"I Read...I Rise." Ball State University's Tribute to Maya Angelou
Associate Provost, Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity, Dr. Charlene Alexander
In one way or another, diversity at Ball State includes everyone. Anyone can contribute and everyone will benefit.
Ball State University is committed to:
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creating innovative courses, programs, and practices that attract, retain, and nurture a diverse university community
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fostering a university environment that enables all who contribute to excel in a culture that is growing ever more diverse
Whereas other initiatives focus on particular aspects of diversity, our equal opportunity and affirmative action policies use a broad definition of diversity referring to race, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, national origin, ancestry, age, and citizenship.
The Office of Institutional Diversity is not only committed to diversity programming for students; it also support several faculty development programs as well. The Diversity Associates Program, the Developing Pedagogies to Enhance Excellence Seminar, and the Diversity Seminars are three programs that encourage faculty to explore the relevance of diversity in all classes.
Tribute to Maya Angelou
Born in the Jim Crow South, Angelou rose to become one of the world’s most celebrated writers. After becoming an accomplished singer and actress, Angelou was deeply involved in the 1960s civil rights struggle, working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Encouraged by the author James Baldwin, among others, to focus on her writing, Angelou penned "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," her first of seven autobiographies. The book launched the phenomenal career for which she is known around the world as an award-winning author and poet. First lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton and media mogul Oprah Winfrey were among the dignitaries to honor Angelou at Winston-Salem’s Wake Forest University, where she taught for three decades. "She showed us that eventually, if we stayed true to who we are, then the world would embrace us," Obama said. "And she did this not just for black women, but for all women, for all human beings. She taught us all that it is OK to be your regular old self, whatever that is, your poor self, your broken self, your brilliant, bold, phenomenal self. That was Maya Angelou’s reach."
(Retrieved from: democracynow.org, 2014)
