UNLEARN week is underway
Calvin College’s multicultural student development office (MSDO) is sponsoring the 14th annual UNLEARN week—a week of events that runs October 6-11 and challenges students, faculty and staff to think about the stereotypes and assumptions that contribute to racism in today’s society.
“It’s one of the signature events that comes out of MSDO,” said Christina Edmondson, Calvin’s dean for intercultural student development. “It serves as a co-curricular activity for students and it helps us to grow cultural competency—an important value of the institution.”
Edmondson says UNLEARN week supports the vision of Calvin College.
“The concept [of UNLEARN Week] fits nicely into what’s written in the From Every Nation (FEN) document, but the actualization is something we can look to in the strategic plan, saying this is one of the clear, concrete ways to promote what we call inclusive excellence.”
The week’s worth of events is organized and run by students on the multicultural student advisory board and includes panel discussions, lectures, documentaries and a concert. Topics that are being discussed include the myths and stereotypes of immigration, the problem of mass incarceration and the merging of national and international social justice issues, to name just a few.
“UNLEARN week continues the tradition [at Calvin] of being honest of where we are at and what it takes to be a community of inclusive excellence,” said Edmondson. “It gives students and all members of the Calvin community some tools, some insight so they can do their part in making this a welcoming place.”