MIT's Day of Dialogue
MIT's Day of Dialogue

August 5, 2020 - This event may have ended, but the conversation is far from over.
Resources, recordings, and continuing the conversation.
Some materials from the day can be accessed below:
- The opening remarks and opening keynote speaker, Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson of the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP).
- A list of resources from Dr. Heather Hackman’s lunch time keynote. A recording and slides are unavailable.
- A list of anti-racism resources curated by the ICEO
- Presentation materials from some of the concurrent sessions and Dr. Amante-Jackson. Presentations are labeled with the title of the concurrent session. If you have a question regarding the materials for a specific concurrent session, please contact the presenters that appear on the concurrent session listing.
- A full listing of concurrent sessions, their presenters, and a description of the session.
If you would like to be notified of future events like the Day of Dialogue, please sign-up for the ICEO distribution list by emailing Rachel Ornitz at rornitz@mit.edu.
Links to each session have been emailed to registrants.
If you have registered for the event and have not yet received an email, please check your spam folder. Please contact dayofdialogue@mit.edu if you do not have any message in your inbox or spam folder.
Dear MIT Community,
Over the past few months, we have all been managing, as well as we can, the crisis of a global pandemic and the crisis of racism come to a head. Some of us are new to understanding the extent of the latter crisis, while others of us have had no choice but to actively manage its impact our entire lives. We are currently working to create, alongside other community members, a Day of Dialogue as a step in the long process of moving our community toward an anti-racist ethos.
It is our hope that the Day of Dialogue will serve as a catalyst of new energy to continue the ongoing conversation that is necessary to become a truly anti-racist community. Various speakers will share their knowledge and facilitators will offer workshops to create a space to learn, take action, and assist participants on their journey regardless of where they may be. Affinity spaces will provide a more intimate space for those of shared identities to come together, learn from one another, and spark relationships that can assist participants in their own anti-racist work.
We intentionally decided not to have a closing speaker or session, because the day, like the dialogue, should feel open-ended. The dialogue we will initiate together needs to be ongoing and cannot end with the day. We look forward to engaging with the community on August 5th and in the long term after the Day of Dialogue, because we have to keep at it, every day, if we want to achieve our collective goal.
Sincerely,
La-Tarri Canty & Jason McKnight
Day of Dialogue Planning Committee Co-Chairs
For more information, please reach out to dayofdialogue@mit.edu
Featured Speakers
Dr. Crystal Fleming Dr. Heather Hackman Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson
Registration
Registration has closed. The opening remarks will be recorded and shared with the community. Materials from other presenters that have agreed to share their materials will also be posted following the event.
Schedule
9:00am - 10:30am - Opening Remarks & Keynote - Dr. Darnisa Amante-Jackson
10:30am-10:40am: Break
10:40am - 12:00pm - Concurrent Session 1
12:00pm-12:10pm: Break
12:10pm - 1:30pm - Lunch Keynote - Dr. Heather Hackman
1:30pm - 2:30pm - Affinity Space/Cross Racial Conversation*
2:30pm - 4:00pm - Concurrent Session 2
4:00pm-4:10pm: Break
4:10pm - 5:30pm - Concurrent Session 3 - Workshop by Dr. Crystal Fleming
*Please use this time to self-reflect or engage with others on your own. See more information below.
A detailed program listing for Concurrent Sessions is available here.
Registrants have received a program listing with Zoom links. This listing is still available in the event that visitors would like to see what the day offered. Materials and any recordings from the event will be posted following the event.
Affinity Space/Cross-Racial Conversation
Due to time constraints and capacity, we are unable to achieve what was envisioned for the Affinity Spaces and Cross-Racial Conversation. However, we encourage you to use the time for self-reflection and/or a discussion with others, and consider the following questions to guide you:
- Have the previous workshops met your expectations? Why or why not?
- What are you thinking and feeling? What are you sitting with? If you’re struggling – what are some ways you can take care of you right now?
- What is something new you’ve learned today?
- How have you shown up today? Would you like to show up differently during the remainder of the day?
- Have you made any new connections? How can you follow up with those new connections?
- What are some tangible next steps after today’s Day of Dialogue?
Accessibility/Recording
Closed-captioning will be provided for the opening remarks and keynote speakers. If you need closed-captioning for the concurrent sessions, please email dayofdialogue@mit.edu by July 30, 2020.
If you need an ASL interpreter, please email dayofdialogue@mit.edu by July 30, 2020.
The opening remarks and keynote speakers will be shown using Zoom webinar, and concurrent sessions will use Zoom meetings. Every effort will be made to have presenters provide any materials ahead of sessions or use the file upload function in Zoom chat to allow for increased access to “share screen” content.
For more information about Zoom accessibility, please visit their website here. If there is anything you need to fully participate in the Day of Dialogue and/or you have concerns or questions, please email dayofdialogue@mit.edu
The opening remarks and morning keynote will be recorded and available on the Day of Dialogue website following the event. The afternoon keynote and concurrent sessions will not be recorded. We have requested that presenters share their slides, and available slides will be offered on the Day of Dialogue following the event.
FAQ
Have a question? Click here for a list of FAQs.
2020 Committee Members:
Co-Chair: La-Tarri Canty, Associate Dean of Intercultural Engagement/Director of SPXCE
Co-Chair: Jason McKnight, Assistant Director, Mind Hand Heart
Scott Alessandro,Director, Undergraduate Education, MIT Sloan Undergraduate Programs
Sandy Alexandre, Associate Professor of Literature
Beatriz Cantada, Program Director, Institute Community and Equity Office
Nina DeAgrela, Assistant Dean of Intercultural Engagement of Multicultural Programs
Martha Eddison Sieniewicz, Special Assistant and Senior Communication Strategist to the President
Kelvin L Green II, Officer ofnDiversity, Undergraduate Association
Emma Johnson, Assistant Director, Residential Life Programs/Division of Student Life, Diversity & Inclusion Committee SEABoard
Heather Konar, Communications Officer, Office of Graduate Education
Bianca Arielle Lepe, Graduate Student Council/Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Graduate Student in Biological Engineering
Libby Mahaffy, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant, Human Resources
Rachel Ornitz, Administrative Assistant, Institute Community and Equity Office
James Reed, Assistant Dean, Student Conduct/Division of Student Life, Diversity & Inclusion Committee SEABoard