By Ricki Walters, Regional Diversity Trainer/Investigator
The IDI
The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) was administered to all full-time unlimited employees during fall semester. The results will help the college determine the need for diversity training, program design, and organizational development initiatives.
The IDI results have now been compiled into an Organizational Profile, and I’ve begun meeting with the administrative team, as well as other groups and individuals on campus, to talk about the results, and about what the college’s next steps are to address the needs identified in the survey. The Organizational Profile will be reviewed during the spring semester faculty-staff development day.
Black History Month
February is African American/Black History Month. It’s a time to commemorate the many significant contributions African Americans have made to our country. African Americans have participated fully in this country’s development since colonial days, but often, their contributions were not included in our history books.
Dr. Carter Woodson, a Harvard scholar and son of former slaves, introduced Negro History Week on February 19, 1926. He chose the second week of February because the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln are observed then. His hope was that the important contributions of black Americans to our history would be recognized. He dedicated his life to this idea.
In 1976, Negro History Week was expanded into Black History Month. Today, it is celebrated in communities across the country with programs and activities that recall and honor the history and accomplishments of African Americans.
You can find more information about Black History Month and distinguished African Americans at: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhm1.html or http://www.biography.com/blackhistory/.
