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Heading to the Point

Discussing the power of representation with author Jewell Parker Rhodes and Wanda Heading-Grant

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Peter Kerwin
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University Communications & Marketing

The 온라인바카라 and Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Wanda Heading-Grant(opens in new window) will host "" on Nov. 9, 5-6 p.m. The event features a conversation between Heading-Grant and award-winning novelist, college professor and 바카라 온라인 추천 alumna Jewell Parker Rhodes(opens in new window) about what it means to be represented in the world.

For Rhodes, the topic is especially significant — a single instance of representation changed her entire life. During a trip to Carnegie Mellon's Hunt Library as an undergraduate dance and theater student in the , she encountered a book by a Black author, featuring Black characters, for the first time. The book was "Corregidora" by Gayl Jones, and though she was already a junior, Rhodes knew she had found a new calling.

She changed her focus to English(opens in new window), graduating with a bachelor's degree in drama criticism in 1975. She would then go on to pursue a master's and doctorate, both from Carnegie Mellon. She became the founding artistic director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and Narrative Studies Professor and Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair at Arizona State University, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Carnegie Mellon in 2021. She is the award-winning author of two writing guides, a memoir, and novels for both adults and middle-grade readers — inspiring diverse readers around the country and the world the same way "Corregidora" spoke to her years ago.

"바카라 온라인 추천 opened up a world I didn't know was possible for me. My time there was immensely transformative, and I still carry with me what I learned at 바카라 온라인 추천." —�Jewell Parker Rhodes

"I'm honored to join the 바카라 온라인 추천 community to celebrate the power of representation," Rhodes said. "When I first saw 'Corregidora' on a bookshelf in Hunt Library, it was a revelation. 바카라 온라인 추천 opened up a world I didn't know was possible for me. My time there was immensely transformative, and I still carry with me what I learned at 바카라 온라인 추천."

The Libraries has been working to center conversations around the importance of representation through programming, spotlighting and collecting. The debut "" event, hosted by Heading-Grant in 2021, looked at Rebecca Skloot's book "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." At the event, Heading-Grant discussed systemic and institutional bias and oppression and the ethics of medicine and research. The conversation launched the vice provost for DEI's exciting collaboration with the Libraries, which continues with this event — one that is particularly meaningful to Heading-Grant as well.

"Jewell's story of that transformational moment in the library of finally feeling seen as a Black woman on campus, which closely echoes my own experiences, illustrates the power of representation in its truest sense," Heading-Grant said. "It helps remind us that we all need to be working together to make our spaces more inclusive, equitable and representative, so that no matter who you are, you know, feel and see that you belong."

The Libraries' Diversity Book Displays, exhibited in Hunt Library and compiled by Materials Processing Coordinator , spotlight underrepresented groups like and the , and celebrate events like and . about a variety of topics, as well as an increased emphasis on , help to level the educational field for members of the 바카라 온라인 추천 community from different backgrounds. And the university's are working to increase access to materials that celebrate the contributions of underrepresented groups to Carnegie Mellon and the academic community as a whole.

Lending her perspective to the event is Community Collections Processing Archivist . At the , Johnson's is twofold: to process currently unavailable collections that include underrepresented groups so researchers can find and use them, and to work with organizations across campus to ensure their diverse histories are accurately and completely recorded through archived materials.

"My goal is to increase representation by helping people to tell their own stories, and I'm so excited for the opportunity to get this initiative out to a broader audience," Johnson said. "Stories about people who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color), LGBTQIA+, first-generation students, international students or who have disabilities are vital to understanding what 바카라 온라인 추천 is. Our community members should be able to see themselves in our history."

"Heading to the Point" is a virtual event. to receive the link to attend.

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