The history of the Diversity Summit

Diversity Summit Presenters via Photo Editor Mollie Wadhams

This year’s Diversity Summit was held on Feb. 28, 2023. The Diversity Summit consists of several sessions scheduled throughout the day, with students, faculty, and staff hosting a variety of sessions addressing various issues in society today. Session topics included ableism, diversity in STEM, race and racism, and the psychology of multiculturalism. The Keynote Address was given by Emmanuel Kulu Jr., an African Historian, public speaker, and author who spoke about African history and how it connects to humanities’ origin. The Diversity Summit is an opportunity for students to educate themselves on current issues related to diversity in order to better our campus climate. 

In addition to the various sessions and the keynote address, there were two workshops. According to the SUNY Geneseo website, one workshop was held by the keynote speaker. The workshop was a roundtable discussion on the concept of race and how it has been used to divide, segregate, and categorize people since the founding of America. The other workshop was an embroidery project that honored Slavic culture in light of the recent events involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Students were allowed to use supplies to stitch and embroider various items throughout the day. 

The Diversity Summit is part of Geneseo’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. According to the SUNY Geneseo website, “At SUNY Geneseo, we are a community of students, staff, faculty, and administrators living and working together in a spirit of inquiry so that, individually and collectively, we may achieve our full potential. Our community extends to the many graduates, retirees, and others who remain actively engaged in advancing our mission and values as a public liberal arts college.” The Diversity Summit is just one way that Geneseo strives to live out this commitment to diversity. 

Students can sign up for the Diversity Summit every year; applications for the Summit usually end in January. Students can also participate in diversity in other ways year-round. To get more involved, students can participate in the Cultivating Community series, a series of discussions held throughout the semesters related to diversity and addressing bias which are held throughout the academic year. 

In addition to the many events that The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), students are encouraged to examine themselves for internal biases that may contribute to any stigma that exists on campus, the community of Geneseo, and our nation and society as a whole. By examining internal thoughts, emotions, and biases that have become ingrained in us by society, we can address them head-on and start at the grass-roots level in addressing issues of diversity. Students can find more information about the Diversity Summit, other programs, or learn more about diversity on the SUNY Geneseo website’s Diversity at Geneseo webpage. 

Thank you to all of the students, staff, and faculty who presented at the Diversity Summit, and thank you to Emmanuel Kulu Jr. for presenting as our Keynote speaker. Hundreds of students attended these sessions and feedback was overwhelmingly positive for the speakers and their topics. Geneseo is evidently excited for next year’s Diversity Summit.