Dyana Williams, award-winning on-air personality & trailblazer in broadcasting, music activism and celebrity media strategy, will deliver the keynote address during the 海角社区 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity. The event runs Feb. 13-16 on Blue Bell and Pottstown Campuses and online. Photo by Ricky Codio.
海角社区 is proud to announce the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity will be held Feb. 13-16 on the College鈥檚 campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown and online.
This annual capstone event advances and facilitates ongoing public dialogue on diversity and inclusiveness among students, employees and the community. It will include four days of learning and discussion designed to engage our campuses and communities.
鈥淭his is a four-day event, themed 鈥淭ransforming Lives: Breaking Barriers and Empowering Change,鈥� is a nod to our 60th anniversary tagline 鈥楾ransforming Lives and Communities,鈥欌�� said Dr. Stephanie R. Allen, Director of Equity, Diversity and Belonging. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 symposium is a family-friendly event, meaning there are events and activities for all ages and stages of life.鈥�
The keynote speaker for the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity is Dyana Williams,
award-winning on-air personality and trailblazer in broadcasting, music activism and
celebrity media strategy. She will deliver an empowering and uplifting keynote address
about her journey in media over the last 50 years.
Williams began her career in broadcasting first in radio in 1973 under the pseudonym Ebony Moonbeams working for stations in New York and Washington, D.C. and later in TV. In fact, she was the first Black rock DJ in New York. She eventually moved to Philadelphia in 1980 working as a DJ for WDAS 105.3-FM, where she continued to pioneer a trail for Black women in broadcasting to follow for decades to come.
Williams is CEO of Influence Entertainment, working as a media consultant with some of the music industry鈥檚 biggest stars including pop stars Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Rihanna and Usher, to rappers T.I., and ASAP Rocky, as well as rock groups Dave Matthews Band and The Zac Brown Band. Williams helps her clients navigate fame and their image in the media.
Outside of her work, Williams has helped found the International Association of African American Music Foundation and the National of African American Music. Dubbed 鈥淭he Godmother of Black Music鈥� by , she also helped to establish June as Black Music Month.
In 2011, listed Williams as #7 on the "Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys of All Time" and recognized her as #8 on the "Top 30 Black Women in Media." In 2014, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, presented a to Williams for her efforts to augment the Philadelphia slogan: The City of Brotherly Love, adding Sisterly Affection, acknowledging the inclusion of women.
Her message to students during this year鈥檚 symposium will be to pursue the best versions of themselves.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about living a life of fulfillment,鈥� said Williams. 鈥淚 want to pass on to students that life is about absorbing. I want to talk to students about actualization, realization and accomplishing your goals.鈥�
All events during the symposium are free and open to the public, though registration is required for certain presentations. Virtual sessions do not require registration, though links to each session will be available via the Presidential Symposium on Diversity homepage.
Tuesday, Feb. 13, Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell
- 11:30 a.m. 鈥� Monty Reads 鈥� story time with 海角社区's Monty the Mustang, Children鈥檚 Nook, College Hall, Brendlinger Library
- 1 p.m.- Keynote Presentation 鈥� Dyana Williams, theater at the Montco Cultural Center, Science Center, this presentation is free but is required to reserve your seat
- 3 p.m. 鈥� Master Class with Dyana Williams and David Doskicz-Ivory, Director of Sound Recording and Music Technology The Mix Room at Montco, Advanced Technology Center
Wednesday, Feb. 14, Pottstown Campus, 101 College Drive, Pottstown
- TriCounty Art Exhibition 鈥� High school student artwork on display, North Hall Gallery
- 10 a.m. Self-guided tour of the Wellness Center, North Hall
- 9 a.m. 鈥� Virtual discussion 鈥淭eaching Honestly: Historically Responsive Literacy (HRL)in the Community College Classroom鈥� facilitated by Dr. Monica D鈥橝ntonio, English Professor.
- 10:30 a.m. 鈥揗onty Reads鈥� story time with 海角社区's Monty the Mustang, Library, South Hall
- 11:15 a.m. 鈥� 鈥淏ridging Generational Diversity Gaps,鈥� facilitated by Constance Dugan, Vice President of Environmental Services at Waverly Heights, North Hall Room 202. This session is free, but is required.
- 12 p.m. 鈥� Health and Wellness Fair, information about resources for supporting health and well-being, first-floor lobby of South Hall
- 2 p.m. 鈥� Mental Health Allyship Training, facilitated by Dr. Nichole Kang, 海角社区 Director of the Wellness Center, and Dominic Ciccimaro, Recovery Specialist, North Hall Room 114. This session has a cap of 25 attendees and is required.
Thursday, Feb. 15, Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell
- 11:00 a.m. 鈥� 鈥淭he Ever-Changing Landscape of Education Panel,鈥� facilitated by Jared Brown, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs at Pottstown Campus, College Hall Rooms144/148/151. The session is free but is required.
- 1 p.m. 鈥� 鈥淩oundtable Discussion: Affirmative Action Over the Years,鈥� facilitated by Dr. Garvey Lundy, Sociology Associate Professor, College Hall Room 146 The session is free but is required.
- 3 p.m. 鈥揤irtual presentation 鈥淭he Wells Collective: Putting Equity into Practice,鈥� facilitated by Akailah Jenkins-McIntyre & Talia Busby Titus. This session is free, but is required.
Friday, Feb. 16 Blue Bell Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell
- 1 p.m. 鈥� Virtual presentation, 鈥淏uilding Confidence and Community through Intentional Inclusion,鈥� facilitated by Dr. Amanda Gatchet, Communication Studies Associate Professor, Jeslin Matthew, Communication Studies Assistant Professor, and Dr. Shuktara Das, Director of Analysis & Implementation.
- 6 p.m. 鈥� Disney鈥檚 鈥淓lemental鈥� movie screening, theater at the Montco Cultural Center, Science Center. The viewing party is free and open to the public but is required.
Dr. Allen encouraged students in the High School Dual Enrollment, Upward Bound, Montco's Partnership on Work Enrichment and Readiness (POWER), and Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS), program to have a presence at the Presidential Symposium on Diversity.
In addition, the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity鈥檚 service project will be collecting gently used instruments to donate to , a Norristown based after school program for young people.
For full details about the 2024 Presidential Symposium on Diversity, visit the home page or contact the office of Equity, Diversity and Belonging.