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5X����’s new series titled Dialogue and Difference: A New Understanding continues with upcoming programming for the university community.

Dialogue and Difference is a yearlong initiative meant to engage Kent State students, faculty and staff to advance the university’s core values of freedom of expression, respect and kindness. The initiative kicked off Feb. 1 at Kent State’s annual Martin Luther King Celebration with “MLK and Me: Living a Life of Love and Peace During Conflict” held in the Kent Student Center Ballroom.

Members of the Kent State community are encouraged to mark their calendars for these upcoming events:

• “Dialogue on Hatred: A Peacebuilder’s Perspective” will take place at 4 p.m. on Feb. 22. The virtual event will feature Tatsushi Arai, Ph.D., associate professor of peace and conflict studies. Registration is required. Register on the Dialogue and Difference website.
• “Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression” will occur at 3:30 p.m. on March 5 in the Governance Chambers on the second floor of the Kent Student Center. This session will be led by Tracy Laux, senior lecturer of mathematical sciences and chair of Faculty Senate; Amy Reynolds, Ph.D., dean of the College of Communication and Information; and Deborah Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and president of Kent State’s Chapter of American Association of University Professors, Tenure Track Unit.
• “Cultural and Religious Identity: A Faculty Conversation” will take place at 4 p.m. on March 12. The virtual event will include Rick Feinberg, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Anthropology; Chaya Kessler, director of the Jewish Studies Program and senior lecturer of Hebrew; Babacar M’Baye, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of English; and Lydia Rose, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology. Registration will be available soon on the Dialogue and Difference website.

Additional Dialogue and Difference programs titled “Understanding and Combatting Antisemitism” and “Understanding and Combatting Islamophobia” will be scheduled.

The Division of People, Culture and Belonging has partnered with the School of Peace and Conflict Studies to deliver this series of educational programs that feature diverse perspectives and aim to help us better understand each other.

View the full list of events in the Dialogue and Difference series.