Diversity and Inclusion Events at App State

Jan 24
Let's Get Started: Understanding DEI
Office of Diversity
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
10:00am-11:00am
In this session, we will explore core concepts related to diversity, equity and inclusion. Through identity exploration, we will discuss our identities and how they impact the ways we navigate the world. We will also dive deeper into the concepts of power and oppression and how they manifest at different levels of culture and society.
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Jan 24
The Leadership & Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Community-Engaged Leadership
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
5:30pm-7:00pm
Join us for an opportunity to develop your understanding of leadership through the lens of Civil Rights, inspired by the leadership style of Martin Luther King, Jr. During this workshop, individuals will understand how MLK led and inspired the Civil Rights movement, and will be able to incorporate his leadership into their own practice. Each participant will walk away with components of his leadership philosophy that they can use as they grow as leaders. Registration is required.
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Feb 7
We're Here: Immigrant-Affected Communities & International Diversity
Office of Diversity
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
4:00pm-5:00pm
We're Here is a panel series, hosted by the Office of Diversity, that serves to amplify the voices & lived experiences of App State students, faculty, staff and alumni from underrepresented backgrounds. In this session, we will have a panel discussion around immigrant-affected communities and international diversity.
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Feb 8
Let's Get Started: Uncovering Unconscious Bias - Online
Office of Diversity
Thursday, February 8, 2024
1:00pm-2:30pm
Unconscious bias permeates many aspects of our lives, and yet by its very nature as an ‘unconscious’ phenomenon, it is difficult to identify, understand, or challenge. This session provides an opportunity for participants to understand what unconscious bias is, how to identify it, and how to intervene when it happens.
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Feb 16
Urban Bush Women – 40th Anniversary: Legacy + Lineage + Liberation
The Schaefer Center Presents
Friday, February 16, 2024
7:30pm
In honor of Urban Bush Women’s 40th Anniversary, Legacy + Lineage + Liberation celebrates the power of Women(+) in an evening of new and classic works that transcend genres and amplify the voices of Women(+) of color. This dynamic program features iconic works by Founder Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and a new work by Co-Artistic Directors Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis. Each of these works gives multiple dimensions of life that resonate in this time of reflection around equity and justice, and that lift up Black lives in inspiring ways.
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Feb 20
Let's Get Started: Exploring Intersectionality - Online
Office of Diversity
Tuesday, February 20, 2024
3:00pm-4:00pm
What is intersectionality and how does it help us understand different experiences and perspectives, including at App State? In this webinar, hosted by Identiversity, we’ll explore the different dimensions of identity and learn how an intersectional lens can raise awareness and help us create more inclusive environments for all— including our LGBTQ+ community members.
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Feb 22
Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience: Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco
APPlause! Event
Thursday, February 22, 2024
10:00am
Two-time Grammy Award-winning Black American roots music group Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience bring us Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco. Learn about the history of this fascinating and entertaining American roots music and hear “Gonna Take You There,” the popular Zydeco-flavored tune, on which Terrance collaborated, that was featured in Disney’s 2009 film The Princess and the Frog.
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Feb 23
BooneDocs Film Fest
Friday, February 23, 2024
7:00pm
The 3rd Annual BooneDocs Film Fest presents a series of short form documentary films that share and celebrate life in Appalachia. This program will include the full slate of documentaries, filmmaker Q&A, and on-stage award presentations for "Judges' Choice" and "People's Choice" at the conclusion.
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Feb 24
BooneDocs Film Fest
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Time TBD
The 3rd Annual BooneDocs Film Fest presents a series of short form documentary films that share and celebrate life in Appalachia. This program will include the full slate of documentaries, filmmaker Q&A, and on-stage award presentations for "Judges' Choice" and "People's Choice" at the conclusion.
Learn more
Mar 6
Let's Get Started: Unpacking Microaggressions
Office of Diversity
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
10:00am-11:00am
Microaggressions occur all around us - and yet, they often go unnoticed and unaddressed. In this session, we will discuss what microaggressions are, how they may look different depending on the context, and how we can interrupt and intervene, whether we are on the receiving or enacting end of the microaggression.
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Mar 19
Let's Get Started: Communicating Respect
Office of Diversity
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
3:00pm-4:00pm
Day-to-day interactions with our peers or colleagues can energize us, contributing to our engagement at school or at work. Or they can deplete us, making it harder for us to connect and feel like we belong. In this webinar, Identiversity educators explore the difference communicating with respect can make.
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Mar 20
TCVA ARTtalk: Kathleen Thum, Considering Carbon
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
6:00pm-7:00pm
Join us for an ARTtalk with exhibiting artist, Kathleen Thum, as we dig further into her work, Considering Carbon, on view at the Turchin Center. Kathleen Thum’s drawings, paintings, and wall installations, which explore the ongoing shifting of power between mankind and earth, have been widely exhibited.
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Mar 21
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
University Recreation
Thursday, March 21, 2024
7:30pm
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.
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Mar 22
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
University Recreation
Friday, March 22, 2024
7:30pm
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.
Learn more
Mar 23
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
University Recreation
Saturday, March 23, 2024
7:30pm
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Appalachian State University. Each night will feature a completely different set of films. Continuing our tradition, live music will be performed on both Friday and Saturday nights prior to the films.
Learn more
Mar 26
We're Here: Underrepresented in Appalachia
Office of Diversity
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
4:00pm-5:00pm
We're Here is a panel series, hosted by the Office of Diversity, that serves to amplify the voices & lived experiences of App State students, faculty, staff and alumni from underrepresented backgrounds. In this session, we will have a panel discussion around underrepresented groups in Appalachia.
Learn more
Apr 12
Indigo Girls
The Schaefer Center Presents
Friday, April 12, 2024
7:30pm
Released in 1989, Indigo Girls’ eponymous major label debut sold over two million copies under the power of singles “Closer to Fine” and “Kid Fears” and turned Indigo Girls into one of the most successful folk duos in history. Over a 35-year career that began in clubs around their native Atlanta, Georgia, the multi-Grammy-winning duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray has recorded 16 studio albums, sold over 15 million records, and built a dedicated, enduring following across the globe. Rolling Stone describes them as the “ideal duet partners.” Committed and uncompromising activists, they work on issues like immigration reform (El Refugio), LGBTQ advocacy, education (Imagination Library), death penalty reform, and Native American rights.
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Apr 18
Show Way The Musical
APPlause! Event
Thursday, April 18, 2024
10:00am
Soonie’s great-grandma was just seven years old when she was sold to a big plantation without her ma and pa, with only some fabric and needles to call her own. She began to stitch a Show Way, a quilt with secret meanings to show enslaved people the way to freedom. As each generation passes, the Show Way shines a light on the past and paves a road to the future, stitching together possibility and promise. Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence Jacqueline Woodson’s Show Way, an award-winning story of history, love, and resilience, becomes a world premiere stage adaptation directed by Schele Williams with new music by Tyrone L. Robinson.
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Apr 20
Snarky Puppy
The Schaefer Center Presents
Saturday, April 20, 2024
7:30pm
After over a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred quasi-collective suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as one of the major figures in the jazz world. But as the category names for all five of the band’s Grammy® Awards would indicate, Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band. It’s not a fusion band, and it’s definitely not a jam band. Snarky Puppy is a collective of sorts with as many as 20 members in regular rotation. At its core, the band represents the convergence of both black and white American music culture with various accents from around the world.
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Ongoing events

