In It 4 adds to equity and diversity dialogue among students, faculty and staff

Skidmore’s fourth In It series brought together students, faculty and staff for a suite of diversity, equity and inclusion programming that  focused on religion, faith and spirituality.

In It 4 events, held Oct. 10-11, included workshops with international human rights activists and national nonprofit leaders, film screenings, facilitated dialogues and an educational, interactive board game, all designed to raise cultural fluency and strengthen the Skidmore community.

Carr Harkrader, program manager for Interfaith Youth Core, a national nonprofit working toward a world where people of different faiths can bridge differences and find common values, led two workshop sessions on Interfaith America: Engaging Religious Diversity on Campus.

Natalie Gillard presented FACTUALITY: A Crash Course on Structural Inequality in America, a facilitated dialogue, crash course and board game that simulates real-life experiences in America.

The Tang Teaching Museum hosted a lunch and discussion around Kara Walker’s “The Emancipation Approximation,” a 27-panel narrative that addresses themes of race, class and gender and considers how our shared histories inform the contemporary moment.

Sunita Viswanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights, a civil liberties advocacy group committed to the ideals of multireligious pluralism in the United States and India, and co-founder of Women for Afghan Women (WAW), an organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of Afghan women and girls, hosted a lunch and discussion.

Ali Mateo Belen, whose work focuses on healing trauma, building relationships and practicing community so people can safely expand into their full humanity and mission, led a conversation and workshop exploring how structures impact the experiences of transgender and nonbinary people.

In It 4 also included the screening of two films: “Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” an intimate meditation on the life and works of the legendary storyteller and Nobel prize-winner; and “I Am,” in which director Tom Shadyac speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about problems facing our world and how to improve it.

In It 4 was coordinated by Skidmore College Inclusion Liaisons from each of the College’s divisions in partnership with the Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding.