“Pioneering Innovation Through Inclusion: What Do You DU?”
That’s the theme of this year’s Diversity Summit for Inclusive Excellence, scheduled for May 3–4.
“We want to challenge people to not just talk about what it means to be an inclusive leader, but to challenge themselves to ask, on a daily basis, what they have influence over to make an impact and then act,” says Johanna Leyba, assistant provost for inclusive excellence at DU’s Center for Multicultural Excellence.
“That might mean getting to know the different values and cultures and background of your co-workers to increase communication and respect,” she says. “Or you might be working where you can see injustices or policies that make for a non-inclusive environment. Ask yourself what influences you have to impact it.”
The summit’s keynote speaker will be Jeff Johnson, an investigative journalist, political correspondent and activist based out of Washington, D.C. Johnson regularly contributes commentary and analysis about issues related to race, politics and popular culture to news organizations and outlets such as CNN and MSNBC.
Since 2008, Johnson has been managing editor of “The Truth With Jeff Johnson,” a weekly television news program that has been described in the Huffington Post as a cross between Keith Olbermann and Bill Maher, with a black perspective. The program airs on the BET network.
Johnson will speak at 9 a.m. May 4 at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts’ June Swaner Gates Concert Hall.
A series of workshops will be held May 4 in Sturm Hall, including “Understanding Latino Student Diversity at the University of Denver: The Path to Inclusion,” “Cultivating the Hidden Roots: Reclaiming African American Women’s History at DU” and “Addressing Structural Injustice: Racial Profiling and Police Brutality in Denver.”
This year the Diversity Summit is partnering with DU’s TEDxSalon series to showcase DU community members and how they approach the topic of “Tackling the Great Issues of Our Day Through Innovation and Inclusion.” Salon speakers, including Gregory Anderson, dean of the Morgridge College of Education, will be streamed live from noon–1:30 p.m. May 4.
The conference is free for DU students, staff, faculty and alumni, but registration is required by April 30. For non-DU students, the charge for the conference is $10; for community members not affiliated with DU the charge is $25.