Diversity Lecture Series at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

NEWS RELEASE

Communications and Marketing Office
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900

For more information, contact:
Pam Small
Phone: 386-226-6157
Fax: 386-226-6158

Contact: Mary Van Buren
Phone: 386-226-6525

Embry-Riddle Kicks Off Diversity Series With Critically Acclaimed “Not Until You Know My Story” Play About Cultural Differences

Lecture Series Events Explore Youth Voting, War Heroism, Hate Crimes, and Workplace Diversity

Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 3, 2008 -- Carrie Gibson’s critically acclaimed one-woman stage show on cultural diversity comes to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Monday, Sept. 15, launching the 2008 Diversity Lecture Series sponsored by the University Office of Diversity Initiatives.

“Not Until You Know My Story,” a documentary-style play based on actual interviews, tells the stories of 14 characters who vary in race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, size, and privilege. Gibson will portray all 14 characters in this thought-provoking play she created with partners Tony Curry and John Vreeke.

“We expect the audience will come away entertained by the humorous and touching performance and inspired to think about diversity issues that affect all of us,” said Jennifer Carney, Embry-Riddle Humanities instructor and Diversity Lecture Series coordinator.

The show, which is free and open to the public, will be presented Monday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Miller Instructional Center auditorium at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd. It will be followed by a workshop in which participants can discuss workplace diversity issues and practice a technique for conflict resolution and inclusion in the workplace. The performance and workshop are sponsored by Embry-Riddle’s Office of Diversity Initiatives, Office of Disability Student Services, and Human Resources Dept.

All events in the Diversity Lecture Series are free and open to the public and will be held on the Embry-Riddle campus.

Rock the Vote “Flipping the Script on Millennial Politics”
Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., Miller Instructional Center, Room 104.
Aron Christian, a graduate student in the communication studies program at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, will discuss how and why youth and popular culture are changing American political discourse. Christian points out that politicians and politically driven organizations increasingly have turned to pop culture and the entertainment industry in order to appeal to young people. This mix of politics and pop culture has created a new era of political communication called “pop politics,” which Christian will explore in this multimedia presentation on youth culture and voting.

“National Coming Out Day Panel Presentation”
Saturday, Oct. 11, 6:30 p.m., College of Aviation Building, Atrium. Sushi served 6:30-7 p.m.
Three aviation/aerospace industry professionals will share their experiences on being gay in the workplace, with discussion afterward. Founded in 1988 in the United States, National Coming Out Day is observed here and abroad through events that raise awareness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community among members of the general populace. These events support LGBT individuals in leading honest and open lives while giving a familiar face to the LGBT rights movement.

Film on Guy Gabaldon “East L.A. Marine: The Untold True Story of Guy Gabaldon”
Monday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m., Miller Instructional Center, Auditorium. Free pizza for the first 50 people.
This documentary film tells the World War II story of Guy Gabaldon, a U.S. Marine of Hispanic descent who on his own initiative and at great risk to his life single-handedly captured more than 1,100 Japanese soldiers during the bloody fighting on Saipan in the summer of 1944 by speaking their language and persuading them to surrender. He was awarded the Navy Cross medal for his heroic actions, which were immortalized in the Hollywood film Hell to Eternity. Gabaldon had learned Japanese as a teen while staying with a Japanese-American family that was later sent to a relocation camp in Arizona.

“Hate Crimes”
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m., Miller Instructional Center, Auditorium.
Renowned criminology expert Dr. Jack Levin will discuss the nature and impact of hate crimes on college campuses. Levin is a professor of sociology and criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, Mass., where he co-directs the Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence and teaches courses in social psychology, prejudice, and violence. He has written or co-written 28 books, appears regularly on national television programs such as 20/20, 48 Hours, and Dateline NBC, and has presented to the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. This event is co-sponsored by the Embry-Riddle Arts & Letters Series.

For more information on the Diversity Lecture Series, call (386) 226-4914 or (386) 226-6629.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs, with accreditation pending for Embry-Riddle’s first doctoral programs, in Aviation and in Engineering Physics. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.