Many Region community members gathered at Valparaiso University's Harre Union on Thursday, March 14 for Urban League of Northwest Indiana's Diversity & Inclusion Symposium. Centered around the themes of defending democracy, demanding diversity, and defeating poverty, the event provided a safe space for high school students and business professionals alike to come together and discuss ways to create an equal and inclusive environment for all.
"We want to talk about diversity and inclusion because we are looking at our society, our country, and people in it. That's where we are, and I think we should be talking about it in ways that allow us to understand those differences in a way that empowers us," said Danny Lackey, president of DL Consulting Services LLC. "We as a society need to be willing to have some of those difficult conversations to get to the space of accepting our past, but not letting it become a barrier to our future or to repeat itself. We can only do that when we allow safe spaces for people to talk about these concerns."
Everyone was hard at work from the moment they sat down to discuss the event's themes and what it means to work, learn and prosper in a diverse environment. Following a complimentary breakfast, students and adults sat together and completed a workshop that further defined what each of the themes meant to each of them.
Having many different perspectives at each table allowed for some intriguing and fascinating discussions. A representative from each themed group reported out to the audience providing their table's definitions.
This activity allowed everyone to really dive in and think critically about diversity and inclusion, topics that many say need to be discussed more in order to further establish an engaging and positive environment for Northwest Indiana communities.
"Inclusion is important to all of us across Northwest Indiana. The goal is to create communities that can thrive and be successful, and so these conversations about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are really critical to those efforts. It's extremely positive and encouraging to see how much engagement we're getting from Northwest Indiana," said Lake County Ivy Tech Chancellor Marcos Rodriquez.
Following the main workshop, everyone was then invited to attend breakout sessions to further learn about how to implement DEI into their own lives. The high school students stayed in the main ballroom and answered questions on how they felt about topics related to DEI, as well as how they plan to make a positive change in their communities in the future and make them more accepting and accommodating for themselves and others.
The other workshops provided included Systemic Discrimination in Legislation presented by Valparaiso University Professor Elizabeth F.R. Gingerich, JD.; Implementing DEI Training in your Organization and Community with Presenter Dr. Linda Gunn and facilitators, Addressing Wealth Inequities with Innovative and Strategic Solutions with Presenters Anna Schoon, Dr. Gregory Jones, Pat Terrell, and Tina Allen-Albuhassan, Critical Race Theory with Presenter Dr. Kevin Brown of Indiana University Bloomington, and Post DEI Training: What Does DEI Look Like After Implementation with Presenters Derek Kinney of Strack & Van Til and Jay Buckmaster of the Crossroads YMCA.
For Matthew Burden, president and CEO of Porter-Starke Services, the topics proposed at the symposium were able to help him and his team better understand both the clients the organization serves and how to continue offering a welcoming and inclusive environment for those who come to the facility for mental health care.
"This symposium offers a variety of different perspectives and views on the most important topics around diversity of equity and inclusion," Burden said. "There's always new things to learn, and it's always a great reminder, even if things we might already know of how we can come back and implement some of these things in day to day life of the runner organization. We have several members of our team here in hopes of spreading that message and that's what we hope for today."
Chrisanne Christ, senior partner at Centier Bank, also attended for a similar reason as Burden, and hopes to create a stronger company as a whole moving forward with the themes from today's event in mind.
"I want to learn how companies are integrating DEI into their workforces, their cultures, and their work environments so we can have more of a diverse workforce and support our associates who are in marginalized groups," Christ said. "Stronger diversity creates stronger companies, and we also want to be stronger, more supportive, and more inclusive."
Christ has always been a fan of attending events hosted by Urban League, and appreciates the efforts the organization is making to create an inclusive environment for all while encouraging others to do the same. Urban League has made great strides in these fields so far, and she can't wait to help further its mission and help many others moving forward.
"I just appreciate Urban League putting this on," Christ said. "We've attended many Urban League events and have been inspired and learned from all of them, so we were excited to be here today."
“The inclusion of students was enthusiastically received,” said Urban League of NWI President and CEO Dr. Vanessa Allen-McCloud. “They added great value to the dialogue along with creative solutions for moving towards equality. It is our goal to engage even more young people as the symposium continues to grow.”
About the Urban League of Northwest Indiana
For more than 78 years, the Urban League of NWI’s mission has been to promote cultural diversity and economic opportunities in African American and minority communities. Fueling transformational change in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties, the Urban League supports and promotes neighborhood community collaborations and programs that help change lives. The Urban League also continues to make exceptional strides in providing a better quality of life for citizens across the Region
For more information about Urban League of Northwest Indiana, visit its website at urbanleagueofnwi.org.
