Events and gatherings

Series, exhibits, and shows

University Galleries organized and presented 13 exhibitions with EDI at the core. Examples include:

I want you to know my story was a solo exhibition of nonbinary artist Jess T. Dugan’s photographs of queer intimacy.

A Garden to Build was a solo exhibition of Iranian artist Nazafarin Lotfi’s sculptures, drawings, videos, and photographs.

First Gen Fridays are an open-forum learning community and “empowerment zone” for first-generation students, professionals, and advocates. The focus of the events is building unity and bridging the gaps in knowledge, opportunity, and access.

The Green Screen: 2022 Climate Change Film Series—The free, monthly series at the Normal Theater focused on the global climate change crisis. The series is sponsored by Illinois State University’s Center for Math, Science and Technology and the ISU Office of Sustainability.

The Center for Integrated Professional Development offered the Introduction to Queer Allyship lunch-and-learn sessions throughout the spring semester. The sessions were formerly known as Safe Zone.

The Illinois State University Planetarium presented Mayan Archaeoastronomy, a unique show exploring how the ancient Maya viewed and understood the universe.

Fall 2022 International Seminar Series titled Durable Engagements: Building lasting international connections, spotlighted outstanding programs within other colleges at ISU. Spring 2023's seminar theme centered on the FIFA World Cups and the influence of soccer around the world.

ReggieCon hosted a series of panels celebrating graphic novels and novelists. The series, sponsored by the Office of Enrollment Management and Academic Services, included works to honor LGBTQIA2S+ History Month, Native American Heritage Month Universal Human Rights Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Arab American Heritage Month, and Asian Pacific Heritage Month.

Equitable, inclusive teaching seminars for faculty—online seminar series through the Center for Integrated Professional Development will provide faculty members with the tools to transform and create inclusive and equitable classes.

The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program collaborated with Queer Talks for the WGSS, Queer Talks speaker series featuring LGBTQIA2S+ and queer studies research from emerging scholars in the field, including Dr. Ericka Wills, Dr. Juan Ríos Vega, Dr. Ela Przybylo, and Armen Álvarez.

Safe(ish)—Poet, educator, and performer Yosimar Reyes facilitated the Safe(ish) sessions at the Multicultural Center with a theme of migration and sexuality.

The Queer Coalition hosted Lunch 'n Learns in the fall and brown bag lunches in the spring to engage in discussions on LGBTQIA2S+ issues.

Reproductive Justice Speaker Series—Hosted by Illinois State University and YWCA McLean County, the series of panels discussed issues raised by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

The new registered student organization Drag Royalty hosted themed monthly shows, with proceeds going to support LGBTQIA2S+ causes.

August

  • Recovery for Redbirds honored National Recovery Month.

September

  • For Latinx Heritage Month, the Latin American and Latino/a Studies program and the City of Bloomington collaborated on featured talks and panels from scholars, alumni, and faculty. Bestselling author of A Ballad of Love and Glory, Reyna Grande, provided the keynote.
  • Dr. Lynford Goddard presented “A College Ecosystem for Diversity and Societal Impact” with support from Office of the Provost, the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Physics.
  • The Send Silence Packing traveling exhibit stopped at Illinois State. The exhibit seeks to end the silence that surrounds mental illness and suicide.
  • TRIBE@ISU (Teaching, Reviving, Indigenizing, Beautifying, and Equalizing, Illinois State University Chapter) hosted Day of Truth and Reconciliation Vigil.

October

  • As part of the Student Affairs Professional Development series, Equality Illinois facilitated the workshop Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality and Inclusion in Illinois in ’22 and Beyond.
  • Homecoming 2022 drew alumni to celebrations hosted by the Latinx Alumni Network, the Black Colleagues Association, and the LGBTQA+ Alumni Network.
  • Author of Black Trans Feminism, Dr. Marquis Bey took part in dialogues  as part of the Leadership for Liberation Pop-Up Library series, hosted by Leadership Education and Development (LEAD)–a unit of the Dean of Students Office.
  • Dr. Alexandra Ketchum of McGill University gave the talk “Beyond Open Access: Engaging in Feminist and Accessible Public Scholarship,” sponsored by Milner Library.
  • The Center for Civic Engagement, the Department of Politics and Government, and the McLean County League of Women Voters co-hosted a campus and community Deliberative Dialogue on the topic of “Elections: How Should We Encourage and Safeguard Voting?”
  • Illinois State Athletics hosted the annual Pride Night at the Redbird Volleyball match against Missouri State, with funds raised for the LGBTQ+ Student Support Fund.

