Let’s Talk Volume 1, Issue 2 Learn about upcoming events, Past events, And other cool things that YoAD is up to...
Year of Alliances and Diversity NEWSLETTER DATE: OCTOBER 1, 2009
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
YoAD Party and Kick-off Review On September 10th, YoAD along with Spiritual Life and the Congregational Fair enjoyed a successful event.
The event went well, the weather cooperated which could be construed as a sign of endorsement. We would like to thank all those who attended and those who help make this event possible.
Many students were intrigued for the diversity of free food and stayed to enjoy the company and great .
Thank You: Dining Services, Multicultural, ACCESS, and Commuter Services, Student Activities Board and Bonner Leaders.
“It was fun testing out the different foods” Dani Zongrone Class of 2012 “It was a really successful event and I know I had a lot of fun! It was a Fabulous time to kick off the year!” - Cassandra Lobo Class of 2010
Mark Your Calendars! October 20—4-5pm Fifty Years of Rock Shutterbugs: Study Abroad Photo Contest Both at Daura Gallery October 27th—4 pm Honky Tonk Angels and Riot Grrrls: Exploring the Gendered Spaces of Rock and Roll at Daura Gallery
October 28th—7:30 pm Thornton ReadingFarnoosh Moshiri Hopwood Hall. November 3rd—7-9 pm The Year of Alliances and Diversity Panel Discussion: The moral Relevance of Strangers. Hopwood Aud.
Special points of interest:
Party Kick-off Review Upcoming dates Reviews of Thornton Readings Allies Institute
YEAR OF ALLIANCES AND DIVERSITY
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Jennifer Clement - September 28, 2009
An audience of approximately 70 people came to enjoy several readings by Jennifer Clement, the 2009 Lynchburg College Thornton Writer-in-Residence. Students could clearly relate Clement’s works to the College’s theme of Alliance and Diversity. Her writings cross cultural, lingual, and historical barriers and “foster empathy, giving a new perspective to help us appreciate diversity,” noted one student. “I’m very grateful to Lynchburg College and the English Department for providing so many great lectures and readings,” continued the student who is majoring in English Writing and minoring in French and Biology. She especially appreciated the way
Clement connected history with literature in her imaginative writings. Clement was raised in Mexico City where she attended British schools. She studied English Literature at New York University and French Literature in Paris. Clement has written eight books of fiction, poetry, and memoir, as well as essays and stories that have been translated into 10 languages. She is also president of PEN Club Mexico, a human rights organization. Clements’s reading of Lady of the Broom, a poem based on an intriguing except about a maid in James Boswell's The Life of Samuel Johnson, captured the audience’s attention with its highly descriptive narrative and intense feel-
ings of unrequited love. “This woman’s life revolved around this one man. She seemed proud of her devotion [to him],” suggested a student. Another student, a Spanish major, particularly enjoyed Clement’s poem “Making Love in Spanish,” which plays on gender references common to the Spanish language. Such phrases as “feminine mouth and masculine eyes” do indeed create a humorous image. When asked which language she prefers to write in, Clement decidedly chose English because “it is a huge stew of many languages.” Review by Carol Hardin
The Bible and the Problem of Race October 6, 2009
What does the Bible say about race? According to speaker Derek Mondeau, an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship campus minister at the University of Virginia, the Bible teaches that God desires to create a multi-ethnic, multicultural community of believers. In fact, a description of heaven in Revelation includes “a great multitude that no one can count from every nation, tribe, people, and language.” “God affirms our ethnic identities even in heaven,” noted Mondeau, who also cited verses that claim Jesus made peace between God and man and between man and man, thus breaking down personal and ethnic barriers. “Racial problems can be solved through reconciliation,” asserted Thurston Benns, an African-American UVA alumnus who partners with Mondeau in speaking to college campuses and who currently attends seminary at Liberty University. “God’s heart is that His people be one,” said Benns. People were created to have a close relationship with God and each other. Unfortunately, people tend to create “safety
circles” and build walls that keep others out of their own circles. “We cannot attain reconciliation without God, because reconciliation - including racial reconciliation requires forgiveness. Reconciliation is not the absence of conflict but the presence of intentional and loving relationship. Numerical diversity can be achieved without relationship, but true (racial) reconciliation happens only with intentional, open relationship,” suggested Benns. One student who attended the presentation agreed saying, “We have to go out of our comfort zones to make relationships with other people who are not like us.” “What really caught my attention about this issue” observed another student “is that God sent Jesus to dissolve those problems away.” This idea especially connected with the discussion about interracial dating and marriage, which is too often a problem with a lot of people even in churches. The speakers explained that interracial dating and marriage are fine biblically and should not be a problem in the church. “The important thing is that they are both believers,” said Mondeau.
Students stayed to talk long after the presentation was over. “Selfrealization is just as important as community realization – you must start with yourself,” concluded a student. Review by Carol Hardin
ALLIES INSITUTIE—Ally Datz About 40 students and 10 faculty and staff will attend a four-day retreat at the institute. The Allies Institute (formerly Collegetown) is the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities’ signature higher education program. An intensive four-day, three-night retreat for students and faculty/staff of a single college or university, the Allies Institute features interactive workshops, intense small group discussions, and experiential exercises designed to allow participants to think deeply about prejudice and discrimination. At the end of the program, they develop action plans to share their learning with their peers at the sponsoring institution. The Allies Institute has been credited with fostering campus climates of inclusion by serving as a catalyst for heightened awareness, dialogue, and human relations programming.
Lynchburg College’s edition: January 12-16, 2010 If interested in attending, please email YoAD@lynchburg.edu for additional information.