplary teaching and the way she reached all students. Professor Clark was instrumental in the formation and leadership of the Diversity Advisory Committee, which works to promote a more inclusive campus environment.
In 2014, President William N. LaForge called upon Professor Clark to co-chair the first Winning the Race Conference. Although Professor Clark is now retired, she is still an active participant on the Winning the Race planning committee. She remains a dynamic presence on campus even though her grandson, an accomplished high school senior, keeps her very busy. We are grateful for her efforts, leadership and her passion for diversity at Delta State.
