What’s the Benefit to You? How to Get the Most Out of Together RIT | October 2022
Let’s be honest. We can really learn a lot about one another just by opening up and interacting. Together RIT: A Day of Understanding, Solidarity & Racial Reconciliation is a new tradition at RIT. Topics range from “Just Pick White: The Invisibility of Arab Americans” and “Uniqueness in Latin Identity: We Are Not the Same!” Your input and insight is valued and needed!
Together RIT is a campus-wide event and it’s taking place Friday October 21, 2022. If you haven’t registered yet, register here
What’s the benefit to you? We went to Taj Smith, director of Diversity Education who led the university-wide planning committee and asked what’s the best way to prepare so we reap major, meaningful benefits?.
Taj Smith:
My advice would be to challenge yourself to get outside of your comfort zone. It is easier to participate in a topic you may already be familiar with, so take advantage of an opportunity to learn more about yourself and others with something new. As you prepare to attend, come with questions and monitor your assumptions going into the experience. There will be lots of positive, neutral and uncomfortable feelings on this day so make sure to stay attune with what’s going on inside of your brain, heart and overall body.
As Director of Diversity Education at RIT, you have worked with hundreds of RIT faculty and staff who enroll in and complete your Cultural Humility workshops. I would think there is a general takeaway that you notice in those individuals when it’s over from the comments you hear. Do you hope for something similar with the October 2022 event?
Generally, in those spaces people takeaway appreciation for the experience and an increase in confidence to explore diversity subjects. I can hope for it at Together RIT, but I’m not sure it will be the same as the certificate workshops. When an employee takes the workshop series, they have an opportunity to build a foundation of learning and grow from there over the course of months to a year. Since this is a one-day event, and participants can attend any session they want it is hard to make that comparison. That said, I do feel like learning and if nothing else conversation will occur.
I do hope for solidarity and some start of reconciliation. Solidarity requires mutual effort, trust and evidence of coming together in authentic ways. I know it happens in silos on campus, but I think we can more visibly showcase that on this day. And that solidarity doesn’t just exist between people of color and white people, but also between ALANA communities on campus. Reconciliation is a process, so we’ll have some sessions that will represent what that feels, sounds and looks like so others can build from there.
As Chair of this event, you and the planning committee have put in months of hard work. Briefly, what did it entail?
Once we received the directive to move forward from senior leadership in fall 2021, we met a few times as a large committee and held some sub-committee gatherings as well. In the large committee, we started by building a common understanding of solidarity, reconciliation and understanding. It was important for me to tease out assumptions and acknowledge our different expectations so we could plan something for the community rather than just for those of us on the committee. For example, we needed to make sure this wasn’t being frame as just a focus on the Black African American experience. From there, we developed goals and outcomes for the event.
At the start of spring 2022, subcommittees focused on drafting the call for proposals, identifying room locations, and thinking about marketing and communication strategies. Over the summer, we paid two students, Jaden Graham and Jay Riley, to design the official event poster. From the options provided, we decided to select Jay’s poster design as the winner. The call for proposals committee began reviewing the submissions during the month of July and we made final decisions by mid-August.