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Diversity Forum

“Diversity in all its forms is the path to greatness.” —James D. Wilson

The Diversity Forum is held every January as a part of MLK Social Justice Week. This critically important program offers attendees informative sessions and engaging workshops designed to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and resources to drive crucial action that will ultimately foster more equitable communities in which to live, work and learn. 

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The most recent Diversity Forum was held in January. Please check back for the upcoming event registration in the fall.

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Diversity Forum Archive

Diversity Forum 2024

Amplifying Our Voices

The 2024 Diversity Forum was held Jan. 23 and 24. In 2024, we collaborated with the Division of Student Affairs to make the Diversity Forum part of MLK Social Justice Week.

Theme: “Amplifying Our Voices Through Active Listening and Constructive Dialogue.” This build on the 2023-24 designation of “The Year of Discourse and Dialogue” at the University of Pittsburgh.

The purpose was to explore what active listening and constructive dialogue look like on a university campus at a time of extreme social media and political polarization.

See a list of topic areas and presenters

Diversity Forum 2022

Rewiring Our Systems: Transforming the Intersections of Inequity

The forum featured a dynamic array of keynote programs and community-led sessions aimed to develop social equity consciousness and systems thinking approaches. Programs addressed the intersections of social identities and cultivated models for advancing social justice.

Participant Outcomes

Reflect on the impact of intersectionality and how our socialization informs our biases and positions us to, knowingly or unknowingly, perpetuate structural oppression, social injustices, and systemic inequities across social identity groups. Cultivate social equity consciousness and collective capacity to embrace and engage different cultures, perspectives, and people. Foster systems thinking approaches and multicultural coalitions of support to advance models for structural liberation, social justice, and systemic equity

Work will be displayed on the Showcase gallery, and on University web and social media channels, with artist attribution.

Art of Diversity

In conjunction with the 2022 Diversity Forum, the University of Pittsburgh Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Pitt’s Center for Creativity present the third annual Art of Diversity Showcase.

We invite all members of the Pitt and regional communities to submit creative work of any kind, from visual art to writing to performance. We’re looking for pieces that expand diversity consciousness, particularly an awareness and understanding of intersectionality, and that embrace and celebrate minoritized cultures and perspectives.

Diversity Forum 2021

Dismantling Oppressive Systems: Building Just Communities

The July 2021 forum sessions and workshops engaged and equipped participants with the knowledge, skills and resources to identify sources of systemic oppression, consider strategies for dismantling that oppression, and identify actions critical in fostering more equitable and just communities in which to live, work and learn. 

Access the Digital Program for session details and video recordings.

Featured Speakers

  • Anthony Ray Hinton, who was wrongfully convicted of two murders and spent 30 years on death row in Alabama. With the assistance of the Equal Justice Initiative led by attorney Bryan Stevenson, Hinton was exonerated and released in 2015. The 2019 film “Just Mercy” depicts Stevenson’s journey in seeking justice for wrongfully convicted death row inmates, including Hinton.
  • Dr. Keisha Blain. Her latest books are the #1 New York Times Best Seller Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited with Ibram X. Kendi; and Until I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer's Enduring Message to America.
  • Supreme Court challenger and troublemaker Simon Tam, who celebrates creative people’s power to effect change.
  • Dr. Jules Gill-Peterson, author of Histories of the Transgender Child and the forthcoming Gender Underground: A History of Trans DIY.
  • Professor Russell Jeung, co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition that tracks and responds to incidences of hate against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. 
  • Dr. Anneliese Singh, Tulane professor and chief diversity officer, award-winning author of The Racial Healing Handbook and the Queer and Trans Resilience Workbook.
  • Jacqueline Patterson, Founder and Executive Director of The Chisholm Legacy Project: A Resource Hub for Black Frontline Climate Justice Leadership
  • Dean Valerie Kinloch, Renée and Richard Goldman Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education and author of the  critically acclaimed Harlem on Our Minds: Place, Race, and the Literacies of Urban Youth.
  • The health science JEDI leaders (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) of Pitt.

Art of Diversity Showcase

In conjunction with the 2021 Diversity Forum, the University of Pittsburgh Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Center for Creativity presented the Art of Diversity Showcase. All members of the Pitt and regional communities were invited to submit creative work of any kind, from visual art to writing to performance.

Collaboratory Against Hate

The University of Pittsburgh has partnered with our neighbor, Carnegie Mellon University, to form the Collaboratory Against Hate, a research and action center to combat extremist hate. The Collaboratory is calling for interested collaborators with diverse backgrounds and relevant expertise to build out the center's research team. 

Planning Committee

The Diversity Forum Planning Committee meets at 1 p.m. Mondays. Sub-committees will meet at alternative times that fit the scheduling needs of their members.

Accessibility and Tech: Determine Forum engagement platform, accessibility, and associated tech (virtual poster sessions and debrief rooms). Angie Bedford-Jack, abedfordjack@pitt.edu

Budget and Finance: Tracking financial needs for each sub-committee, centralized location to submit spending, ensures we stay on budget. LaShon Jackson, laj44@pitt.edu

Featured Programs and Participation: Determine topic areas and participants for featured presenters and keynote speakers.

Marketing and Outreach: Determine marketing, outreach, and coverage strategies. Jay Togyer, jtogyer@pitt.edu

Sessions and Evaluations: Determine workshop tracks, proposal criteria, and evaluations. Lisa Upsher, liu7@pitt.edu

 

Disclaimer

Opinions expressed by speakers during the Diversity Forum are those of the speakers and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the University of Pittsburgh. The mere appearance of content during the Diversity Forum does not constitute an endorsement by Pitt or its affiliates of such content.