Student to Host 5th Annual Diversity Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Students to Host 5th Annual Diverse Students’ Leadership Conference

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary’s College
(574) 284-4579

March 10, 2010 (Notre Dame, Ind.) – The Student Diversity Board (SDB) at Saint Mary’s College will host its fifth annual Diverse Students’ Leadership Conference (DSLC) on March 17-19. The purpose of DSLC is to enrich perspectives within diverse academic, professional and social settings.

The event, which is put on by Saint Mary’s students, is free and open to the public. Expected to attend are representatives from several colleges and universities as well as high schools, including South Bend’s Washington High School. Some of the topics to be discussed include health and social justice, female beauty, the American Disabilities Act, cultural differences and women’s leadership. The conference is structured to help participants identify challenges and underlying prejudices that exist in various social institutions, develop educational and interactive skills to transform challenges into opportunities and become empowered leaders actively promoting the advantages of diversity.

“Workshops will be conducted by sociologists, political activists and speakers representing various careers and experiences. They will share what it means to be diverse and encourage the audience to be aware of differences and to be open-minded towards diverse people,” said Guadalupe Quintana ’12, who is on DSLC’s publicity committee.

Dr. Gloria Wilder-Brathwaite will offer the opening keynote address, "Developing Diverse 21st Century Leanders: An Application in Social Justice," at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 17, in Stapleton Lounge of Le Mans Hall. The conference continues the next day on the ground level of the Student Center, where Wilder-Brathwaite will host a morning workshop on eliminating economic segregation in health care. Wilder-Brathwaite is a pediatrician and nationally recognized speaker on social justice issues. The first in her family to graduate from high school, she chose to work with children from economically fragile families of Washington, D.C., over a higher-paying medical career. In 2005, she received the National Caring Award for exceptional generosity and commitment to service, and in 2004, she was named Physician Humanitarian of the Year by George Washington University. She’s been featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes program and recognized by Oprah’s Angel Network.

Richard Pimentel will deliver the closing keynote address, “Music Within: Learning to Value What Society Used to Discount,” in Little Theatre of Moeau Center for the Performing Arts at noon on March 19 . Pimentel is a nationally known expert on disability management, job recruitment, job retention, the Americans with Disabilities Act and attitude change. His communication style combines information, humor, metaphors, and storytelling.

The Conference will also feature a high school track. As the keynote for this track, performer Michael Fosberg will deliver his autobiographical one-man show Incognito. Fosberg says on his Web site, “Incognito is the story of my journey to uncover and discover myself, my roots, my family and the difficult history behind the tragic American complexity of ‘race’. I have been facing these questions since 1992, when after having spent 32 years growing up in a middle-class white family, I discovered I am black.”

Registration is required and the deadline is Monday, March 15. Contact the Multicultural Services and Student Programs office for sessuib information and to register.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.