As the world continues to build a sense of belonging across a diversity of spaces, it is important to cultivate community that will assist us in facing the challenges of bias, inequality and systems of oppression.
Missouri State University’s 2023 Collaborative Diversity Conference will help connect citizens to community resources in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) field. This year’s conference theme is “Connecting Citizens and Fostering Community.”
Open to the public, the conference will take place April 27-28 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Springfield.
Online registration is mandatory and ticket prices vary.
What’s happening at the conference
The conference includes four separate learning tracks that attendees can choose from. They include inclusion with first responders, in businesses, in the education system and in our community.
It will conclude with the Inclusive Excellence Fund Gala at 6 p.m. April 28. Tickets are $80 per person or $500 for a table of eight and can be purchased online.
“Through this conference, my hope is we’ll be able to not only educate the MSU community, but the greater southwest Missouri community on the importance of inclusion,” said Dr. Algerian Hart, interim chief diversity officer at MSU. “
Highlight of sessions
April 27
- Are we there yet? The struggle to recalibrate and rebrand DEI.
- Supporting DEI leaders in the state of Missouri and beyond.
- An inclusive lens: Reconstructing how we define trauma and mental health.
- Sista docs: Experiences of women of color in the academy.
- Know your brand: Understanding your brand vs. brand naming.
April 28
- Key concepts in recruiting, hiring and retaining a diverse workforce.
- A day in the life: Mothers raising diverse children in Springfield.
- Native Americans: Past, present and future.
- Interfaith inclusion.
- Integrating diverse community resources to address sexual violence.