Engage with App State

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to visit App State Engage for more opportunities to get involved — on and off campus.

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Notable events

Diversity Celebration

The Diversity Celebration features a wide array of music, eclectic dancing, delectable food, international films and festivals. App State students, faculty, staff, K-12 schools and members of the local community are all invited to join in this celebration of cultures through art and entertainment.

Chancellor’s Awards for Inclusive Excellence

Inclusive Excellence Awards

In January 2020, App State presented its inaugural Inclusive Excellence Awards. These awards — which will be given annually — are designed to shine a light on individuals at App State and in the community whose work demonstrates their active, intentional and ongoing commitment to transformative change.

International Education Week

International Education Week (IEW) at Appalachian State University is a celebration of transformational global experiences at home and abroad. Everyone is encouraged to participate in these free events, which take place throughout the week!

ASCEND Orientation

The ASCEND Program — formerly known as Linking Education and Diversity (L.E.A.D.) — is an engaging, intentional, high-impact supplemental orientation program targeting first-year App State students from marginalized and historically underrepresented backgrounds. ASCEND is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and establishes a solid foundation for new students to feel a sense of belonging and community, to be empowered to succeed with knowledge, connections and resources, and to explore and give back to their new home-away-from-home.

Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium on Remembering the Holocaust

Since 2002, the Center has organized and held the annual Martin & Doris Rosen Summer Symposium “Remembering the Holocaust.” Named for symposium benefactors, the late Doris and Martin Rosen, the symposium endeavors to provide teachers with the most current research on the Holocaust, racism, and anti-Semitism in tandem with teaching strategies and plans needed by every educator to tackle this urgent topic in an informed and successful manner in a classroom setting.