Howard Community College Celebrates Diversity Week with Events March 4-8

Howard Community College (HCC) will hold a weeklong series of events March 4-8, 2019, in celebration of the diversity of the college’s community of students and employees. Organized by the college’s Diversity Committee, Diversity Week promotes conversation, exchange, and increased awareness of the unique talents and contributions of all people in the global community. All events are open to the public.

View all events on the Diversity Week calendar.

Event highlights from the week are as follows:

Monday, March 4

Keynote with April Ryan

10 – 11 a.m., Smith Theatre, Located in the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center (HPVA)

Kicking off Diversity Week is a keynote presentation by April Ryan, an award-winning journalist and author who has served as a White House correspondent since 1997 and has covered four presidential administrations. Ryan will share her perspective of race relations and how we can create a pathway to diversity.

Bollywood Dance

1 – 2:30 p.m., Duncan Hall (DH) Room 100

Bollywood Dance has made its mark on the world stage. In this workshop, you can experience the world of Bollywood, a fast-paced, expressive art form that derives from classical Indian, folk, and western styles of dance.

Tuesday, March 5

The Impact of Microaggressions on Students with Disabilities

11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Rouse Company Foundation Student Services Hall (RCF), Room 401

Community college students with disabilities experience microaggressions, which create challenging academic environments. Join us for a presentation and panel discussion to discuss how community college students with disabilities experience microaggressions and how faculty and staff can create a more inclusive and supportive environment.

Deaf Culture and Life

3 – 4:30 p.m., DH , Room 100

Guest speaker Richard Rose from Gallaudet University will share the experience of living in the deaf world and its history and language. The presentation will discuss the struggles deaf people face in trying to navigate and assimilate into the larger hearing culture, explore the pathological versus deaf culture views, and share various experiences in the daily lives of the deaf community in social and academic settings.

Wednesday, March 6

Walk in Our Shoes

2 – 3:30 p.m., Health Sciences Building (HSB), Room 114

This interactive workshop will give people the opportunity to see how students navigate difficult life stressors, such as poverty and food insecurity, and how it can and does impact their ability to be successful in their academic pursuits.

Mathematics Around the World

2:30 – 5 p.m., RCF, Room 400

Students will present a historic perspective of mathematics around the world and show how it contributes to our notation and understanding of mathematical concepts today.

Thursday, March 7

An Afternoon with Elizabeth Acevedo

12 – 2 p.m., Monteabaro Recital Hall, located in HVPA

Elizabeth Acevedo is the New York Times bestselling author of the award-winning novel, “The Poet X.” She holds a Bachelor of Arts in performing arts from The George Washington University and an Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo is a National Poetry Slam champion, a finalist for the National Book Award, and the recipient of the Boston Globe Hornbook Award Prize for Best Children’s Fiction of 2018.

Race, Ethnicity, and DNA: How Does it All Work?

2 – 3:30 p.m., Science, Engineering, and Technology Building (SET), Room 209

What are race and ethnicity really about? Does racial identity trump DNA, or does DNA trump racial identity? Who are you and what is your culture? Learn more and explore race, ethnicity, and DNA.

Friday, March 8

Lessons from First Generation Students at HCC

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., DH, Room 100

HCC has a large number of first generation college students. The college wants to give these students a chance to share their experiences at HCC, and more importantly, faculty and staff want to learn how to better assist them to succeed, and which kinds of support are beneficial to their learning.

The ABC’s of LGBTQ

12:30 – 1:30 p.m., RCF, Room 401

This presentation is an introduction to the vocabulary, identities, and stories of those in the LGBTQ+ community. Participants will learn terminology, how to be an ally to students who identify as members of this community, as well as how to speak, teach and, and act inclusively. It will include a brief presentation from two members of the LGBTQ+ community and a question and answer session.