WSU’s 17th Annual Diversity Conference Focuses on Race
OGDEN, Utah – Injustice prevails when society allows a group of citizens to lag behind and then benefits from their exploitation.
Weber State University’s 17th annual Diversity Conference returns to issues of race with the theme "So You Think You're Blind to Color? Questioning Interpersonal, Institutional and Structural Systems of Racial Oppression."
The conference begins Oct. 8 at Weber State University Davis (2750 N. University Park Blvd.). Good Company Theatre will perform David Mamet’s play “Race” as a readers’ theater. A panel discussion will follow.
The conference continues Oct. 9 at 8:30 a.m. in the Shepherd Union with nine breakout sessions, including topics such as the school to prison pipeline, and the cost of racism and exclusivity.
At 11:30 a.m., keynote speaker Michael Eric Dyson, an award-winning author and Georgetown University sociology professor, will discuss "Social Capital and Privilege: The Pedagogy of Unlearning Prejudice and Redefining Practice and Inclusion.”
Longtime conference organizer Barry Gomberg said the theme was chosen because racial injustice is still prevalent, corrosive and insidious.
“This year’s conference will be particularly important because it will focus on the most intransigent aspect of inequality and injustice in our society — one that makes us so uncomfortable to talk about, or even think about, that we try desperately to believe we’ve solved that problem and don’t need to work on it anymore,” said Gomberg, WSU’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action officer. “Racial inequality still affects us powerfully and in ways that deny basic human rights.”
Some social justice indicators that Gomberg cites include poverty rates, incarceration rates, insensitive language, unfair housing practices and percentage of students of color attending college.
This diversity conference also will delve into the concept of “colorblindness.” Adrienne Andrews, WSU’s chief diversity officer and conference chair, explained those who do not see color may not value difference and appreciate cultural richness.
“It is not uncommon to hear people say they believe they are ‘colorblind,’ meaning they do not see people’s ethnic or racial identity. However, the reality is when we say this, often what we mean is we see the world from a position that does not include people different than the perceived normal.”
Conference presenters will challenge assumptions about values and power. They will discuss the weight of words, their meanings and origins, and how they can hurt or help build an inclusive community.
Education professor Forrest Crawford has helped organize the annual conference since its inception. After 17 years, he said, there is still much to accomplish.
“I am mixed about how I’ve seen racial issues evolve as part of humanity,” Crawford said. “There are powerful indicators that we have reached a new level of consciousness and engagement over the years. Equal to that, there are forces compelling us to hang on to particular tribalistic type rhetoric and idealism. I do think conferences like this help to move the conversation along. The worst thing that can happen is that you stop talking; you get so frustrated, you end the discourse.”
Oct. 8
WSU Davis Building 3 Ballroom
- 5:30-6 p.m., opening reception
- 6 p.m., reader’s theater performance of David Mamet’s play “Race,” performed by Good Company Theatre. Panel discussion to follow.
- 7:50 p.m., remarks, Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown University sociology professor and conference keynote speaker.
Oct. 9
Michael Eric Dyson
Shepherd Union, concurrent panel sessions and presentations
8:30-9:20 a.m.
- Forms of Social Oppression, Room 321
- The School to Prison Pipeline, Room 312
- The Cost of Racism and Exclusion: Political and Business Implications, Room 316
9:30-10:20 a.m.
- Building Inclusivity in STEM: Welcoming Women and Minorities, Room 321
- Looking at Henrietta Lacks: Race, Medicine and the Use of Identity, Room 312
- Intersectionality 101, Room 316
10:30-11:20 a.m.
- Understanding Racial Microaggressions and Mundane Extreme Environmental Stress for Students of Color, Room 321
- Is Biology Destiny? What the Genome Tells Us about Race, Room 312
- Weber County Libraries as “Third Place” Community Hubs: Restructuring Library Spaces and Philosophies, Room 316
11:30-12:20 p.m.
- Conference keynote speaker, Michael Eric Dyson, “Social Capital and Privilege: The Pedagogy of Unlearning Prejudice and Redefining Practice and Inclusion,” Shepherd Union Ballroom
12:30-1:30 p.m.
- Roundtable discussion and free lunch, registration required, weber.edu/diversity
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
For high-resolution images, please visit the following links:
Allison Barlow Hess, Director of Public Relations
801-626-7948 • ahess@weber.edu- Contact:
Adrienne Gillespie Andrews, Assistant to the President for Diversity
801-626-7243 • adrienneandrews@weber.edu