Featured this month
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Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month
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Celebrate our indigenous communities
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Prevention at Pitt has ambititious goals for 2023-24
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‘Inclusion Interchange’ podcast debuts
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Upcoming events across the University
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Month-long celebration marks rich heritage of Pittsburgh’s Latinx, Hispanic communities
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Members of Pittsburgh’s Latinx and Hispanic communities will celebrate their histories, cultural contributions, and visions for the future — and also will celebrate their differences — as the University of Pittsburgh and other institutions mark Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month.
Events include a panel discussion this Saturday about the life and legacy of Pirates hall-of-famer Roberto Clemente, an exhibit of environmental photos taken by local Latino residents, and musical performances in and around Oakland.
Although people of Latino and Hispanic heritage represent the largest ethnic group in the United States, they are not a monolith, says Belkys Torres, Pitt’s associate vice provost for inclusive excellence, who chairs the University-wide committee that coordinates Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month events.
“There are more than 20 different nationalities from Latin America, South America, and the Caribbean represented by the umbrella terms ‘Latinx’ or ‘Hispanic,’” Torres says.
“There are common cultural and linguistic ties, but the differences can be profound as well,” she says. “And within each nationality, there are intersecting identities. Someone’s lived experiences as a member of the Latinx community is shaped by their gender, their race, their religion, and many other factors — and those are just some of the issues we’ll be exploring with events this month.”
Over the past 10 years, the percentage of Pittsburgh-area residents who identify as having Latinx and Hispanic heritage has increased by more than 80 percent, says Doreen Hernández, assistant director of the Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership & Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum at the University of Pittsburgh, and co-founder of the Hispanic Latinx Professional Association.
Hernández, another member of the committee coordinating Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month at the University, says several events are designed to provide networking and professional development opportunities for residents of Latinx and Hispanic descent.
Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month has been recognized in the United States since 1968. The start of the month, Sept. 15, marks the date that several Latin American countries — including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua — obtained their independence from Spain. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.
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Second-annual ICF celebrates diversity, heritage of region’s indigenous residents
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The second-annual Indigenous Cultural Festival will offer family-friendly educational activities that celebrate the contributions made by Native Americans — past and present — in Pennsylvania and across North America.
A partnership between the University and the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center, or COTRAIC, sponsors of the 2023 ICF include Pitt’s Center for Creativity, the Division of Student Affairs, the Office for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, and the University Library System.
“Last year was the first year, and it was very well-received,” says Tessa Provins, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the Choctaw Nation. “We see this as the first step of many toward Pitt making significant connections and partnerships with the indigenous communities in western Pennsylvania and on the broader, national scene.”
Events begin Sept. 18 in Oakland and include special exhibits at the University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library and a “mini pow wow” in Schenley Plaza on Sept. 20, leading up to COTRAIC’s 44th annual Pow Wow, to be held Sept. 23 and 24 in Dorseyville, Indiana Township.
Most events — including the Pow Wow — are free and open to the public. Visit pitt.ly/ICF2023 for more information.
Mike Simms, a member of the Seminole Nation and a volunteer with COTRAIC, says organizers of the first ICF in 2022 were pleasantly surprised by the public response.
Simms will lead a workshop at the Cathedral of Learning’s Center for Creativity (Room B-50) at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 on indigenous drumming and singing. A separate workshop at the same time will teach participants how to make traditional leather pouches.“It’s important for us to show that there is still an American Indian community in Pittsburgh,” Simms says. “We’re not people of the past, and many of the things that you’ve seen in Hollywood movies are not actually true. We may work normal jobs but we still hold our culture close to us — and we
still practice that culture.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 189,000 Pennsylvania residents have indigenous heritage. The University’s campuses occupy ancestral lands of the Seneca Nation and Adena, Hopewell, and Monongahela peoples, who were later joined by displaced refugees of other tribes, including the Delaware, Shawnee, Mingo, and Haudenosaunee people.
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Prevention at Pitt plans ambitious slate of events
Above: Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion; Carrie Benson, director of sexual violence prevention and education; and Dev Hayostek, lead prevention educator
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The Office for Sexual Violence Prevention & Education has been awarded a $500,000 Pitt Seed Grant to expand its outreach through new and innovative educational programs, awareness building campaigns, and research into ways to prevent sexual assault and violence.
