Award-winning GLBTQ Scholar Headlines UA Diversity Symposium

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — An award-winning author on GLBTQ issues, two sessions on radio in the civil rights era and a record number of University of Alabama student presentations on diversity issues will highlight this year’s Discerning Diverse Voices Symposium, the fifth such event sponsored by UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences.

The two-day symposium will be March 4-5, with most events taking place at Gorgas Library Room 205 where Tony Adams, author of “Narrating the Closet: An Autoethnography of Same Sex Desire,” published in 2011, will give a keynote address. “Narrating the Closet” was the winner of two awards from the National Communication Association.

Adams’ 4:30 p.m. address March 5 will cap a day of research panels and poster presentations, most of which will be given by UA graduate and undergraduate students.

“We are excited this year to have 32 student presentations, the most in the five-year history of the symposium,” said Dr. George Daniels, assistant dean for administration for the College of Communication and Information Sciences and coordinator of this year’s diversity symposium. “Each of our College’s five academic units has students presenting on topics ranging from American Indian feminism to diversity in the information professions and even two separate student projects on the integration of UA’s Greek System.”

In addition to the research presentations, a lunchtime screening will feature student, faculty and staff radio projects on civil rights era radio completed over the past year. The screening will be hosted by Pat Duggins, news director of Alabama Public Radio.

The symposium opens on Tuesday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m. with Bob Friedman, director of Birmingham’s Black Radio Museum Project presenting “A Radio Hero’s Perspective.”  Located in Phifer Hall, room 222, Friedman’s presentation showcases the work of Paul “Tall Paul White” of WENN Radio.

On Wednesday, March 5, a pair of UA faculty will share parts of a documentary on experiences of Muslim students at The University of Alabama. Dr. Rachel Raimist, assistant professor in the department of telecommunication and film, and Dr. Maha Marouan, associate professor in the department of gender and race studies, co-edited the documentary “ASWAT: Voices of Muslim Women.”

“The Discerning Diverse Voices symposium is one of many efforts by the College each year to fulfill our diversity mission,”  said Dr. Jennifer Greer, interim dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences. “We’re fortunate to have faculty, staff and students who embrace all aspects of diversity in society.”

Registration for the symposium is free. Lunch will be provided to all those who RSVP online by Monday, March 3. For more information on the symposium, contact Daniels at gdaniels@ua.edu.