Jan. 28, 2019
NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) announces it will
hold the First Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference in the Berkshires,
June 11-14, and has issued a call for papers. The conference will feature world-renowned
activist, commentator, educator, poet, and writer Nikki Giovanni as the keynote speaker.
Spearheaded by MCLA’s vice president of academic affairs, Dr. Emily Williams, and
co-directed by Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, the College’s chief diversity officer,
the theme of this event will be “Catalyzing 21st Century Discourse and Engagement
on Race.”
Williams said the College is delighted to present the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Conference, and looks forwards to Giovanni’s participation in this inaugural event.
“We are excited to hear from Nikki Giovanni, one of the world’s most well-known African
American poets and one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement,” Williams
said. “Her work is wonderfully diverse. Called the ‘Poet of the Black Revolution,’
Nikki’s work includes poetry anthologies and recordings, children’s literature, nonfiction
essays, and covers social issues, human relationships, and hip hop.”
According to MacDonald-Dennis, the conference reflects MCLA’s commitment to equity
and inclusion for all – both on campus and beyond. He looks forward to welcoming presenters
from across the United States and around the world.
“Presenters at this conference will share their expertise and experiences from their
varied perspectives on race,” MacDonald-Dennis said. “As a diverse and public institution,
we seek to educate across axioms of difference. With our commitment to access and
justice, there is no better place for this conference than MCLA.”
The conference will focus on historical and contemporary issues in varied formats
such as plenary sessions, panel presentations, round table discussions, poster sessions,
exhibitions, and performances. Participants will spend four days on the MCLA campus,
as well as at locations to include MCLA Gallery 51 and MASS MoCA.
Presenters will include those who work in higher education, K-12 education, government,
and community/nonprofit groups. Discussions will include those on topics that include
applied sciences, formal sciences, social sciences, natural sciences, business and
commerce, humanities, body arts, visual arts, and performance arts.
MCLA has issued a call for papers to those who wish to present their work at this
conference. Abstracts will be accepted on topics to include – but not limited to –
single and cross-disciplinary discussions from applied sciences, formal sciences,
social sciences, natural sciences, business/commerce, humanities, body arts, visual
arts, and performance arts.
Abstracts are requested no later than Monday, Feb. 18. Early submissions are encouraged
to ensure capacity and participation. Individual abstracts should be no more than
250 words. Panel, exhibition, performance, and poster abstracts should be no more
than 750 words.
Abstracts should be submitted electronically to deiconference@mcla.edu. For additional
information and a full listing of submission requirements, contact the conference
directors at (413) 662-5242.
Giovanni is a University Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.
She has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including multiple NAACP
Image Awards, the Langston Hughes Award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and
Letters, and the Rosa Parks Women of Courage Award, and was named as one of Oprah
Winfrey’s “25 Living Legends.”
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth’s public liberal
arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes
excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity,
public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates
are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.
