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Unity Week
February 23 - 29, 2008
Click on the even for more info:
3rd Annual Freedom Fund Dinner
February 23 | 6pm | KU Ballroom
UNITY VIGIL
February 24 | 7pm | Humanities
RELIGION DAY: Peace Forum
February 25 | 7pm |
2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, Race and Racism
Dr. Vernellia Randall
February 26 | 6pm | KU Ballroom
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Day
February 27 | 7pm | KU Torch Lounge
Disability Awareness Day
February 28 | 6pm | Marianist Learning Space Studio 217
3rd Annual Freedom Fund Dinner
February 23 | 6pm | KU Ballroom
This event is the kickoff for Unity Week. Rev. King was ordained by his father, the late Rev. Joel L. King, Sr., (who is the brother of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr.) and has been in the Christian Ministry for over 34 years. He has been involved in many community organizations including serving his eighth term on the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday Commission, being Treasurer of the Columbus Baptist Ministerial Alliance, and being an active member of the Columbus NAACP chapter. We hope that Rev. King will inspire those who attend to become actively involved, as he is, in breaking down the racial and cultural barriers that exist among us.
The details of this event are as follows:
$20 per person
$35 per couple
$125 per table (seats
UNITY VIGIL
February 24 | 7pm | Humanities
Stories will be compiled about discrimination around the world as small examples. Then people are who have been affected by discrimination or know someone who has been are invited to come forward and put their handprint on a banner with Unity Week's slogan on it. The banner will be hanged in KU throughout Unity Week.
RELIGION DAY: Peace Forum
February 25 | 7pm |
The history of humanity is the history of beliefs. Little else is as binding and unifying as religion, and yet, wars have been waged between different faiths. By emphasizing on the common denominators in all religions, World Religion Day focuses on the ties that bind, not divide. Humanity - brought forth from one origin - must strive towards unity and equality based not on differences, but upon the hope for a peaceful future. One common thread throughout the major religions of the world is belief in the Golden Rule. Gathering representatives from a variety of faiths in the Dayton area, including Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, the World Religion Day peace forum is an opportunity to learn about different religions and explore the similarities that bind faiths together. We will examine the ways in which religions can unite to bring peace to the world. World Religion Day is truly a sharing of similarities and a celebration of differences. "So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world." - Baha'u'llah
A unified approach to the changes that confront humanity can be agreed upon and then applied on an ever-expanding scale to permeate the very psyche of mankind, so that it can be made to see the whole earth as a single country and humanity its citizenry.
2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, Race and Racism, Dr. Vernellia Randall
February 26 | 6pm | KU Ballroom
Dr. Randall will be speaking on the 2008 Presidential Election, Race and Racism. The topic will cover institutional and systemic racism. Institutional racism results in discrimination in access to services, goods and opportunities. Systemic racism is the basis of individual and institutional racism; it is the value system that is embedded in a society that supports and allows discrimination. Institutional and systemic racism establishes separate and independent barriers.
In the context of racism, power is a necessary precondition for discrimination. Racism depends on the ability to give or withhold social benefits, facilities, services, opportunities etc., from someone who is entitled to them, and is denied on the basis of race, color or national origin. The source of power can be formal or informal, legal or illegal, and is not limited to traditional concepts of power. Intent is irrelevant; the focus is on the result of the behavior. The presentation will be a useful asset to understanding the politics behind racism and further discussing its results with the upcoming 2008 Presidential elections.
* The speaker focuses on one issue: racial inequality. She does not endorse or oppose any party or any candidate.
For more information please visit Dr. Randall’s website: http://academic.udayton.edu/race/2008ElectionandRacism/index.htm
Biography on Dr. Randall:
Professor at the University of Dayton School of Law since 1990, Vernellia Randall writes extensively on and speaks internationally about race, women, and health care. She is the recipient of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health Chairman’s Award, and she was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential African-Americans” on the 2001 Black Equal Opportunity Employment Journal list. After graduating in 1987 from Lewis and Clark Law School, she became an associate with a Portland, Oregon, law firm specializing in health care law and issues relating to health and disability insurance coverage. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Lewis and Clark College. She has been recognized in Who's Who in the World since 1995 and Who's Who in the United States since 1998. Randall is also a co-organizer of the Miami Valley Community Summit on Eliminating Racism.
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Day
February 27 | 7pm | KU Torch Lounge
Dan and Nancy Tepfer have been married 42 years. Their history together began in Indianapolis, Indiana, when they were seated next to each other alphabetically at high school graduation. Dan began a conversation with the girl on his right that continues still.
Dan has had two careers. After retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel, he worked at General Electric Aircraft Engines in Evendale, OH. Dan retired from GE in 2003, but he still works there part time.
Nancy moved with Dan as the Air Force stationed them in Minnesota, Montana, California, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio and the Republic of the Philippines. In the early years of their marriage, Nancy taught elementary school, but became a stay-at-home mom for their three children. Later she held various part-time jobs and was a free-lance writer.
The Tepfers' adult children are Amanda, Daniel, and Andrea, who is married to Shel. Andrea and Shel are the parents of their grandchildren, Drew, 10, and Meg, 5. The Tepfers are proud that their children have all chosen helping professions -- two teachers and a social worker.
Dan and Nancy became interested in GLBT issues and civil rights because their daughter Amanda is lesbian. They are active in the Dayton chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Dan has served as chapter president, and he currently is the support chairperson and web master. Beyond the local arena, Dan is coordinator of Ohio's PFLAG chapters and is a member of the National PFLAG Board of Directors. He also is a member of the GLBT Alliance at GE Aviation in Evendale.
Nancy is the immediate past-president of PFLAG Dayton and the newsletter editor. PFLAG's three missions are Advocacy, Education and Support, and the Tepfers are involved in all three. Through the Speakers Bureau, they have represented PFLAG at colleges, businesses, and civic organizations. They both write articles and letters to the editor, and they have lobbied for GLBT-supportive laws at the state and federal level. They have a presentation on marriage equality they have given locally, throughout Ohio, and in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. Dan and Nancy were Grand Marshals of the Dayton Pride Parade in 2007.
As parents, they desire all their children to be treated equally, and they won't stop speaking out until that becomes reality.
Disability Awareness Day
February 28 | 6pm | Marianist Learning Space Studio 217
Inclusive Education: When Learning Becomes the Common Ground
Dr. Patricia Renick of Wright State University will be speaking on lessons learned during the writing of this resource book and on pedagogues that will strengthen your teaching in a diverse academic setting. The lecture is open to all students whether they are education majors or want to learn more on inclusive education with disabled students in the classroom.