Keynote Speaker: Dr. Imani Perry
Thursday, September 28 at 7 p.m.
D.P. Culp Student Center Auditorium
Critically acclaimed author Dr. Imani Perry will serve as the keynote speaker for East Tennessee State University’s fifth annual Equity and Inclusion Conference. Dr. Perry is renowned for her work that explores the intersections of history, race, law, and culture. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, in the aftermath of the horrific 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, Dr. Perry’s life and work have been deeply imbued with a commitment to justice and progressive change.
Dr. Perry’s academic and literary contributions, including her National Book Award-winning work “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation,” explore how the South shapes American history and culture. Her numerous accolades, including awards for her exploration of the life of underrecognized Black artist Lorraine Hansberry, firmly position her as a significant figure in contemporary literature and academia.
“If there were one impact I’d like my work to have, it would be that people would cease talking about African American history and culture in terms of deprivation or inadequacy and actually acknowledge its depth and complexity and beauty,” Dr. Perry said.
Tickets are $20 and available online or at the door.
The cost of admission is included for all conference registrants.
Keynote Speaker: Gene Yang
Friday, September 29 at 4 p.m.
D.P. Culp Student Center Ballroom
Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), New Super-Man from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow.
Free and open to the public
Schedule
September 28, 2023
8:00 a.m. - Check-In Opens
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Presentation
9:45 a.m. - Coffee Break
10:00 a.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block A
11:00 a.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block B
1:30 p.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block C
3:30 p.m. - Snack Break
3:45 p.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block D
4:00 p.m. - Crafting Blackness Initiative Panel Discussion
5:00 p.m. - Dinner on Your Own; Affinity Group Events
6:00 p.m. - Black Bodies Making Form Exhibit and Reception
7:00 p.m. - Keynote Speaker, Dr. Imani Perry
September 29, 2023
8:30 a.m. - Breakfast and Networking
9:15 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Presentation
9:45 a.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block E
9:45 a.m. - Coffee Break
11:10 a.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block F
12:00 p.m. - Lunch
1:15 p.m. - Breakout Sessions, Block G
2:40 p.m. - Closing Ceremony
3:15 p.m. - Book Signing with Gene Yang
4:00 p.m. - Keynote Speaker Gene Yang
September 30, 2023: Students Only
9:00 a.m. - Breakfast and Check-in
10:00 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Presentation
10:35 a.m. - Breakout Sessions
11:30 a.m. - Lunch and Connecting
12:50 p.m. - Breakout Sessions
1:50 p.m. - Breakout Sessions
3:15 p.m. - Conference Reflection and Closing Ceremony
Breakout Sessions
- Widening Participation for Lifelong Learners: Making the Case for Age-Friendly Universities
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- Discussion on the Veteran Landscape
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- How Students of Color Successfully Man Up and W.O.W. at a PWI
Tennessee Tech University
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- Social Wellness and Inclusion: The Role that Connection and Support Play in Life on
Campus
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- Best Practices on Equity & Inclusion
Innoviant Consulting
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- Seeking Economic Sustainability through Health Ministries in Appalachian Black Churches
Langston Centre Health Equity Task Force
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- It Takes a Village: The Impact of Fictive Kinship on Black Students in Higher Education
North Carolina A&T State University
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- Addressing Sexual Health Disparities for Gender Minorities
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- “We Want You” To be an Agent of Change on Campus
University of Tennessee at Martin
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- Expanding the Canon: Incorporating Works by Underrepresented Composers in Undergraduate
Chamber Music
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- Understanding and Supporting Racial Identity-Affirming Spaces
Artistic Intellectual
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- Stories of the "Social Justice Warrior" in Student Affairs: HESA Practitioners' Experiences
Supporting Students Impacted by Bias Incidents
UNC Greensboro
September 29 at 1:15 p.m.
- Creating Accessible Content: A Hands-On Workshop
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 1:30 p.m.
- Integrative Story Workshop: Creating Empathy and Understanding Through Embodied Personal
Narratives
Town of Jonesborough & the McKinney Center
September 28 at 1:30 p.m.
- Implications of Workload Inequities: Gendered and Racialized Workload Distribution
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 1:30 p.m.
- Identifying Accessible and Low-Cost Homework Options to Move Beyond Expensive Access
Codes
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 3:45 p.m.
- "Beyond the Yard": Taking Equity and Inclusion Beyond the Border of Your Campus
University of Tennessee Knoxville
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- The Multicultural Enrichment and Success Outcomes: Models for Redesigning Student
Leadership Development
University of Tennessee Knoxville
September 28 at 3:45 p.m.
- Helping Students Run the College R.A.C.E.: Reaching Achievement and Committed to Excellence
Tennessee Tech University
September 28 at 3:45 p.m.
- Developing and Implementing a Health Fair Tailored to Gender and Sexual Minority Students
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 3:45 p.m.
- "More Than My Disability"
Delta Alpha Pi
September 28 at 11:00 a.m.
- The Truth About Grading and Equity
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 9:45 a.m.
- Beyond a Land Acknowledgement: Why They matter and Why They Are Not Enough
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 9:45 a.m.
- Challenging Injustice & Constructing Co-Existence
DC Peace Team
September 29 at 9:45 a.m.
- Accommodating Neurodivergence in Classrooms and Coursework
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 9:45 a.m.
- Building Students’ Belongings in the K-20 Classrooms by Respecting Students’ Names
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- Identities and the Practitioner: Building Inclusive Environments; Our Well-being Depends
On It
University of Tennessee at Martin
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- Unpacking Biases in the Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Fairness and Inclusion
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 3:45 p.m.
- A Psychological Framework for Intersectional Identities In Education
East Tennessee State University
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- Barriers to Inclusion in the Classroom: Ways to Promote Equitable Engagement
East Tennessee State University
September 28 at 10:00 a.m.
- African American Male College Success -- What Does Generational Trauma Have To Do
With It?
Appalachian Promise Alliance
September 29 at 11:10 a.m.
- Conversations That Matter, an Online Video and Podcast Series Featuring Minority Voices
in Northeast Tennessee
McKinney Center at Booker T. Washington School
September 29 at 1:15 p.m.
- Imagining Escape and Expansion in Education and the Everyday: Discovering Portals
for Equity and Inclusion in Light of Anti-Woke Legislation and the Silencing of Truth
Ashley Advocates
September 29 at 1:15 p.m.
- Leading for Equity and Belonging: Developing Leadership Skills for Promoting Campus-Wide
Engagement
Resources for Learning LLC
September 29 at 1:15 p.m.