Rabbi Andrea Steinberger, second from left, discusses how the antidote to violence is dialog throughout the Non secular Identification and Belonging panel. From left to proper are Lavar Charleston, Rev. Erica Liu, and Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes.

Chief Variety Officer Dr. LaVar J. Charleston mentioned this 12 months’s theme is very well timed.

Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin says the discussion board’s theme, “Bridging the Divide,” invitations us
to consider how we will be sure that this nice college shall be a spot that not solely welcomes all
factors of view and permits free of charge dialogue of concepts but additionally, concurrently, helps everybody to develop
a robust sense of belonging to allow them to flourish.

Religion leaders known as for individuals to carry respectful dialogue with these holding totally different non secular beliefs throughout a well-attended session on the College of Wisconsin–Madison’s 2023 Variety Discussion board Nov. 14 and 15.

“I encourage individuals to come back across the desk and keep there though they disagree and don’t see eye-to-eye, since you are dedicated to loving each other, regardless of the world’s expectation that you simply hate one another,” mentioned Rev. Erica Liu. “If we don’t keep on the desk, I really consider we miss out. We miss out on what would possibly unfold and what is perhaps potential.”

The discussion board, themed “Bridging the Divide, Realizing Belonging Whereas Participating Distinction” and hosted by the Division of Variety, Fairness & Instructional Achievement (DDEEA), noticed one in every of its largest turnouts since its inception in 2000.

Greater than 745 individuals attended the discussion board on November 14 and 15 at Varsity Corridor in Union South in particular person, whereas one other 1,700 individuals attended just about. Preliminary numbers present on-line video streams have surpassed 9,000 views.

The annual occasion stays devoted to discussing, sharing, and studying about up to date problems with fairness, variety, inclusion, and belonging.

Throughout opening remarks, Chief Variety Officer Dr. LaVar J. Charleston mentioned this 12 months’s theme is very well timed.

“Now’s a pivotal second for us to actually discover the intricate roles that faith, politics, tradition, and beliefs play in shaping our intersecting identities, and to uncover how we will transfer ahead collectively regardless of our variations,” he mentioned.

Keynote audio system, panels, and breakout classes for Variety Discussion board are deliberate months prematurely, however every week previous to the occasion, the DDEEA determined to switch its informational session with one entitled, “Non secular Identification and Belonging: A Dialog with Religion Leaders.”

The dialogue, which passed off on the finish of Day Two, was one of the vital extremely attended of all of the classes and featured campus group religion leaders Rabbi Andrea Steinberger, Reverend Erica Liu, and Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes.

All three had signed a press release that was posted earlier this month on the Middle for Interfaith Dialogue’s web site and shared campus-wide by Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. The Middle serves to advertise non secular identification, dialogue, and understanding to make our campus extra inclusive and to arrange college students for a religiously numerous world.

“The assertion encourages us all to bridge the divide, to come back collectively and actually see one another by recognizing one another’s humanity, recognizing one another’s communities and households, and shared passions – components that unify us greater than divide us,” Charleston mentioned.

The leaders talked about methods to foster respectful dialogue with others holding numerous non secular beliefs, and the way attendees can empower college and employees to assist college students on their private religion journeys.

“We’re all feeling a variety of ache as we’re sitting right here, as are lots of you,” mentioned Professor Asifa Quraishi-Landes throughout the session. “And look, there are a lot of issues we aren’t going to agree on, however at the least we will all agree that youngsters shouldn’t be killed, and that the harmless shouldn’t must reside with out meals and water.”

She recalled that when she shared these sentiments throughout a gathering with different religion leaders, everybody agreed, resulting in the collective letter.

“The antidote to violence is dialog, it’s listening to tales, it’s telling our personal tales, listening to our fears, and the fears of others,” mentioned Rabbi Steinberger. “It’s being susceptible and listening to vulnerability in one other particular person. We aren’t right here to let you know what the reality is. As a substitute, we’re right here to be wiser, extra compassionate human beings.”

You possibly can view the session, “Non secular Identification and Belonging: A Dialog with Religion Leaders” on-line.

Different highlights of the discussion board included the Day One keynote handle by Harvard professor of public coverage, politics, and ethics Danielle Allen. The keynote entitled, “How you can be a Assured Pluralist,” targeted on how we will ‘disagree nicely.’ Dr. Allen defined that being a assured pluralist requires us to reconnect to civic expertise, energy and duty.

Danielle Allen delivers the Day One keynote handle, “How you can be a Assured Pluralist.” Allen outlined 5 steps: reflection, committing to non-violence, compromise, listening and by no means let anybody maintain human dignity hostage.

“I can form my very own life and my non-public life, sure, however I additionally reside in a giant group,” Allen mentioned. “My group is formed by guidelines, norms, and constraints that govern how we reside collectively. So, if I’m going to be totally free, and if I’m going to be an individual who’s the writer of my very own life, then I should be a co-author with others in our widespread life, our shared life.”

José Guadalupe Olivarez, award-winning poet and spoken phrase artist, reads from his poetry e book
“Citizen Unlawful.”

Attendees in Varsity Corridor take heed to José Olivarez learn his poems.

On Day Two of Variety Discussion board, the son of previously undocumented Mexican immigrants and award-winning poet José Olivarez delivered a keynote handle drawing from his e book “Citizen Unlawful.” The e book which was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Award, and a winner of the 2018 Chicago Evaluation of Books Poetry Prize, explores the tales, contradictions, joys, and sorrows that embody life within the areas between Mexico and America. Olivarez recited lots of his favourite poems from the e book, together with “River Oaks Mall.” An excerpt from that poem:

enjoyable reality: when you must attempt to mix in

you’ll be able to by no means mix in

my dad provides me a penny

to throw right into a fountain that makes desires

come true. all my desires besides one.

my household attempting so laborious to be American

it was clear.

Stephon ‘Kiba’ Freeman, a full-time stay-at-home dad {and professional} artist, speaks throughout the “Arts as
a Catalyst for Inclusive Group” panel. From left to proper, the panel included Christy Clark-Pujara, a historian targeted on the
experiences of Black individuals in French and British North America within the seventeenth, 18th and early nineteenth centuries; Freeman; moderator Chris Walker, director of the Division of the Arts and professor of dance, Christina Martin-Wright,
Govt Director of Arts for All and one of many founders of StageQ Theatre. Not pictured is Ja’ Malik, Creative and Govt Director of Madison Ballet, and

Discussion board attendees within the Marquee Theater interact with speaker George Paasewe, who spoke about code switching.

Aslam Sayeeduddin, a third-year pc sciences pupil, speaks on the Black, Indigenous, Individuals of
Shade (BIPOC) pupil panel. The panel was moderated by Sofia Snow, Director of the Workplace of
Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) and in addition included, from left, Amal Khan, a senior majoring in philosophy and
knowledge science; Rodney Vakunta, a third-year actual property and advertising pupil; Puteri Aliya Seet, a junior
in pc sciences and psychology; and Abby Sunde a senior pursuing a BFA in studio artwork.

An attendee on the Variety Discussion board listens fastidiously.

Different widespread classes included “Understanding Our Privileges to Grow to be Higher Allies Presenters: Undergrads of the Scholar Management Program,” “The Energy of Phrases in Selling DEI: Understanding the Affect of Language,” “Black, Indigenous, Individuals of Shade (BIPOC Scholar Panel),” and “What’s Code-Switching & How Does It Affect Belonging.” You possibly can watch the entire classes on-line.

Subsequent 12 months’s UW–Madison Variety Discussion board will happen on Nov. 13 and 14 of 2024. The DDEEA will announce a name for proposals in early 2024.