The College of Charleston will once again host its annual Diversity Week celebration, October 6-10, 2014. This year’s events are centered on the theme: “Making Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice a Reality,” and will feature a variety of educational, cultural, social and outreach programs sponsored or co-sponsored by the various departments at the College. All events are open to the public. Featured speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario and acclaimed activist Kevin Powell.

RELATED: View the full schedule of events.

Highlights for this year’s Diversity Week are listed below.

  • Sonia Nazario

    Sonia Nazario

    The Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) will host Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize winning author and journalist for the Lost Angeles Times. Nazario will discuss her award-winning series about the experiences of Latin American children who emigrate to the U.S.

  • Hip Hop Producer, 9th Wonder, will share his experiences of working in the music industry and the challenges he has encountered in this competitive business. This event is sponsored by the African American Studies Program.
  • The Black Student Union will host a campus dialogue on issues currently plaguing the African American Community.
  • The Gender and Sexuality Equity Center will sponsor a panel discussion on “Women in Science” and provide a forum for current women in the field to share their personal successes and challenges with regard to inequity and inclusion.
  • Counseling and Substance Abuse Services will host a workshop entitled “Suicide Prevention among LGBT Youth,” aimed at raising awareness of prevention.
  • Kevin Powell

    Kevin Powell

    OID, ROAR Scholars, and Multicultural Student Programs and Services have teamed-up to sponsor the Social Justice Action Forum hosted by Kevin Powell – humanitarian, scholar, and president of BK Nation. The Forum is open to students only.

  • Kevin Powell will also facilitate a Faculty Roundtable session aimed at engaging faculty in conversations about how to enhance their own teaching philosophy. Mr. Powell is also the keynote speaker for the Diversity Week closing event.

According to Dr. John Bello-Ogunu, Sr., associate vice president and chief diversity officer, “Diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and civility are the hallmarks of a progressive, multicultural, and pluralistic community or society. All-inclusive and unifying programs such as Diversity Week, help to raise awareness about the centrality of these socio-cultural elements to building and sustaining a more perfect society, where human dignity is promoted and protected.”

This year’s Diversity Week is made possible in part, by a generous grant from the C. A. Dufford, Jr. Estate for the promotion of Diversity at the College of Charleston.

For more information, contact the Office of Institutional Diversity at oid@cofc.edu.