November

  • The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, in conjunction with the McLean County Alzheimer’s Association, presented the film In Our Right Mind to help recognize caregivers supporting family and friends with neurodegenerative diseases.
  • The Hostile Terrain art exhibition remembered the over 3,000 immigrant lives lost at the U.S. border since the 1990s.
  • Dr. Shannon Epplett of the School of Theatre and Dance and Native American Studies gave the presentation "Native (Self) Representation: From Social Media to Reservation Dogs" to celebrate Native American storytelling in the digital age.
  • A reception opened the exhibit Designing Discoveries, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Design Streak Studio.
  • Broadway and film star Lauren Ridloff headlined University Housing’s Latino and Disability Awareness Cultural Dinner.
  • Students explored majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at the annual Charles Morris STEM Social.
  • Illinois State University held the annual Veterans Day Ceremony in the Bone Student Center.
  • Equity in STEM was the focus of the International Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research, hosted by the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance (IBA), which resides at Illinois State’s Center for Collaborative Studies in Mathematical Biology.
  • Scholar, activist, and academic advocate Dr. Menah Pratt provided the workshop “Envisioning and Implementing Social Change for Sustainable Campus Transformation,” sponsored by Office of the Provost and the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council.
  • Visiting artist Alex Martin led the discussion “Nonbinary Doesn’t Owe You Androgyny: Conversations about Gender Norms and Expectations.” The event was sponsored by the Multicultural Outreach Team within Student Counseling Services.

December

  • The University held a Listening Circle to help process anti-LGBTQIA2+ incidents, including the tragic shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs. This circle was sponsored by the President’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Multicultural Center, College of Education’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Unit, and Queer Coalition.
  • For World AIDS Day, University Galleries partnered with Visual AIDS to host a looped screening of Being and Belonging.

January

  • Belongingness was the theme of the 2023 University-Wide Teaching & Learning Symposium hosted by the Center for Integrated Professional Development.
  • The Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Dinner featured Dr. Yusef Salaam, a member of the Exonerated Five. At 15 years old, Salaam was tried and convicted in the “Central Park Jogger” case along with four other Black and Latinx young men.

February

  • University Galleries hosted the Office of Student Research's reception and awards presentation for the fourth annual Image of Research competition exhibit. Award-winning pieces included naked farm by Cooper Gibson, Self-portrait with áo dài by Jade Nguyen, and Creating Safe Spaces by Rachel Meister.
  • Milner Library presented Symphonic Diversity, an exhibit featuring new children’s literature, title artworks, and symphonic music written by composers from historically marginalized communities.
  • Dr. Ken Warren delivered the lecture “Rethinking Race and Social Construction: A View from the Humanities” as part of events for Black History Month sponsored by the Department of History and African American Studies.
  • The Sociology and Anthropology Brown Bag Research Series presented Dr. Charles Bell’s talk I Never Feel Safe: Exploring Black Students’, Parents’, and Teachers’ Experiences Navigating School Punishment and Violence.
  • PubUnits Presents hosted award-winning poets Lara Dopazo Ruibal and Laura Cesarco Eglin at the University Galleries for a discussion of Dopazo Ruibal’s poetry collection claus and the scorpion (co•im•press, 2022) and to give a bilingual reading from the book.
  • For the History and Social Sciences Symposium, Dr. Daniel Moak delivered the talk “The Pitfalls of Faith in Education: The Liberal Origins of Punitive Education Policies.” The lecture was co-sponsored by the Department of History and African American Studies.
  • An online memorial in honor of the late Dr. Kass Fleisher will include readings from guest authors Tonya M. Foster, Erica Hunt, Bhanu Kapil, and Laura Mullen.
  • The Black Colleagues Association highlighted Black alumni authors at Redbirds in Ink. Alumni authors included William Anderson, Terrence Seaphus, Felicia Madlock, and Damone Bester.
  • TRIBE presented the NDN Musica Showcase that engaged the ISU community with contemporary popular and local Native American artists. Featured artists were Sten Joddi and Bill Buchholtz Allison.
  • CBC Sports Senior Contributor Shireen Ahmed gave the talk “Challenging and Changing the Game: Sports Journalism and Storytelling from an Anti-Oppression Lens” at the Multicultural Center.
  • The Illinois State University community experienced inclusive recreation at the annual Adaptapalooza, which occurs during Therapeutic Recreation Month to educate the Illinois State University community about therapeutic recreation.
  • #ObsidianVoices featured poets Aurielle Marie, Jennifer Bartell, and L. Renée.
  • In honor of Black History Month, Athletics showed the documentary, The Loyola Project.

