UMD Hosts Summit On Equity, Race & Ethnicity

DULUTH, Minn. — UMD hosted its annual Summit Wednesday on Equity, Race and Ethnicity with the goal of inspiring change for greater equality for all.

The Summit’s theme was “Decolonizing Our Institutions and Communities.” It included workshops and a play inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

UMD’s Commission on Equity, Race and Ethnicity put on the conference and is made up of UMD faculty and staff. It has a mission of creating, “equitable campus community for people of all racial, ethnic and intersecting identities through education and institutional change.”

“When students come into your classroom regardless of their background their ethnic background that they are seen and they are heard. That is really the job of educational institutions. We want them to be able to feel accepted so that they can go out in the world and really make a difference,” said Angela Polite, a presenter and performer.

Organizers say the Summit is also about inspiring and challenging people to continue to question the structures of and mindset of colonialism and seeing reforms of restorative justice.

“I think what these summits generate, is a little bit more courage to face some of the issues that are facing us today. I mean there’s a tremendous uptick in violence, hate speech, things of that nature. And we bring that out into the open here, we’re not afraid to actually bring in contrary voices. It’s not just a particular liberal story,” said Rob Hofmann, Senior Development Officer at UMD.

This is the 20th year of the Summit, with every year being a different theme.