On Monday, January 14th, OIED's African American Cultural Center brought Dr. Iyanla Vanzant to NC State's McKimmon Center for An Evening with Iyanla Vanzant: Celebrating the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. The African American Cultural Center's annual campus commemoration honors Martin Luther King, Jr. through a specially selected guest speaker. Dr. Vanzant, author of Peace from Broken Pieces, is also host of Iyanla, Fix My Life on the OWN Network and founder and director of the Inner Visions Institute for Spiritual Development.
Dr. Vanzant's presentation, at times uplifting and at others introspective, inspired a large crowd of attendees comprised of students, staff, faculty, and community members. Interspersing quotes and lessons from King, Vanzant exhorted audience members to shed outdated ideas and behaviors to make way for new, more productive directions. Overcoming adversity and learning to triumph both in spite of it and because of it are recurring themes of Vanzant's work and life, and these themes mirror the struggle of many individuals, groups, institutions, and societies today.
The Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity honors those, who, like King and Vanzant, dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others. King said that people can make a difference if they "take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
What can you do today to improve the society in which you live? The first step for you may be assisting someone who needs help, speaking up when you witness an injustice, or even taking an OIED workshop. We hope you enjoyed the 2013 MLK campus commemoration, and if you missed it, please watch the OIED Calendar for future events!
Lois Crowe Retires from
Lois Crowe, University Programs Associate at the NC State Women's Center and 22 year veteran of the university, is retiring as of March 1, 2013. In honor of Lois's decade of work on the annual Chocolate Festival for breast cancer and prevention, the Women's Center (Harrelson Hall, Room 322) is hosting a chocolate-themed open house in her honor on February 28, 2013 from 12:00-2:00PM. Please stop by for some lunch, chocolate, and to wish Lois well on her last day of work. 
