The challenges of fostering diversity in academia and mainstream society will be among the topics at the University of Colorado at Boulder's 12th annual diversity summit Feb. 19-20 at the University Memorial Center and other campus venues.
"The summit is an annual opportunity to get staff, students and faculty together to foster discussions around issues of diversity," said Mark Augustin, director of organizational and employee development and one of the co-chairs of the event's organizing committee.
During the summit, the university also will hand out awards to campus departments and individuals who have excelled at initiating programs to enhance diversity, Augustin said.
The summit is part of CU-Boulder's strategic goal to foster a campus environment that supports students, faculty and staff from all walks of life and enhances learning for everyone. Community members of all backgrounds are invited to attend the event, and educators are encouraged to bring their classes to presentations.
"Over the years we have tried to be inclusive with the chancellor's other advisory groups and to invite speakers as diverse as we're hoping the summit will be," Augustin said.
February is national Black History Month and the summit coincides with many activities and presentations marking African American history, achievements and contributions to U.S. society.
On Monday, Feb. 19, from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the UMC Ballroom, CU-Boulder Chancellor Bud Peterson and Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equity Chrstine Yoshinaga-Itano will welcome speakers and audience members from both the campus and Denver-area communities.
Other events scheduled to take place in the ballroom on Feb. 19 include a keynote lecture by Robert Jensen, a University of Texas at Austin associate professor of journalism, who will talk about "The Reality of Race, Gender and Class Privilege: Beyond the Politics of Diversity" from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Following Jensen's talk there will be a student panel discussion in the ballroom from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. about the campus experiences of underrepresented students.
Also in the ballroom, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Interactive Theater troupe will present "Working on It," a production that questions how far U.S. society has advanced as a diverse nation and studies the complexity of talking about diversity.
Finally, at 7:30 p.m. in the Old Main Chapel, Joseph Marshall III, an award-winning storyteller and author, will stage "An Evening of Lakota Storytelling."
On Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to noon in the UMC Ballroom, storyteller Afi-Tiombe Kambon will perform two original stories, including "Black Diamond" and "A Cup of Molasses." Set during the era of slavery, each story will reflect on issues of disability, cultural and gender identity, and sexual abuse.
A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation, which is sponsored by the CU-Boulder Office of Disability Services.
The annual diversity summit is organized and funded by the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Equity. To read more about the annual diversity summit, visit .