Equity Diversity And Inclusion

The Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the University Staff Advisory Council have partnered on an initiative to celebrate the myriad cultures, identities and voices that comprise the Vanderbilt community. Read More

Betsega Bekele, MEd'14, helps lead American Portrait, a multiplatform, national storytelling project tied to PBS’ 50th anniversary celebration. The digital-first initiative that launched online in January 2020 is centered on this question: What does it really mean to be an American today? Read More

Assistant Professor of History of Art Rebecca VanDiver focuses her research on African American artists—particularly Black female artists of the 20th century. In the classroom, she presents art history not only as a discipline that allows for a study of the history of artistic movements and style, but also as a lens to study culture and history. Read More

The Vanderbilt community will welcome a diverse panel of renowned civil rights and social justice activists, journalists, historians and scholars for an examination of Nashville’s role as an intellectual center of the struggle for racial justice, then and now. The daylong virtual symposium will be held on Friday, March 26, starting at 9 a.m. CT and is open to the public. Read More

Associate Professor of Musicology Douglas Shadle's latest book explores how Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony raised new questions in classical music about the place of African American music within the broader musical culture of the United States. Read More

Vanderbilt University students, faculty and staff gathered Feb. 24 for a virtual panel discussion that highlighted the need for empathy and action to improve the experiences of marginalized groups in the United States. Read More

Two Vanderbilt alumnae—Dr. Jill Moses, MD’91, and Annie Moon, MSN’03—are helping lead the fight against COVID-19 in the Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Native American reservation. Read More

A virtual event to discuss the formation of a Neurodiversity Employee Affinity Group is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, at 5 p.m. CT. The goal of the listening session is to gather input, ask questions and offer suggestions about how a Neurodiversity Employee Affinity Group at Vanderbilt can best serve this community. Read More

Biomedical researchers across Vanderbilt University will convene to discuss the history and impact of Black biomedical scientists on Monday, Feb. 15, at noon CT. Read More

The Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will host a panel of Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students to share their personal and professional views and experiences on issues that inform “This Moment in America.” The virtual discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. CT and is open to the Vanderbilt community. Read More

Nominations are open until Friday, March 5, for the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion's 2020–21 Diversity Leadership Awards. The awards recognize staff members who demonstrate exemplary leadership by putting the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion into practical action. Read More

Dr. André L. Churchwell, vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer for both Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, was invited to write an essay for “Harvard Medicine,” the alumni magazine of his alma mater. Churchwell reflects on the prejudices he faced as a Black man in Boston in the late 1970s, and the lessons learned from his parents that guided his and his siblings’ success in life and careers in medicine. Read More

Ethiopian American novelist Dinaw Mengestu gave an impassioned personal view of growing up in an immigrant family in the United States during his keynote address for this year’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative event, hosted in partnership with the Vanderbilt Chancellor’s Lecture Series. Read More

Vanderbilt leaders are reflecting on the life and legacy of veteran civil rights activist Kwame Lillard, who died Dec. 20 in Nashville. As recently as January 2020, Lillard shared his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement with Vanderbilt students as part of the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series. Read More

The Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with Human Resources, has announced a new framework to establish, manage and sustain university-supported Employee Affinity Groups, which are designed to help foster a positive work environment at Vanderbilt and support the university’s values specific to diversity, inclusion and campus engagement. Read More

Vanderbilt University has launched the Gender Affirmation Toolkit to reinforce its commitment to providing a safe and inclusive working environment for all employees. The toolkit was developed in collaboration with the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Human Resources, the Equal Opportunity and Access Office, the Office of LGBTQI Life and other campus partners. Read More

A profile of Monique Nelson-Nwachuku, winner of Vanderbilt’s 2020 Alumni Professional Achievement Award, who is chairman and CEO of UniWorld Group, the country’s longest-standing multicultural marketing agency. Read More

Vanderbilt University hosted a virtual celebration on Oct. 21, recognizing the Reunion classes of 2020 with a special toast. The event served as a prelude to an on-campus celebration Vanderbilt will host next fall for all alumni whose Reunion year falls in 2020 or 2021. Read More

Vanderbilt University has released its 2019-20 Report for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion highlighting an array of goals and initiatives currently advancing these core university values and offering a roadmap for the future. Read More

Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips, BA’67, the first African American woman to receive an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt and a member of the inaugural class of Vanderbilt Trailblazers, recently was interviewed by the American Chemical Society about her career as a chemist and the importance of making the physical sciences more inclusive for women and underrepresented minorities. Read More