Derald Wing Sue, author of the book, Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation; and professor of psychology and education in the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology at Teachers College and the School of Social Work, Columbia University, serves as keynote speaker of the 4th Annual Presidential Luminaria Awards on Friday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. at the UNM Student Union Building Ballrooms A and B.
“I am excited to have Derald Wing Sue kick off our speaker series on implicit bias,” said Jozi De Leon, VP for Equity and Inclusion. “His perspective on microaggressions, marginality and implicit bias is derived from years of research and indicates that all of us have something to learn about our own implicit biases."
Sue is the first of a two-year line-up of speakers supported by the Provost’s Office, the Health Sciences Center, the Division for Equity and Inclusion and the HSC Office of Diversity that will address implicit bias. These presentations provide opportunities for dialogue and are intended to create introspection and greater understanding.
Prior to providing the keynote for the Luminaria Awards, Sue will address the students, staff and faculty at the Health Sciences Center on North Campus at 8 a.m. in Domenici West 3010.
Dr. Sue states that it is not overt racism, sexism and heterosexism that pose the greatest threat. He indicates that implicit bias creates the greatest damage to equity and inclusion. Implicit bias is often held by well-‐intentioned people, who are strongly motivated by egalitarian values, believe in their own morality, and experience themselves as fair-‐ minded and decent people who would never consciously discriminate but on the unconscious level harbor either pro-‐majority or anti-‐minority feelings.
“We all have them, we all need to understand them, and we all need to work on eliminating them in order to create healthier, inclusive and more equitable higher education environments,” added De Leon.
Following Dr. Sue’s address, the Division for Equity and Inclusion will present the 4th Annual Luminaria Awards. The Luminaria Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have lit the path in areas of diversity, equity, inclusion or social justice. Their commitment can be evident in recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups; teaching, research and/or service; multicultural or cultural awareness programming; social justice organizing, community outreach or other similar activities.
Tickets are now available at http://diverse.unm.edu/go/luminaria. Seating is limited. Additional sponsors of the 4th Annual Luminaria Awards include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ENLACE, the Graduate Resource Center, and the LGBTQ Resource Center. If you are interested in co-‐sponsoring the awards, please contact Lorena Blanco-‐Silva or call 505-277-‐1238 or lblanco@unm.edu.