Two members of the Syracuse University community received the Diversity Achievers Award from the YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County at the 20th Annual YWCA Day of Commitment to Eliminate Racism and Promote Diversity event on May 8. Brian E. Konkol, dean of Hendricks Chapel, served as the keynote speaker for the event.
From left: YWCA Syracuse Board Chair Ellen Hemmerlein, the Rev. Brian Konkol, Professor Peppie Calvar, YWCA Executive Director Fanny Villarreal, and James Duah-Agyeman at the 2018 Day of Commitment event.
The Day of Commitment brought together more than 150 community members to participate in a variety of workshops for diversity training and celebrate the accomplishments of the distinguished group. The workshops focused on addressing the barriers to progress and creating solutions to drive community change. Listening and understanding were key themes of event.
Jose “Peppie” Calvar, assistant professor and assistant director of choral activities in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and James Duah-Agyeman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, were among nine area residents honored with the award. To be chosen, recipients must have demonstrated they are individuals who embrace diversity; support opportunities for women’s growth and leadership; embody the spirit of peace, justice, freedom and dignity; and work diligently toward the elimination of racism.
“As leaders invited into the ongoing process of bringing order out of chaos, perhaps the most important element in the life of faithful citizenship is the ability to listen. For in listening, we receive the transformative power of vision and voice, and in doing so, the conflicts between humankind are crafted into something new,” Konkol said during his remarks. “For if the arc of history reveals anything, it shows that real conversation requires listening. As diverse people seeking to lead in the midst of conflicting times, real conversation requires listening. How simple, and yet how incredibly difficult. Real conversation requires listening, yet listening seems to be missing in our world today.”
For more information about the 2018 Day of Commitment and other programs visit the YWCA of Syracuse website.
