Pictured Above: This slide from the conference features an iconic quote by Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to serve in congress.
Courtesy of Candice Lovelace
By Candice Lovelace
The second annual Diversity and Inclusion Conference hosted by USF St. Petersburg was held virtually on Saturday.
The theme for this year’s conference was “Becoming,” with a focus on becoming who you are meant to be.
The conference opened with Regional Chancellor MartinTadlock mentioning some of the initiatives in place to make the USF St. Petersburg campus more diverse and inclusive. Some of the things he mentioned were the St. Pete Pearls, Community Diversity Task Force, UMatter, and Call Me MISTER.
This conference consisted of two key speakers, Karla B. Rutten and Byron Green, as well asfour block sessions. Rutten is the founder and CEO of Benson Rutten Innovations, a firm that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership development, while Green serves as the assistant director of USF St. Petersburg housing and residential education.
Rutten defined and explained the differences between diversity, inclusion, and equity, then outlined how to create change.
“We all have a role to play in creating change,” Rutten said.
The first four steps to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment are to reflect, engage, listen, and act.
According to Rutten, action leads to change.
“Wishes and hopes don’t bring about change,” Rutten said. “Action does.”
Greenshared his story and the importance of embracing your story. According to Green, the first step to embracing your story is learning to love yourself.
He then challenged attendees and asked: “Who will you become? An actor, ally, or accomplice.”
During the block sessions, attendees were given the choice of four sessions they could attend. The topics of these sessions included the language of belonging, activism for schools and beyond, how media molds perception and branding yourself.
The conference was organized by the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The vision for this event came from Tristen Johnson, whose last day at the university was Sept. 23.
“The conference began last year under the leadership of Tristen Johnson, much of this was her vision,” Psychology Professor Kemesha Gabbidon said in an email to The Crow’s Nest.
About 180 people registered for the event, from both inside and outside the USF community.
The conference will be back next year for its third year.
