There’s an old African proverb that states, if you want to go somewhere quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That notion fully underscores Building Bridges, a campuswide event that is being presented jointly by the Office of Institutional Diversity and the Office Multicultural Students Programs and Services.
Renard Harris, Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity and co-organizer of Building Bridges.
Building Bridges will take place Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, at the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is both a fundraiser and an awareness raiser. Though the event is free and open to the public, contributions will be sought to benefit Save More Kids, a nonprofit organization created to help children in Liberia who have been affected by war, sexual abuse, abandonment, child labor and poverty.
Partnering with Save More Kids is entirely in line with the goals of the Office of Institutional Diversity, says Renard Harris, director of that office and the College’s chief diversity officer.
“We are purposely working more collaboratively with programs and departments across campus to help the entire campus embrace diversity in a plurality of ways,” he says. “We want to unify our campus by educating and highlighting the core essence and strengths of various identities. Our primary focus is to create programs, workshops, and initiatives that will educate those who are less familiar and empower those whose identity we are speaking about.”
Building Bridges, which will feature a performance by spoken word poet and CofC alumnus Matt Foley ’08 and music by the Zandrina Dunning Experience, will also offer heavy hors d’oeuvres and dessert.
