Holy Cross Hosts Range of Diversity Events During Fall Semester



This semester the College of the Holy Cross is hosting more than 30 events on campus that engage with questions about diversity, inclusion, and contemporary social issues to further deeper dialogue and contemplation.

"Diversity, which we define broadly, is embedded in so much that we do at Holy Cross: inside and outside the classroom, in our departments and residence halls, and throughout our many communities here on campus, in Worcester, and beyond,” says Greta Kenney, associate director of diversity and inclusion.

“The diversity events calendar for the fall semester highlights how critical and far-reaching these conversations — on topics like race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, and disability — are to the campus community,” she continues.

All members of the community are invited to take advantage of the wide range of offerings.

Highlights of the fall semester include:

Monday, Oct. 17, 5 p.m. Seelos Theatre Race, Ethnic Identity, and Activism in the Presidential Elections and Beyond

Issues of black and Latina/o identity have had unprecedented importance in the last three presidential elections. Key social and political trends, including increasing economic inequality, which disproportionately affects blacks and Latinos, and the frequent deaths of unarmed African-Americans at the hands of police, are also leading to new forms of political activism in black and Latina/o communities.

Evelyn Simien, associate professor of political science and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut; Peter Skerry, professor of political science at Boston College; and Chris Zepeda-Millan, assistant professor and chair of the Center for Research on Social Change University of California at Berkeley, will speak on these issues as they relate to the upcoming presidential election and the nation more broadly.

Thursday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. Hogan Hoval Coming Out Coffee House

An open mic space for LGBTQIA individuals to tell their coming out stories

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. Rehm Library Joseph A. Polak: After the Holocaust the Bells Still Ring

Joseph A. Polak, Hillel Rabbi Emeritus at Boston University, will speak about his memoir, which explores how Polak, a young child at the time of the Holocaust, and his mother survived two concentration camps, then, after the war, battled demons of the past, societal rejection, disbelief, and invalidation as they struggled to reenter the world of the living. Supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding.

Monday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. Hogan Ballroom Unity Week Keynote Speaker: Janet Mock

Noted author and speaker Janet Mock will speak on race, gender, and transgender issues.

Unity Week is an annual series of events sponsored by the Students Government Association that aims to educate, raise awareness, promote discussion of contemporary social issues, and create a more inclusive and welcoming campus for all. More information on the full schedule of Unity Week events will be available through the events calendar and campus wide emails after fall break.

Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. Hogan Ballroom BSU Griot Event with headliner Crystal Endsley

A night of spoken word poetry at Holy Cross with headline performance by Crystal Endsley, assistant professor Africana Studies at the City University of New York.

 

Visit the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website for a full list of diversity events taking place this upcoming semester.

Please refer to the College's events calendar for the most up-to-date information.