INA, Ill. (Oct. 30, 2019) - Last week at RLC was Diversity Week, an annual event aimed at helping students, faculty and staff explore other cultures, backgrounds, experiences and ways of life. The week of events is offered with the purpose of increasing awareness, understanding and inclusivity. The events are open to all students, faculty and staff and range from film showings to guest speakers and performers.
This year featured a trio of speakers as well as screenings of the films; A Map for Sunday, The Murder of Emmett Till and There Once was an Island.
Chip Loghry kicked off RLC Diversity Week with a presentation about gender/sex/identity/orientation. Loghry is passionate about youth advocacy and trans advocacy in southern Illinois and their intersections with culture and race. He has served on the board of directors for the Rainbow Cafe LGBT Youth Center and is a former RC youth. He is the chair of the local chapter of his employer’s business resource group for LGBT employees. He has also built a relationship with several mental health providers in southern Illinois to advocate for trans residents seeking therapy and access to medical care.
Jason Sommer shared his powerful poetry during Diversity Week. The son of a Holocaust survivor, Sommer drew on the stories of his family's tortured past to create poignant reminders of the atrocities of Nazis and the ripples World War II created through history.
Lindy Drew shared her personal story and discussed her project "Humans of St. Louis" as part of RLC's Diversity Week. Drew's project gives voice to some of the voiceless and "hidden" members of society by using art and personal interviews to humanize them and share their stories on social media.
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