What are the backgrounds, struggles, triumphs, and contributions of people from around the world who join our communities? Please join us for a panel discussion and conversation about diversity, inclusion, and refugee experiences. The panel discussion will last approximately one hour, followed by a 30-minute question and answer session with the audience.

Featured speakers:

Paula Frantz, Executive Director, Global Institute of Lansing

Stephanie Nawyn, Associate Professor of Sociology and Co-Director, Center for Gender in Global Context

Suban Nur-Cooley, WRAC doctoral student and contributing writer, Refuge Lansing project

Rod Sandford, contributing photographer, Refuge Lansing project and retired photojournalist at Lansing State Journal

This event is offered in conjunction with the Refuge Lansing traveling exhibit (on display in the Green Room of the MSU Main Library on the evening of October 16th). Through this special exhibit created by local writers and photographers working with the Refugee Development Center, we also welcome members of the MSU and local communities to learn about and celebrate twelve new stories of resettlement to the Lansing area. 

Cosponsored by the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures, the Citizen Scholars Program of the College of Arts and Letters, the English Language Center, the Center for Gender in Global Context, and the Diversity Advisory Committee of the MSU Libraries.

The exhibit will also be displayed on Friday, October 13th in the 2nd floor atrium area of Wells Hall, with an opening reception from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.