MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Penn State Greater Allegheny will host its third Crossing Bridges Summit at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, in the Wunderley Gymnasium. This year’s guest is activist Angela Davis, who will present “A Conversation about Modern Movements on the State of Race, Gender and Politics.”
The Crossing Bridges Summit was created to bridge racial divides in the community and situate the campus as a catalyst for social change.
In preparation for this talk, Student Affairs and the Center for Career Excellence and Community Outreach (CECO) sponsored a pre-discussion about Davis. Dr. Erica Tachoir, career services coordinator, educated the campus community on Davis' history and her impactful work with civil rights.
“If you go out and Google Angela Davis’s name you are going to run across a multiplicity of information that might not be able to tell truth from fiction,” said Tachoir. “As educators, I believe it is important for us to help our students understand the truth, and what Dr. Davis represents in our culture.”
The presentation aimed to help students get a better understanding of Angela Davis and why her role in history is important.
“Dr. Angela Davis went through many trials and tribulations. These trials made her want to push harder to make a difference in the world through her own story,” said Ke’ira Williams, a Penn State Greater Allegheny student. “She is strong even as she ached of pain, a pain that grew stronger as time went on. She used that pain as a tool through her words and powerful mind to go to war with the ones who stood and still stand against her.”
As part of the Crossing Bridges Summit, Penn State Greater Allegheny will also host a discussion at noon on Saturday, Oct. 20, in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center. Community members are invited to join campus faculty, staff and students as they reflect on Davis’ discussion and determine ways to build and strengthen coalitions working for equity in the Mon Valley.