Dear community,
Registration is Now Open for Blackboard Jungle 12 Symposium!
Please join the Office of the Vice President for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs for the 12th annual Blackboard Jungle Symposium, Engaging Inclusivity, Practicing
Civility, and Shaping Learning Communities Today and Beyond, being held March 21 & 22, 2019.
The opening keynote presentation and discussion, “me too. Movement,” will held on March 21, at the Dudley H. Davis Center, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The presentation will feature keynote speaker Tarana
Burke, founder of the ‘me too.’ Movement, and senior director of programs at Brooklyn-based Girls for Gender Equity. Burke offers words of empowerment that lift up marginalized voices, enables survivors across all races, genders, or classes to know that they
are not alone, and creates a place for comfort and healing to those who have experienced trauma. She has dedicated more than 25 years of her life to social justice and to laying the groundwork for a movement that was initially created to help young women of
color who survived sexual abuse and assault. The ‘me too.’ Movement now inspires solidarity, amplifies the voices thousands of victims of sexual abuse, and puts the focus back on survivors. This event is free and open to the public.
In addition to the opening keynote address, we are excited to announce that the Blackboard Jungle Symposium will offer afternoon workshops on Thursday, March 21, 2019 from 1:00-3:30 pm. Concurrent sessions
include topics like, “Trumping the Race Card: Understanding Race and Racism,” with Rodney Patterson, “Beyond the Binary is…a Polynary,” with Kate Bornstein, and “Universal Design for Learning: Creative Writing Assignments to Foster Inclusive Learning,” led
by Dr. Susanmarie Harrington and Dr. Holly Buckland Parker.
Friday, March 22, 2019, will be anchored by dynamic breakfast and luncheon keynote presentations and a full day of symposium panels and workshops designed to support faculty, staff, and all others seeking
to develop skills, knowledge, and a deeper understanding of diversity that supports excellence in teaching, service, and research. The symposium sessions are dedicated to “engaging inclusivity” and creating open spaces where all members of our community can
participate in authentic dialogue, valued reflection, and expanded learning opportunities.
Dr. Robert D. Bullard, Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University and author of, Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class, and Environmental Quality, will
be the Dean’s Breakfast keynote speaker on Friday, March 22nd. Often described as the “father of environmental justice,” Dr. Bullard has authored eighteen books that address sustainable development, environment racism, urban land use, and related
issues of climate justice and regional equity and is recognized by numerous news and science outlets as a leader in his field including CNN, Newsweek, Planet Harmony, the Children Environmental Health Network, and the Global Climate Action Summit where he
was named one of 22 Climate Trailblazers in 2018.
Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and a leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, will be the luncheon keynote speaker focusing on “Identity: Belonging,
Undocumented and American.” Vargas is the founder and chief executive officer of Define American, the nation's leading nonprofit media organization that fights injustice and anti-immigrant hate through the power of storytelling. He is the author of the memoir, Dear
America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, published by HarperCollins in fall 2018.
Each year, BBJ offers faculty, staff, students, and all others, opportunities to talk across divides and respectfully engage in an open exchange of ideas, perspectives, and beliefs. In addition to the
much anticipated keynote presentations this year, workshops and panel discussions will focus on a wide spectrum of topics including: “Building Wider Doors for Inclusive Excellence: Disability in Our Classrooms, Campus, and Community,” “How U.S. Law and Policy
Divides Us,” and “Is Vermont an All-White Paradise?,” to name a few.
Registration for Blackboard Jungle Symposium 12 is now open! Please visit https://www.uvm.edu/hrdma/bbj
to register and see a full schedule of events. Registration is required for Thursday and Friday.
Marie Waterworth
Program and Event Coordinator
Phone 802.656.9727 | www.uvm.edu/hrdma | Feedback or Suggestions?[log in to unmask]" id="LPNoLP">
Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
The University of Vermont, Center for Cultural Pluralism, Room # 200B, Allen House, 461 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405
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