A SPECIAL SERIES SPONSORED BY CULTURAL CROSSROADS AND PLAZA LIBRARY
The 2008 "Cultural Conversations" series was a great success, introducing concepts and imparting information to scores of people over the five-month period. Each program engendered lively discussions. Look for more engaging topics in the future series. Have an idea for a Cultural Conversations topic? Propose your topic: CulturalCrossroads@hotmail.com
FEBRUARY 17: "UNWITTING TRANSGRESSIONS IN A MULTICULTURAL WORLD"
Synopsis: The quickest way to get your self in trouble in America is to lie. In Britain it is committing an indiscretion, in Asia it is dishonoring your family. When the tourist or expatriat comes face to face with conflicting values, it is a sure way to find yourself unwittingly in trouble. This discussion seeks to build some bridges of understanding between the far corners of the world.
Facilitator: David Alexander
David Alexander was born in Topeka, Kansas, and has been an educator for 36 years in the fields of social studies, language arts, and guidance and counseling. He has been affiliated with the Artist in Residency Programs of the Kansas Arts Commission, Missouri Young Audiences, and the Nebraska Arts Council. In addition, Mr. Alexander was selected to be one of 56 Artists-in-Residence in ”Artists in Communities for the Millennium” sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Council in Maryland.
He has taught in schools in Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Today he teaches full time at the Kansas City Academy in Kansas City, MO. He currently is working as a full time teacher of social studies at Kansas City Academy at 79th & Main KCMO.
MARCH 16: "DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE"
Synopsis: The modern American works a full-time job of 40 (or more) hours a week. The technology of cell phones, email and fax machines keep us connected to the workplace on a constant basis. Obviously, then, the workplace is a primary force in our lives. This will be an open discussion based on scenarios. The goal is for all of us to realize that many factors influence our daily activities, including subtleties of which we may be unaware.
Facilitator: Donna Dolinar Stalker
The facilitator, representing Cultural Crossroads, Inc., has over 40 years experience in the business community – everything from a secretary to a manager. Having sat on both sides of the desk, she hopes to bring an understanding that will span both the professional and personal sides of our lives.
APRIL 6: "MILESTONES AND PASSAGES"
Synopsis: How do we mark our years? How do we measure where we are in our society? Join a discussion of the customs that mark important events in life, how such customs differ through time and cultures, and how those customs have traditionally affected the life of a community….and the effect of the modern society’s lack of such customs.
Facilitator: Mary Gibson McCoy
Founder and President of Cultural Crossroads, she has a background that encompasses business (over thirty years experience in real estate law), the arts (as past founder and director of performing dance troupes and as dancer with numerous local troupes) and spirituality (she and her husband are ordained ministers and active in interfaith work). As the grandchild of immigrants, she has experienced firsthand the importance of culture and custom in shaping one’s life.
MAY 18: "DIVERSITY IN THE MEDIA"
Synopsis: Media reflects our society, but, to do so, media must be a mirror of that society. How much is our popular media a reflection? What has been the experience of those within the media industry and how have their personal experiences both shaped and been shaped by the media industry?
Speakers: Lewis Diuguid, Kathy Quinn, Sylvia Maria Gross
Lewis W. Diuguid is vice president for community resources at The Kansas City Star, on the editorial board and as an opinion page columnist. He joined the staff of The Kansas City Star-Times in May 1977 after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. He is the author of the newly-issued book, "Discovering the Real America: Toward a More Perfect Union," and the 2004 award-winning book, "A Teacher's Cry: Exposing the Truth About Education Today." Diuguid is a founding member, treasurer, newsletter editor and Media Awards Committee chairman of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists, the Missourian Publishing Association Board of Directors, the William Allen White Foundation Board of Trustees (University of Kansas), and several other organizations. He is a certified diversity facilitator with the Newspaper Association of America and has received more than 50 awards, including the 2000 Missouri Honor Medal for Distinguished Service in Journalism.
Kathy Quinn is an Emmy award-winning journalist, with reports every morning on FOX 4’s number one morning show and every afternoon on FOX 4 News at Noon. During her career, Kathy has been a radio news anchor and on-air personality, a television reporter and morning TV news anchor, as well as hosting TV shows including a public affairs and TV talk show. With an ethnic background of Mexican and Irish, she has close connections with the community in her hometown and is bilingual. In 1997, she won an Emmy Award for a news series called “A Child’s Prayer” and was nominated for a second Emmy for her live reports during the St. Patrick’s Day parades in Kansas City. She hosts a radio show on Sunday mornings on 97.3 MAX FM that was awarded a 2006 Society of Professional Journalists honorable mention. Kathy worked at several stations in Dublin, Ireland including Radio Nova, while attending a year of college at the University College in Dublin. She also volunteers her time as an auctioneer, career speaker and reporter for the Fox 4 Love Fund.
Sylvia Maria Gross grew up in New York City, Brazil and Bethesda, Maryland. She studied English at Yale University, and then spent a year in Brazil on a Fulbright researching arts education. Back in New York, she taught middle school math and English for six years. Sylvia completed a master's in journalism at Columbia University. Before coming to KCUR in October 2004, she reported in New York City about education and culture for radio and print.
JUNE 8: "DIVERSITY IN RELIGION"
Synopsis: Religion transcends culture and, yet, all religions arise from and are rooted in particular cultures. Which elements of religion are attributable to culture and which are “beyond” that culture? How do those cultural elements affect those born into the religion and those who would convert? How do those elements affect the religion itself?
Facilitator: Vern Barnet, with representatives of various faith traditions
The Reverend Vern Barnet, DMn, minister emeritus of CRES, a Kansas City community resource for exploring spirituality in all faiths, which he founded in 1982. He is known to many Kansas Citians since 1994 through the religion column published Wednesdays in The Kansas City Star in the "FYI" section. Also founder of The Kansas City Interfaith Council and its convener through 2003, he is now its convener emeritus. He teaches religion courses as an adjunct at the Ottawa University Kansas City campus, has taught or is teaching ministerial students at the Unity School of Christianity, the Central Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Saint Paul School of Theology (Methodist). In 2007 he served on the international faculty of the pilot "Interfaith Academies" partnered by Harvard University's Pluralism Project, Religions for Peace-USA, the Saint Paul School of Theology, and the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council. This year he has returned to the editorial board of Unity Magazine as its only non-Unity ministerial member after serving five years previously.