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18th annual diversity matters film & lecture series banner colored in dark indigo with faces & white MCC emblem

Diversity Matters Film & Lecture Series

The Diversity Matters Film & Lecture Series began in 2006. Approximately nine presentations annually are offered across MCC campuses and centers. Discussion leaders are identified for the films.

HYBRID LECTURE: The Sacred Tradition of the Sweat Lodge

Chris Eagle Hawk, Oglala Lakota

Renowned traditional Lakota expert and Emcee for the Denver March powwow, Chris Eagle Hawk, discusses the sweat lodge.
 Eagle Hawk is self-employed as a Cultural Consultant, providing Lakota knowledge, drum therapy and self-awareness for the youth and adults throughout Indian Country. He is a member of two warrior societies and the Teca Wacipi Okolakiciye (Young Dancer’s Society).
Date:Thursday, September 21
Time:12:30-1:45 p.m. 
Where:Fort Omaha Campus, Digital Express, Bldg. 10, room 136B & C
Register here at this link to view virtually: The Sacred Tradition of the Sweat Lodge
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VIRTUAL PANEL:  HARVESTING HOPE

Ricardo Ariza,  Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAGNebraska) Career Specialist, Umóⁿhoⁿ (Omaha) Nation Public Schools
Suzi French, Farm to School Director, Umóⁿhoⁿ (Omaha) Nation Public Schools
Stacie Hardy, Superintendent, Umóⁿhoⁿ (Omaha) Nation Public Schools

 
Date: Tuesday, December 5, 12:30-1:45 p.m. CST
Watch Harvesting Hope again.

Learn from leaders of the innovative outdoor classroom implemented by Umóⁿhoⁿ (Omaha) Nation Public Schools in Macy, Nebraska where educators teach students about the natural sciences through the lens of Native culture, history, and traditional ceremonies.
From planting to harvesting and everything in between, Umóⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School students connect with their community and receive hands-on experience in agriculture, economics, and cultural traditions.
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HYBRID LECTURE: A Council of Dolls

Mona Susan Power, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, author, graduate of Harvard Law School and the Iowa Writers' Workshop

Mona Susan Power is the author of four books of fiction, including The Grass Dancer, Roofwalker, Sacred Wilderness and A Council of Dolls. Participate to learn about her life and her newest book, A Council of Dolls, a story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried...

Sissy, born 1961: Sissy's relationship with her beautiful and volatile mother is difficult, even dangerous, but her life is also filled with beautiful things, including a new Christmas present, a doll called Ethel, who whipspers advice and kindness in Sissy's ear. 

LIllian, born 1925: Born in her ancestral lands in a time of terrible change, Lillian clings to her sister, Blanche, and her doll, Mae. The sisters are forced to attend an 'Indian boarding school' far from their home. When tragedy strikes the sisters, the doll Mae finds her way to defend the girls.

Cora, born 1888: Though she was born into the brutal legacy of the 'Indian Wars,' Cora isn't afraid of the white men who remove her to a school across the country to be 'civilized.' Teachers burn her beloved buckskin and beaded doll, Winnona, and Cora discovers that the spirit of Winona may not be entirely lost.

Date: Tuesday, March 19
Time: 12:30-1:45 p.m. CDT
Where: Fort Omaha Campus, Bldg 22, Room 201A
Register for Zoom at A Council of Dolls

Hybrid Lecture: triumph After Trauma

cyrus jaffery, afghan refugee, 2023 entrepreneur of the year, midlands business journal

Jaffery is a native of Kabul, Afghanistan, where is family home was hit by a rocket when he was two years old in 1990 during the first Taliban uprising. He and his pregnant mother suffered injuries and fled to Pakistan. After living briefly in refugee camps and other temporary housing, his family's application for an American visa was granted and they arrived in the US in 2002. In the two decades since starting a new  life here, Jaffery has leveraged hard work, natural charisma, and driving ambition to escape poverty  and overcome trauma. Learn from Jaffrey who shares personal stories of overcoming challenges as guideposts for achieving one's best life and will bring copies of his memoir for a book signing. 

 

Date: Wednesday, April 3
Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Fort Omaha Campus, Bldg 10, Room 110
Register for Zoom at Triumph After Trauma

Hybrid LECTURE: fIRST lADIES

VICTORIA CHRIStOPHER, AUTHOR

First Ladies is a novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune—an unlikely friendship that changed the world.

The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows she becomes a celebrity, revered by titans of business and recognized by U.S. Presidents. Eleanor Roosevelt herself is awestruck and eager to make her acquaintance. Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education, Mary and Eleanor become fast friends confiding their secrets, hopes and dreams—and holding each other’s hands through tragedy and triumph.

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president, the two women begin to collaborate more closely, particularly as Eleanor moves toward her own agenda separate from FDR, a consequence of the devastating discovery of her husband’s secret love affair. Eleanor becomes a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights. And when she receives threats because of her strong ties to Mary, it only fuels the women’s desire to fight together for justice and equality.
This is the story of two different, yet equally formidable, passionate, and committed women, and the way in which their singular friendship helped form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.

Date: Thursday, April 25
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Fort Omaha Campus. Bldg 10, room 110
Register for Zoom at: First Ladies 

Virtual film screening: A long march 

tammy ts botkin, director

Winding through a seldom told history of the Philippines and United States, Celestino Almeda, Ruby Panaglima, and Feliciana Reyes find themselves inducted into U.S. Armed Forces during WWII. After their service, congress declared them, and hundreds of thousands more, to be "not on active duty." These veterans were denied backpay, denied GI benefits, and denied promised citizenship. Today, Celestino, Rudy, and Feliciana's continued fight represents the tens of thousands of elderly Filipino veterans who remain unacknowledged despite their evidence of service. As judicial solutions hit a brick wall and all eyes turn to Congress, A LONG MARCH asks the hard questions: will America stand up for the values it claims, and will veterans get the recognition they deserve before they are all dead?

Date: Tuesday, May 7
Time: 10:00 a.m. --12:00 noon CDT
Register for Zoom at A Long March
 

Participation for all programs is free and open to the public.


Contact interculturaled@mccneb.edu or 531-622-2253 for more information.
Additional International/Intercultural Education virtual programming can be found on YouTube.

ACCOMMODATIONS:  Audience members requiring accommodations due to a disability must contact International/Intercultural Education, interculturaled@mccneb.edu, 531-622-2253 at least two weeks prior to the program.​

Metropolitan Community College affirms a policy of equal education, employment opportunities and nondiscrimination in providing services to the public. We are committed to ensuring our websites and facilities are accessible and usable to everyone. To read our full policy statement, visit mccneb.edu/Nondiscrimination.