This Week in DEI

January 24, 2022 / Events

There are several DEI-related events occurring this week at NOVA, and more coming soon! Make sure you check out the following events this week:

  • The Office of DEI presents the January Spotlight Event! Today, renowned photographer and mental health advocate, “M” Abeo, will discuss mental health in the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond at the MEC Forum (1st floor) Monday, Jan. 24, from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For information about this event, or if you need accommodations to attend, please contact Ed Aymar.
  • There will be a reception for the Keepsake Project on Monday, Jan. 24 from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. in the AFA Gallery (Alexandria campus). The artwork in this series presents the keepsake stories from international students at NOVA. Former Alexandria Fine Arts student, Jum Jirapan, illustrated 50 cherished objects that ESL students from the Alexandria campus shared. This event is in-person, but you can also join over Zoom to see the art, read the amazing stories and meet the artist and some of the students and faculty who worked on this project.
  • The Lyceum Speaker Series, an interdisciplinary series of talks about the power of music, kicks off its spring series with Dr. Kevin Wright, professor and musician. Dr. Wright will discuss the multicultural roots of America, paying particular attention to the banjo, guitar and steel guitar. This discussion will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 26, from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. in CA 302 on the Annandale campus. Refreshments will be provided. For more information about this event, or if you need information about accommodations to attend, please contact Melissa Chabot.
  • Associate Dean Kush Jenkins discusses “Economics of the Civil Rights Movement” in LC211 at the Loudoun Campus. This talk takes place on Thursday, Jan. 27, from 1 p.m. until 2 p.m., and is presented by the Loudoun DEI Committee. Interested students can either attend in person or via Zoom. For more information about the event, or if you need accommodations to attend, please contact Associate Dean Saleha Bholat.
  • The History Reading Group, led by Professor Nathaniel Green, will be meeting virtually on Friday, January 28 at 10 a.m. to discuss Alina E. Robert’s I’ve Been Here All the While. The meeting is open to anyone who would like to participate in a discussion of the book. To join this discussion, or be informed about future History Reading Group meetings, please contact Professor Green.
  • Reverend Nariaki Hayashi, resident minister of the Ekoji Buddhist Temple, will provide a brief introduction to the Buddhist New Year (Shin denomination) followed by a discussion linking it to the Buddhist perspective of equity and what kind of attitudes might be important for us to get closer to equity. This virtual, Food-for-Thought event is presented by the Manassas DEI Committee and takes place on Friday, January 28, from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. Registration is required.

And the VCCS has released it’s 2022 Diversity Holiday Calendar! Stay informed about important days or commemorative months by visiting the Office of DEI’s page. This Thursday, January 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2005, it “marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, honors the victims of the Nazi regime and promotes Holocaust education throughout the world.” Learn more at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Submitted by:
Ed Aymar, DEI Communications Coord., EAymar@nvcc.edu