Student Waived Fee Registration Now Open
The Urban League of Northwest Indiana will present its 2023 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Symposium Wednesday, May 17, at Valparaiso University, Harre Union. The Symposium will begin at 8:30 a.m. with an interactive session that includes high school students from throughout the region. Youth will take part in discussions that involve a variety of topics including the escalation of hate crimes, Critical Race Theory, and Inequities in Poverty among others.
“The inclusion of students in the 2022 DEI Symposium 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.”
The Urban League of Northwest is in the process of registering schools in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties.
Schools that participated in 2022 included the following:
- Andrean High School
- Calumet New Tech High School
- Chesterton High School
- East Chicago Central
- Hanover High School
- Highland High School
- Hobart High School
- Lighthouse Academies
- Merrillville High School
- Morton High School
- New Vista High School
- Steel City Academy
- Valparaiso High School
- West Side Leadership Academy
Other groups and organizations that are encouraged to attend include grassroots organizations, business/corporate administrators, affirmative action officers, secondary/post-secondary educators, community leaders, non-profit organizations, churches, public safety, and human resources personnel.
Allen-McCloud went on to express the importance of having partners like Valparaiso University be a part of driving the message of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the Urban League DEI symposium on Valparaiso University's campus for the second straight year,” said José D. Padilla, President of Valparaiso University. “It is such an incredible opportunity to celebrate diversity and work toward positive change. I hope you will join us so, as a community, we can strengthen and deepen our efforts to grow and enrich those around us.”
Following the opening session, separate workshops will be held for youth and adults as well as panel discussions during lunch. Portions of the event will be broadcast live via the Urban League’s Facebook page.
The Urban League of NWI will host its annual Diversity & Inclusion Awards on October 25, 2023. The deadline for submission is August 18th. For more information about the symposium, awards ceremony, and the Urban League of NWI, call 219-887-9621 or visit www.ulofnwi.org.
