The Student Equity Committee will host various events over the next few months to provide students opportunities to express themselves and work towards a more united student body.

The committee started hosting events and activities last fall as part of its new equity plan to give minorities on campus a chance to get involved. Luis Giraldo, director of equity, diversity, and cultural competency, has played a huge role in planning these events and making them happen. He is excited to share the committee’s plans with the City College community this semester.

“We want to focus on students who are often excluded,” Giraldo said. “We want to show that they belong on this campus.”

The first upcoming event is “Islamophobia: Its Impact on Our Community,” which will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15 in the BC Forum. There will be a panel discussion about the existence of islamophobia, not only in our nation, but on campus and in our community. The goal is to demystify Islam, conveying what the religion is truly about, and eradicate islamophobia in our community.

“Working with Students of Color: Tyrone Howard UCLA” will be at 6 p.m. Friday, April 14 in the BC Forum. Howard, associate dean for equity and inclusion at UCLA, has a background in studying the social and political context of schools. He will share his research that explores more effective ways of working with students of color.

Following Howard’s visit, the committee plans to hold the “First Annual City College Student Equity Poetry Slam,” at 6 p.m. Friday, April 21 in the BC Forum. Students will be given the opportunity to express and shed light on the complexities of being a person of color on campus. The event will also have an array of special guests including poet laureate Luis J. Rodriguez, two-time national slam poet Matt Sedillo and Emmy-nominated actor Richard Cabral.

The final event of the semester will be the “High School Equity and Leadership Conference,” which will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, April 28 at the Sports Pavilion and across campus. The focus of the all-day event will be on educating local high school students so they can further understand equity. Students will learn how to take a step towards becoming leaders within their community.

The event will have peer to peer workshops on racism, pregnancy, white privilege, recovery and creative ways of expression. There will also be Spanish-language workshops for attendees whose primary language is Spanish. The committee will also provide live music, a live mural, games, food, poetry and more.