Keynote speaker and author on diversity presents campus community
Rachael Freeman
-Staff Writer-
Stefan Bradley, associate professor at St. Louis University, presented “Dialogues on Diversity,” on Nov. 2 at STLCC-Meramec’s Student Center to address diversity at the societal and institutional level.
“I wanted today to see if I can challenge you to say these words by the time I finish, ‘It is my responsibility,’” Bradley said.
The presentation was sponsored by the Diversity Committee and The Center for Teaching and Learning. Bradley tackled the issue of diversity at the seminar and the faculty workshop to show the correlation between “postwar battle against societal racism” and today’s classroom, he said.
Bradley told the story of four young African-American males who were college students. It was on Feb. 1, 1960, that the men made a step toward a cultural change that contested racial relations by engaging in a sit-in at Woolworth Diner in Greensboro, N.C.
“They were like me,” Bradley said as he addressed the audience. “They were nobodies, but they decided they were going to change it.”
That movement became a part of American history. Bradley said it is stories like the Greensboro four and freedom riders that prompted conversations about race relation, cultural barriers and its impact on the classroom at the faculty workshop.
“I tell you all of this because you all have your own issues today,” Bradley said. “Today, some of you are in class talking about immigration. I always ask young people this, ‘what would you die for, inevitably and invariably?’ Young people would say, ‘I’ll die for my family, except for my one cousin,’ but then somebody who’s a little more ideological will say, ‘I’ll die for my freedom.’”
The lessons on diversity happen both in and out of the classroom, said Beverly Bevineau, business service specialist and Diversity Committee member.
“The faculty should be very cognizant of who’s sitting in their audience and make sure that the students always feels comfortable about the lesson that they’re going to learn,” Bevineau said.
The Diversity Committee continues to embrace diversity on all levels. Future events include, Safe Zone Training, Take Back the Night, and Day of Silence.
