This event is both virtual and in-person. Archives

Please join us in community to contemplate our shared values, celebrate our common humanity, and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world.

Our featured speaker is author, activist, and jazz singer, LaTosha Brown. Brown is a contributor to The New York Times and a Senior Practice Fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. As co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund organization, LaTosha is dedicated to increasing the political power of Black people.

Free parking in the Campus Center Garage

Please join us in person or by livestream to participate.

The livestream link can be found here and on the Office of Equity and Inclusion homepage on the day of the event.

RSVP Required

Join us as Winter Unverzagt, Student Government Association Vice-President of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion and Kaitlyn Crisantos, Student Government Association Speaker of the Senate speaks to us about student-based advocacy on the top of Latin American immigrants in the United States which will pertain to the Washington D.C. advocacy trip on November 13 – 15, 2023, also with regards to Macomb and WIU community immigrant sentiments, and how we can move forward in our larger goal of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with regards to the campus Latin American community.

Join us as WIU’s 2023 Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian Scholar, Tamera Izlar for a Diversity Storytelling Workshop. An interactive workshop embracing memory and community. This experience held in conjunction with the National Day of Racial Healing will provide campus and community members’ interactive opportunities to embrace personal storytelling journeys, sharpen listening skills, and create, uncover or join ongoing advocacy opportunities in your community.

Join us as Randy Glean, Associate Vice President of Global Studies speaks to us about Xenophobia . Fear and apprehension are a part of the human condition. In a world with over 200 nations, how do the citizens of the world’s primary melting pot, the USA, embrace inclusion of non-traditional immigrants and visitors? Let’s learn about the over 50 nations represented at WIU in our quest to broaden our horizons.

Join us as Dr. Peter Cole, WIU Professor of History, speaks to us about the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19) . The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Commemoration Project (CRR19) commemorates the worst incident in the city’s history. The event has been long forgotten despite its impact on the subsequent shape and development of the city. Formally launched on the 100th anniversary of the riot, we aim to ignite conversations about past and present racism in Chicago and across the U.S. The path to achieving racial equity and justice first demands acknowledging the horrors of the past and the ways that structural inequities persist in communities of color.

Join us as Dr. Robert Hironimus-Wendt, WIU Professor of Sociology and Anthropology speaks to us about Racism for White People . Because racism is almost always perceived as threatening to white people and because most of us put on our armor so to speak whenever such conversations involve whiteness, white privilege, white advantage, etc. Learning how to think about such matters and how to put down our armor is an essential first step toward building a beloved community. We need to make white people feel included and needed, before we can hope to enlist them in the fight to reduce racism in our presence.

Come together with Chaplain Ron Pettigrew from the WIU Veteran’s Resource Center, people from the Macomb Community, WIU students, faculty, and staff as we talk about how to heal from events happening in the world, our nation, our state, and our community.

Join us as Dr. Guiyou Huang, PhD, President of Western Illinois University and Michael J. Inman, Mayor of Macomb present proclamations commemorating the National Day of Racial Healing.

Discover the Power of Change: Meet Our Inspiring Apprentices, Celebrate the Lives of Walt Ratterman and Bjoern Seipel.

You are invited to a Zoom meeting, broadcast LIVE from Cap-Haitien Haiti
Martin Luther King Day. Jan 15, 2024 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Learn why 2024 is going to be a pivotal year in bringing solar energy to Haiti and how you can be part it.

Join us in celebrating the remarkable journey of our young apprentices, who have risen from a life without electricity to become pioneers of change in Haiti. Witness firsthand how they are revolutionizing their communities, one solar installation at a time. From bringing light to schools to powering lifesaving equipment in clinics and hospitals, these young visionaries are not just installing solar energy systems – they are igniting hope and transformation.

Innovating for a Brighter Future: Our Solar Energy Initiatives

Explore the groundbreaking approaches Brighten Haiti is employing to bring solar energy to educational institutions and organizations across Haiti. Discover how we are making solar energy accessible at a fraction of traditional off-grid costs, through innovative strategies and sustainable practices. This is your opportunity to learn about the powerful impact of our Solar4Schools and Solar ReUSE programs, and how they are shaping a more sustainable and resilient future.

Celebrating a Legacy of Light: Dedication Ceremony

We are honored to dedicate our new Training Center to the memories of the late Walt Ratterman and Dr. Bjoern Seipel, whose visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to renewable energy and education have been the cornerstone of our mission. Join us as we pay tribute to their legacy and draw inspiration from their lives to fuel our ongoing journey towards a brighter, solar-powered Haiti.

Be Part of Our Virtual Grand Opening

This event is more than a celebration – it's a convergence of minds, hearts, and visions for a sustainable future. Engage with our apprentices, learn about our innovative solar initiatives, and witness the dedication of a center that stands as a beacon of learning and progress. We look forward to welcoming you to this milestone event in Brighten Haiti's journey. Together, let's celebrate the power of solar energy and the indomitable spirit of those who harness it for the betterment of their communities.

Join Coming Together Virginia for an evening of soul-stirring music, poetry and canvas art in observance of the National Day of Racial Healing, inspired by the life of Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. From the Classics to Motown, experience creative collaborative energy, coming together with a message of hope, inclusion and healing. There will also be an Art Auction featuring the work of local artists. Come away with some ideas of how to make a difference in our community, beginning with you! Featured performers include Naima Burrs – Music Director of PSO & violin, Lisa Edwards-Burrs – soprano, James "Saxsmo" Gates – saxophone, Weldon Hill – piano, and members of the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra – strings and woodwinds.

Proceeds to benefit CT-VA's vision of a racially healed world of thriving, equitable and just communities in Richmond and beyond! Coming Together Virginia is a local group of the national organization, Coming to the Table.