SU 2021 Inaugural Anti-Racism Summit Archive

The Salisbury University Inaugural Anti-Racism Summit was held on Friday, February 5, 2021 at 1:00pm - 5:00pm. The Summit was held virtually and was attended by SU students, faculty, and staff.

Inaugural Presenters

Dr. Rondall Allen

Dr. Rondall E. Allen is the Dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). Dr. Allen has over 30 years of experience in the profession of pharmacy. The last 17 years have been in academia. He has practiced in a variety of settings to include community pharmacy, acute care, ambulatory care, and the pharmaceutical industry. As a clinician, he developed and implemented two outpatient anticoagulation clinics in which he managed patients with deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary emboli, atrial fibrillation and other clotting disorders.

Dr. Cherie Dawson-Edwards

Dr. Cherie Dawson-Edwards serves as Associate Dean for Diversity, Engagement, Culture & Climate (DECC) and an Associate Professor of the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Louisville. She also directs the A&S Social Change program. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Dawson-Edwards is a National Board Member for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and serves on the Executive Committee of American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky (ACLU-KY).

Dr. Brian M Flores

Dr. Brian M Flores is an assistant professor in the Department of Early and Elementary Education and Director of the May Literacy Center. He teaches about literacy education, and his research interests include literacy practices, identify, and culturally sustaining pedagogical practices.

Dr. Terri Jett

Dr. Terri Jett is a Professor of Political Science and Special Assistant to the Provost for Diversity and Inclusivity at Butler University. Dr. Jett is also an affiliate faculty member of the Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies Program and the Faculty Director for the Butler University Hub for Black Affairs and Community Engagement. Her research focus is on the post-Civil Rights Movement experiences of African Americans in rural communities in the southern U.S. and she is currently writing on the recent discrimination settlements of Black, Native American, Women and Latino farmers against the United States Department of Agriculture for discrimination and revisiting the conversation that James Baldwin held with Margaret Mead on race 50 years ago.

Dr. James King

Dr. James King is a Professor of English at Salisbury University. Prior to joining SU in 2007, Dr. King taught in SUNY and CUNY systems in New York, as well as a private college, Bard College at Simon's Rock. Dr. King’s distinguished honors include a Fulbright Scholar (Ghana 2010), Fulbright-Hays recipient (2015, Amanokrom, Ghana), and a Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana, Legon. Dr. King received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University, master’s degree from Queen’s College, and Ph.D. degree from City University of New York Graduate Center. Dr. King is also President of Tamasco Development Project, a non-profit organization purposed to assist in the renovation of Tamasco Senior High School, Tamale, Ghana and the support of its students, faculty and staff.

Dr. Kathy Obear

Dr. Kathy Obear will be the Inaugural Keynote Speaker sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Obear is president of the Center for Transformation and Change and is nationally recognized as an expert in helping leaders, change agents, and facilitators develop the capacity to create equitable, inclusive, and racially/socially just organizations. Dr. Obear is also a co-founder of the Social Justice Training Institute, an intensive professional development experience to deepen capacity to dismantle dynamics of racism and white supremacy in ourselves and in our organizations.

Dr. Damani White-Lewis

Dr. Damani White-Lewis is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education at the University of Maryland College Park. He studies racial inequities in postsecondary faculty careers and STEM departments using theories and methods from organizational behavior and social psychology. Dr. White-Lewis' research has appeared in prominent education and science journals, such as The Journal of Higher Education, Teachers College Record, and Biomed Central [BMC] Proceedings.

Dr. Thea Williamson

Dr. Thea Williamson is an assistant professor of literacy at Salisbury University. She has taught English and rhetoric at secondary and collegiate levels and worked with diverse learners in classrooms and after-school programs. Her research about secondary English Language Arts teaching and learning in diverse contexts applies theoretical perspectives that highlight the importance of critical theories of literacy and language. Her current research project examines how youth in their everyday interactions bring Spanish into supposedly monolingual spaces like a mainstream English class, exploring how race shapes what individuals and institutions value about language in school.

Other Inaugural Summit Speakers

Dr. Charles A. Wight
University President

Dr. Karen Olmstead
Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dr. Dane Foust
Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Kacie Cassar headshot

Kacie Cassar
President, Graduate Student Council
History, Fulton School of Liberal Arts

David McCreary headshot

David McCreary
President, Student Government Association
Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution, Fulton School of Liberal Arts

Inaugural Summit Moderators

Dr. Jennifer Jewell

Dr. Jennifer Jewell is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work. Dr. Jewell’s research interests include social media and digital technologies in social work, diversity and inclusion, social work education and technology, and civil discourse in prisons.

Dr. Konstantine Kyriacopoulos

Dr. Konstantine Kyriacopoulos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Early and Elementary Education of the Seidel School of Education at Salisbury University. He was an elementary school teacher in a mixed grades classroom, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, in Seattle Public School before going into graduate school.

Dr. Wallace Southerland

Dr. Wallace Southerland is the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs. In addition, Dr. Southerland is a staff facilitator of the Promise Faculty Learning Community, a coordinator of SU’s University Mosaic Mentoring Program, and has provided coordinating leadership for this year’s inaugural summit.

Joan Williams

Joan Williams is the Associate Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer. Prior to joining SU, Joan served as the director of diversity and institutional equity at the University of North Alabama (UNA) since 2013. She has held multiple titles there, including coordinator of at-risk student advising, counselor, Title IX coordinator, and First-Year Experience and study skills instructor.

The Inaugural Anti-Racism Summit Program

Remarks and Reflections from University Officials
SU Student Spoken Word and Dance Performance
Choreographer: Bryette Washington
Sound: “The Beauty Within” by Amaiya McNeil
Performer: Kamryn Tross
Keynote Presentation by Dr. Kathy Obear
Topical Sessions
- Unpacking anti-racist language and concepts
- Historical context of racism and implications on institutions of education, healthcare, criminal justice, and law enforcement
- Action steps to being an anti-racist individual and campus
Updates on University initiatives related to diversity and inclusion

Planning Team
- Dr. Chrys Egan, Associate Dean of the Fulton School of Liberal Arts
- Dr. Jennifer R. Jewell, Director of the School of Social Work
- Dr. Deneen Long-White, Assistant Professor of Community Health
- Dr. Wallace Southerland III, Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
- Joan Williams, Associate Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
- Laura Hutchinson, Administrative Assistant II, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Belinda Poole, Executive Administrative Assistant I, Division of Student Affairs
Event Sponsors