ETSU’s Civility Week kicked off in force early this week with discussion revolving around a number of topics related to diversity, civics and equity.
Civility Week is planned in partnership with multiple departments within the university and community, as well as by ETSU’s Student Government Association. This year’s theme is “Be the Light: Listen, Learn, Love” with a focus on constructive political discussion in an increasingly divided time.
Monday’s kickoff event featured Eddie Glaude, chair of Princeton University’s Center and Department of African American Studies. Glaude’s talk, titled “Race and Democracy: America is Always Changing, but America Never Changes,” focused on the gap between what Americans believe and what they do in relation to others and the world stage.
“I think this is all the more important in a country like our own where our stories obscure the horrors of what we’ve done and ensure our sense of innocence and inherent goodness,” said Glaude. “Telling the truth in America, especially in dark times like these, requires a certain kind of courage and commitment to shatter national illusions that offer safety, comfort and protection for the order of things.”
Glaude’s work includes extensive authorship, such as his 2020 book “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own,” as well as appearances in media of all forms.
On Tuesday, “Generation Impact: How Youth Activism is Changing Our World” focused on the legacy of the 26th Amendment and the long term effects of lowering the American voting age to 18 years old.
In addition to the discussion of the legal sides of democracy, a community discussion was opened on the critical issues of civic engagement with “Reflections on a Multiracial Democracy in Northeast Tennessee and Beyond” moderated by Daryl Carter, the director of Africana Studies for ETSU. The event featured a board of panelists representative of several local sectors, such as Mimi Perreault of ETSU’s Department of Media and Communication, Elwood Watson of ETSU’s Department of History and Adam Dickson of the Jonesborough Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
After a more limited discussion between the panelists themselves, the conversation opened to all attendees to submit their own topics of discussion.
“So I think that the state of American democracy right now is going through growing pains just trying to figure out how do we live in a 21st century economy,” said Dickson. “Excuse me, a 21st century society where now everything that we’ve held dear for the past 200 years is now up for debate and is no longer the norm.”
In addition to the lively dialogue, Carter took the opportunity to thank the SGA and Joy Fulkerson, the assistant director of ETSU Leadership and Civic Engagement, for their extensive roles in organizing and running the events.
A host of events takes place throughout Thursday and cover a variety of topics. “A Higher Purpose: A Dialogue on Religious and Spiritual Identity and the College Experience” features a student panel built to share their own perspectives on their religious journey throughout their education, “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart” will cover Black Lives Matter Global Network co-founder Alicia Garza’s perspectives on recovery and organization and an Accessibility Walk prepared by Disability Services alongside several other campus organizations. All events are open to the public, though Zoom calls require online registration to attend.
On Friday, the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center will host a virtual “Listening for Action” session to allow community and campus members to voice their concerns and beliefs in a safe environment and share dialogue with others affected by the same issues.
After a reschedule, guest speaker Michael Eric Dyson will deliver remarks on April 7. Dyson is currently Vanderbilt University’s Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies as well as a prolific writer and media commentator. The topic of the talk is “Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America” titled after his recently published bestseller.
For more information regarding past and upcoming Civility Week events, visit https://www.etsu.edu/sga/civility.php
You must be logged in to post a comment.