Diversity

The 2014 Carolina Conference on Queer Youth “Building Support and Envisioning Justice for LGBTQ Youth in their Schools and Communities” will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 17, in the Student Union.
The conference is free for those who sign up online and the entire community is invited to attend.

The University will host the 13th annual Multicultural Leadership Conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 11, in the Student Union. Equality and diversity activist and actor R.J. Mitte will be the conference’s keynote speaker.

Comedian Byron Bowers kicks off the Campus Activities Board’s monthly Friday Night Live series at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 5, in the Cone University Center’s After Hours Lounge.
Bowers uses his own experiences to create a comedy routine that crisscrosses a multicultural socioeconomic landscape. Raised in a lower-middle class black community in Atlanta, Bowers was bused into a more affluent, predominantly white school as a child. The comic uses these experiences as a launching point for his routines.

Sports journalist Stephen Smith will present “Adversity: Keep Your Head in the Game” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall, as part of the Forty-niner Forum in partnership with the Campus Activities Board.
In his talk, Smith will share his life experiences and use sports-as-life references to offer his perspective on how to keep “your head in the game and use adversity to your benefit.”

The film “The House I Live In” will be shown at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 25, in the Student Union, Room 340. A panel discussion will follow.
According to event sponsors, the documentary explores America’s “War on Drugs” and the profound human rights implications of this “war.”  The film outlines the seriousness of mass incarcerations and drug abuse as a public health concern. It also investigates the errors and shortcomings of this “war” and the harm on America’s poor, especially minority communities. 

UNC Charlotte’s Iranian Student Organization will hold its annual Nowruz celebration at 8 p.m., Friday, March 21, in the Student Union, Room 340.
A celebration of the first day of spring, the Nowruz observance will feature music and dance, standup comedy performances and demonstration of beautiful Persian dances by the Kereshmeh group. Light refreshments will be served prior to the second half of the program.

Journalist and activist Beatrice Thompson will present “Past, Present and Future: Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.
Thompson is a well-known Charlotte native with more than three decades of experience in television, radio and public relations. In 1980, she became the first African-American female to anchor a newscast in Charlotte with WBTV Channel 3.  She also served as corporate spokesperson for Duke Energy and reporter/newscaster for local NBC-affiliate WCNC. 

UNC Charlotte is the first nonprofit recipient of the Belk Innovation in Diversity Award, presented by the Charlotte Chamber and Belk Inc. The University was acknowledged at the chamber’s annual meeting Tuesday, Dec. 3.
The Belk Innovation in Diversity Award recognizes “outstanding leadership and practice by driving business and community results through innovative diversity and inclusion in the workplace, economy and beyond.”

In recognition of his efforts to promote diversity, chemistry professor Daniel Rabinovich will be recognized this week by the American Chemistry Society’s Committee on Minority Affairs.

The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) encourages the campus community to celebrate the life and work of LGBTQ people on National Coming Out Day during a celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 11, in the Student Union Rotunda.
Students will have the opportunity to tell their own stories about coming out and to collect those stories to be included in the LGBTQ Community Archive at UNC Charlotte. Individuals who want to show their support of the LGBTQ community can sign a banner to hang in the Student Union following the event.