March

  • The 2023 Culturally Responsive Campus Community (CRCC) conference that year was titled "Advocacy, Solidarity, and Empowerment: The Struggle is Real!"
  • To celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the A/P Council hosted a Women Leaders in Higher Education panel featuring Lana Cunningham, Dr. Rocío Rivadeneyra, and Stephanie Thompson and moderated by Dr. Katy Strzepek.
  • Celebrated feminist scholar Dr. Kate Manne served as the keynote speaker for the 26th annual Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Student Research Symposium with “He Said, She Listened: On Epistemic Entitlement, Mansplaining, and Gaslighting.”
  • The School of Music, Multicultural Center, and the Center for Civic Engagement at Illinois State University co-sponsored the Afro-Brazilian Percussion Workshop and Recycled Instrument/Sound Workshop.
  • Queer Coalition celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility with a sashay around the Quad.
  • Milner Library hosted Professor of Ethnomusicology Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum’s presentation about her new book, Walking With Asafo in Ghana: An Ethnographic Account of Kormantse Bentsir Warrior Music.
  • To mark World Water Day, Zach Welcker delivered the lecture “Tribal Sovereignty and Water: The Long View on Water Use and Management” with support from Illinois State’s Center for a Sustainable Water Future.
  • The Student Government Association (SGA) held a financial awareness fair with resources for international, veteran/ military, and transfer students. SGA offered information about free thrifting from the ISU Share Shop and campus safety resources from the Safe Redbirds app. Other tables included connections to the Financial Aid Office, the Multicultural Center, Milner Library, the Center for Civic Engagement, the Visor Center, and Student Health Services.
  • School of Social Work hosted the 3rd Annual Social Justice Action Forum at the Bone Student Center.

April

  • The Vixen headlined the 24th Annual Charity Drag Show: A Galactic Performance. Proceeds from the event benefitted the LGBTQIA+ Support Fund.
  • Dr. Khalid el-Hakim presented the "Hip Hop at 50" exhibit as part of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum.
  • Pulitzer Prize-nominated author and scholar Dr. Amy Stanley delivered the Robert G. Bone Distinguished Lecture, "Stranger in the Shogun’s City: Modern History from the Archive to the Page" during which she spoke about problems of narration, methodology, and silence. The event was sponsored by the Department of History.
  • AsiaConnect hosted the annual Asian Heritage Week Celebration. The 2023 celebration saw over 200 attendees across 16 events like Asian dance performances, music, arts and crafts, a cooking class, and a movie screening with Q&A panel.
  • African American Studies presented the panel “The Black Church and Progressive Politics: Past and Present Ecclesiastical Views on Race, Inequality, and Agape” with Dr.  Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd and the Rev. Joseph Scrivner, Ph.D.
  • University Housing hosted Bollywood and Emmy-nominated star Vir Das for the Indian Cultural Dinner.
  • Global human rights advocate Nasreen Sheikh spoke at the annual Earth Day Breakfast. Sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, the talk centered on improving labor rights, ending forced marriages, and showcasing the devastating effects of the fashion industry on the environment and the people behind products.
  • Throughout the month of April, Health Promotion and Wellness hosted events to raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Events included the Redbirds Unite 5K, Consent Day, Day of Silence, Clothesline Project, and Denim Day.
  • The Latin America and Latino/a Studies (LALS) program and Universidad Autonoma de la Ciudad de Mexico (UACM) hosted the transnational, transborder, and translingual conference, "Borders, Feminism, Memory, and Identity."
  • As part of the weeklong celebration of Bilingual Advocacy Week, Dr. González Ybarra gave a talk titled, “Language & Literacy Pedagogies of Solidarity with Latinx Youth and Communities.” The events of the week were sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Latin American and Latino/a Studies program; College of Arts and Sciences; School of Teaching and Learning; College of Education; and Student Association for Bilingual Education.
  • David A. Strand Diversity Achievement Award recipients took part in a panel to discuss the contribution panelists made to equity, inclusion, diversity, access, and anti-racism.
  • The African American Studies program hosted Dr. Matt Caplan, who raised awareness of the contributions of Dr. Titus Pankey to the history of astronomy.
  • The Crossroads Project presented a staged reading of Pink Man, or, The Only Indian in the Room by Marty Strenczewilk, winner of the 2023 Diverse Voices Playwriting Initiative.
  • The Illinois State University West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble presented its 24th end-of-semester concert, directed by Dr. Ama Oforiwaa Aduonum.
  • AsiaConnect’s anti-racism working group hosted Dr. Jacob Chacko, who spoke on intersectionality, his katha (story), and moving the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community forward with the talk "Understanding Intersectionality and the Asian/Asian American Community: Past, Present, and Future."

May

  • Jane Lynch ’82 directed Lost in Yonkers. Performances of this play offered opportunities to support the LGBTQ+ Student Support Fund.
  • Health Promotion and Wellness with the Birth Center of Bloomington Normal for Support for Nursing Mother classes: Breastfeeding 101 and Returning to Work or School.
  • The 2023 cultural graduation recognition events honored Latino/a/x, LGBTQIA+, Black, and Middle Eastern, Asian, and Pacific Islander, and Southeast Asian graduates, their families, and communities.

June

  • Communities of Belonging and Success (COBAS) hosted a workshop titled “What does ISU need to know about college-bound Latino/a/x students?”
  • "Sunset on the Longest Day: An Act of Indigenous Restoration" was a free, outdoor community performance event, centered around listening to Native Americans as a reconciliatory act of land acknowledgement, presented in collaboration with the Illinois State University Horticulture Center, and created by School of Theatre and Dance’s Dr. Shannon Epplett.
Previous page
Next page

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Annual Report for Illinois State University