March 2, 2021
Diversity Programs Office: Black History Month
The Diversity Programs Office (DPO) would like to thank everyone for participating and making Black History Month a success this past month.
The DPO celebrated the month by hosting the 17th annual College of Agriculture (COA) Diversity Student Leader Seminar on February 1. The event was a success with students, faculty, and staff from all over campus! Our speaker was Mr. Stacey Campbell, College of Agriculture Alumni, founder and shareholder of Campbell Litigation, Inc. Mr. Campbell overviewed “The Importance of Dr. King’s Dream.” The participants joined in a discussion surrounding the Civil Rights Movement, current diversity issues, and the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream. We would like to thank Mr. Campbell and everyone who participated and/or helped with the seminar. We would also like to express gratitude for all those who participated in the events during the week of observance honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., February 1-5.
Also during February, the K-State MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences) Chapter held their first General Body meeting of the semester on February 3 and welcomed all students back for the spring semester. The MANRRS Chapter also held their biennial Wallace Kidd award reception on February 17, where they recognized the outstanding diversity accomplishments of College of Agriculture Agronomy professor, Dr. Kevin J. Donnelly. The Wallace Kidd award recognizes students, faculty, or professors who exemplify the qualities of Wallace Ray Kidd, the first black graduate from the department of entomology at Kansas State University. Thank you to all those that attended and congratulations to Dr. Donnelly. We are grateful for our faculty, staff, and students’ diversity and inclusion efforts. Special thanks to all who helped in putting this event together to make it a success.
The K-State MANRRS Chapter and the DPO used this month to recognize the first male and female black graduates from Kansas State University, George Washington Owens (1899) and Minnie Howell Champe (1901). Please join us this March as we recognize Women’s History Month through our acknowledgement of prominent women in agriculture during the MANRRS General Body meeting on March 3, and throughout the month.
We are grateful to all who participated in the month’s events which celebrated the importance of diversity and inclusion and honored Black History Month. Please be on the lookout for our upcoming events this March, Women’s History Month, including the Spring 2021 MANRRS Week throughout the week of March 22-26. This semester’s MANRRS Week will feature the spring 2021 Growing our Mindset forum on March 23, 5:30 p.m., via Zoom (923 2793 1866) which will feature J.J. Jones, founder of Roots and Legacies Consulting, Inc.
We appreciate all of your support. For more information about upcoming events please contact Dr. Zelia Wiley, Assistant Dean and Director of Diversity Programs, at 785-532-5793 or zwiley@ksu.edu.