Last month was Black History Month and throughout the month of February, efforts were made across the country to highlight the importance and influence of the black community in the United States and the rest of the world.

West Liberty University participated in the occasion by participating in the National African American Read-In event involving several members of the WLU community. The conversations about race and diversity have not ended with the conclusion of Black History Month as the WLU Diversity Committee have continued to host events.

The African American Read-in event was a success for the Diversity Committee with the final product reaching over an hour in length. The reading selection chosen by participants varied greatly highlighting the range of impacts that the Black community have had on literature and the world around us. The compilation can be viewed on Topper Station at any time.

The Diversity Committee has allowed the conversation to continue into March by arranging presentations from Professor Marjorie Fuller and Ron Scott from Wheeling’s YWCA. “Professor Marjorie Fuller, who visited us last year will return with a new presentation and Ron Scott of Wheeling’s YWCA will present a program on stereotypes. Both will be helpful as we all consider what we can do to move WLU forward on these topics,” said Chris McPherson, the Diversity Committee co-chair.

Fuller is the Director of the West Virginia University Center for Black Culture and Research. The presentation focused on Black History month from the perspective of the black community. This is the second year in a row that Fuller has presented for the WLU Diversity Committee. The event took place on March 10 at noon.

Scott’s presentation took place on March 17 on Zoom. The YWCA’s Program Director for Cultural Diversity and Community Outreach focused his presentation on stereotypes and the influence of implicit biases.

West Liberty’s Campus Diversity Committee meets throughout the year and plans events to celebrate the wide range of people that make up the WLU community. Despite the difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Diversity Committee are still planning a multitude of events to shine a light on the various groups on the West Liberty Campus and as COVID restrictions begin to ease events will once again become more interactive for the campus community.