Carrie Benson, who was recently named to the newly created position of director of sexual violence prevention and education, said the Seed grant will provide crucial support for dialogue-oriented prevention, expanding community and on-campus partnerships, and centering student voices.
“We are excited about this year with the expansion of our team and the grant funds received through the Pitt Seed Grant, and we have so many exciting plans to execute in the coming months,” said Dev Hayostek, lead prevention educator in the Office for Sexual Violence Prevention & Education, which is rolling out programs under the shorthand name, “Prevention at Pitt.”
Upcoming events include:
Stand With & Support: A training program from the Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh on how to support a colleague or student who is experiencing intimate-partner violence. Upcoming programs will be held on Sept. 19 (virtual), Oct. 18 (in-person), and Nov. 9 (virtual).
Circle Up!: A dialogue-based prevention initiative developed by Prevention at Pitt, Circle Up! focuses on bringing individuals together, in a circle, to provide space to discuss vulnerable topics in a safe environment. A conversation circle for faculty and staff members will be held Oct. 2.
Empowerment Based Self-Defense: SETPoint is a trauma-informed, survivor-centered self-defense program. The next class is from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 13.
Ongoing initiatives include:
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape: PAAR counselors are holding drop-in hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Wednesday on the 18th floor of Cathedral of Learning.
Donuts and Discussion: This new monthly program on the 31st floor of the Cathedral will allow for brief discussions of specific prevention initiatives as well as open dialogue for feedback, ideas, and concerns. All meetings start at 10 a.m. Upcoming dates and topics include Sept. 22 (Pitt Seed Overview); Oct. 25 (Healthy Relationships Month); Nov. 15 (Title IX Policy Overview); and Dec. 8 (Fall Recap and Plan for Spring).
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The annual Race & ... Conference elevates the work of the University's race-related centers, the health sciences, and Africana Studies and promotes and celebrates collaboration between centers and departments on campus. This year's theme focuses on collaboration and interdisciplinary work.
“Race &...” is the shorthand name of Pitt’s Race and Social Determinants of Equity, Health, and Well-being Initiative, which seeks to demonstrate the University of Pittsburgh’s commitment to investigate and ameliorate racial disparities in equity, health and well-being locally, nationally and globally.
RSVP by September 22.
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‘The Inclusion Interchange’ podcast
Inventor, engineer and advocate for people with disabilities Rory A. Cooper is the first guest on OEDI’s new podcast series, “The Inclusion Interchange.” Cooper is the founding director and VA senior research career scientist of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories at the University of Pittsburgh. He has been a member of the Pitt faculty since 1994 was inducted into the National Inventor Hall of Fame in 2023.
“The Inclusion Interchange” is hosted by Clyde Wilson Pickett, vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion and Pitt’s chief diversity officer. Subscribe at Google Podcasts, Podchaser, Spotify, Player.FM, iHeart, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
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Research Equity and Community Health (REACH) Health Equity Seminar Series
11 a.m.
Thursday, Sept. 21
The Research Equity and Community Health (REACH) Health Equity Seminar Series welcomes Elizabeth McGuier, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as its featured speaker.
REACH invites investigators and research staff of all career stages and health equity research experience to participate in our ongoing monthly seminar. Because our virtual seminars are designed to foster active participation and discussion, we strongly encourage attendees to turn their cameras on and join in the conversation. For more information about how to participate, contact Dr. Mary Woody at woodyml@upmc.edu.
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Woodland Hills School District International Festival
4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 21
Woodland Hills High School
2550 Greensburg Pike
Churchill
Join Woodland Hills School District and Pitt Business for live music, dancing, food vendors and art displays. Her excellency, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba (MBA ’90), ambassador of Botswana to Belgium and executive-in-residence of Pitt’s Africa Business Initiative, will provide brief remarks about the value of diplomacy and cultural intelligence.
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TransPride YOUniting 2023 Health & Wellness Conference
Oct. 5–7
The eighth-annual TransPride YOUniting Health & Wellness Conference is presented by TransPride PGH, TransYOUniting, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute. It offers three days of professional continuing education. All gender non-conforming, non-binary, and trans members of the community age 18 and older may attend free of charge.
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