The Office of Global and Multicultural Programs and the Department of English, Languages, and Mass Communication hosted the Alcorn State University Multicultural Festival and Conference on April 18.
This hybrid event was designed to promote multiculturalism and diversity awareness through scholarship in the humanities and international experiential learning at the university.
“This conference and festival is an exemplar of the various activities being done collaboratively with other departments to promote multiculturalism and international education,” said Dr. Byron Johnson, director of the Office of Global and Multicultural Programs. “Our office is excited to have more opportunities for faculty and students to engage in multiculturalism and international education.”
Dr. Matthew Pettway, associate professor of Spanish and the 2024 – 2025 U.S. Fulbright Scholar at the University of South Alabama, was the guest speaker. He delivered a lecture titled “Crying Out to a Silent God: Black Manhood and Sexual Vulnerability in the Literature of Juan Francisco Manzano.”
“Reading multi-ethnic texts and engaging with multicultural identities opens new pathways for thinking in a more tolerant, nuanced, and holistic way, a skill that continues to be vital in our world,” said Dr. Heather Bailey, assistant professor of English. “Throughout the day, student research panelists presented original research that explored multicultural identities and modes of thinking in various texts.”
The conference was a platform for student research presentations with a humanities focus; topics included literature, politics, biology, and education. A panel discussion presented by the Writing Center focused on literacy and best practices in writing pedagogy. The Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants and an Alcorn exchange student to Mahidol University in Thailand held a joint panel discussion and presentation on the importance and benefits of living and studying in a foreign country.
