Speaker Series provides opportunities for learning and connection

The Diversity Speaker Series has continued this year after starting during remote learning. Several area schools joined forces and funds to virtually bring in high caliber speakers for their communities. A true testament to the power of working together.

“The speakers we bring are among the top scholars in their fields around the country. Speakers we could never afford to bring on our own,” says Mahtab Mahmoodzadeh, Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

This year, the format remains the same with speakers being brought in virtually, but the reach has been expanded. The choice was made to open the event to anyone, including public schools or anyone else who wants to be a part of it. “We’ve thought a lot about equity. By giving the contribution to the program, we also made a commitment to make it accessible to everyone. That makes it unique,” she says.

 Parents can benefit from learning alongside their students, Mahmoodzadeh says that the content “is complementary to what their students are learning and experiencing.” However, families are also encouraged to tune in and watch together. “I had a parent last year who reached out to me and said, ‘we watched this with our kid and it was really great. We had a really wonderful dinner conversation.” These events can be a great starting point for family table discussions in your own home.

The schools that plan these events meet every month to plan future speakers and decide what direction to take the program. Some new additions include a professional development workshop accompanying one of the speaker’s presentations and a parent-led book club focused on the book Stamped by Jason Reynolds, who will be the next speaker. Although there are many wonderful topics to address, a decision was made to have this year’s speakers focus on issues of racial equality, although there may be overlap with other identities.  

Tune into the next speaker in the series, Jason Reynolds on March 31, from 6-7pm. Register to get the link here.