Past Diversity Series Events

Author of “Transforming Society’s Failure,” “Skin Deep” and “In Search of Role Models,”.

• Tuesday, February 20 at 10:30 a.m.
  Grandview Campus – Student Activity Center
• Wednesday, February 21 | 12 p.m. | Yakima Campus – Parker Room, Deccio Higher Education Center, Building #8

Join Omari Amili for talks this February in Grandview and Yakima. Amili will share his personal journey from a disadvantaged background and miseducation in the Pacific Northwest to finding a sense of belonging and success in college.

In addition to sharing his story, Amili will discuss what college campuses can do to create a sense of belonging for non-traditional students from backgrounds that, based on societal norms, could cause them to feel like an outsider. Areas of focus for this talk include adverse childhood experiences, incarceration, re-entry, imposter syndrome, diversity, equity, inclusion and more.

Both talks include lunch and are free and open to the public.

About the Speaker:

Amili is a father of 6 from Seattle, Wash. Born into a family dominated by poverty and addiction, he found himself suffering from trauma and chronic instability throughout his childhood. As a young adult he was sent to prison on 30 felony convictions related to a bank fraud scheme. Upon his release from prison at 23 years old, Amili began a postsecondary education journey through which he climbed from earning his GED to a master’s degree from the University of Washington. He now works in the juvenile justice field in addition to being an educator and renowned author and speaker.

Amili’s story has been told throughout the state of Washington as a member of the Humanities Washington speaker’s bureau and his first book, “Transforming Society’s Failure,” is available at every youth, men’s and women’s correctional facility in the state.

Thursday, November 30, 12 p.m. YVC Campus Hopf Union Building (HUB) Activity Area

Are you interested in publishing your poetry? Join the Diversity Series for a poetry workshop where you’ll learn how to craft a poem, submit your work, and get feedback from other poets. Event starts at 12 p.m. in the HUB.

Wednesday, November 15, 7 p.m.
YVC Conference Center, Yakima Campus

Yakima Valley College celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a special event featuring Yakama Nation biologists and scholars commenting on a new documentary from renowned filmmaker Ken Burns. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature approximately 1 hour of film cuts from “The American Buffalo” followed by a panel of prominent Yakama tribal members.

“The American Buffalo” takes viewers on a journey through more than 10,000 years of North American history and across some of the continent’s most iconic landscapes, tracing the animal’s evolution, its significance to the Indigenous people and landscape of the Great Plains, its near extinction, and the efforts to bring the magnificent mammals back from the brink.

The panel will feature Kristi Olney, lead biologist for the Yakama Nation Wildlife Resource Management Program; Jon (JD) Shellenberger, a Yakama artist, archaeologist and entrepreneur; Darwin Sockzehigh, bison technician lead for the Yakama Nation Wildlife Resource Management Program; and Emily Washines, a YVC adjunct instructor of ethnic studies and author of the blog Native Friends, which explores Indigenous history and culture.

YVC History Instructor Kenneth Zontek will serve as host for the event. Zontek is author of “Buffalo Nation: American Indian Efforts to Restore the Bison,” a history of bison restoration efforts that also explores Native peoples’ pursuit of political and cultural autonomy.

Corporate funding for “The American Buffalo” was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by The Better Angels Society and its following members: Margaret A. Cargill Foundation fund at the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation; Diane and Hal Brierley; The Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment; John and Catherine Debs; Kissick Family Foundation; Fred and Donna Seigel; Jacqueline Mars; John and Leslie McQuown; and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Tudor Jones. Funding was also provided by The Volgenau Foundation.

Friday, October 13- Sunday, October 15

YVC’s Diversity Series continues with the 2023 La Chola Conference on the Yakima Valley College Yakima Campus, October 13-15. The conference theme is: “La Chola Xola: Reclaiming Indigenous Guerillera Identities 4 Celebrating Ceremonia in Chola Spaces.” 

For more information about this contact diversityseries@yvcc.edu

Monday, September 25, 2-4 p.m.
YVC Conference Center

YVC’s Diversity Series, along with TRIO Student Support Services is pleased to welcome educator, administrator and author Jeremiah Sims. Sims will present, “Strategies for College Success as a First-Generation Student.” During the talk he will share his personal journey through community college and ultimately UC Berkeley, as a first-generation college student. Also a TRIO alumni, Sims will teach students his self-developed strategies for college success.

Thursday, April 27
2:30  – 4 p.m.

Yakima Valley College’s 2023 Diversity Series, in conjunction with the Climate and Environment student club and the Associated Students of Yakima Valley College (ASYVC), will host noted Indigenous scientist and community advocate Jessica Hernandez, PhD for an author presentation in April. Hernandez will share  key themes and research for her award-winning book, “Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science.”

Hernandez will talk about her book, followed by an audience Q&A,  on Thursday, April 27 from 2:30-4 p.m. in the Deccio Higher Education Center, Building #8, Parker Room and via Zoom.

Leading up to Hernandez’s campus visit, YVC will host book discussions on Wednesday, April 5, and from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in Hopf Union (HUB), Building #9, MLK Room and via Zoom and Wednesday, April 19, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the MLK Room and via Zoom. Discussions will be led by members the Climate and Environment club. YVC students can obtain a free copy of Hernandez’s book at the ASYVC office on the Yakima or Grandview campus. Community members can order a copy of the book online.

About Dr: Jessica Hernandez:

Dr. Hernandez (Binnizá & Maya Ch’orti’) is a transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. She has an interdisciplinary academic background ranging from marine sciences to environmental physics. She is also an advocate for climate, energy and environmental justice.

She is currently in the process of writing a second book, “Growing Papaya Trees: Nurturing Indigenous Roots of Climate Displacement & Justice.” Hernandez has been named by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful and influential women of Central America.

Since 2005 Yakima Valley College has partnered with several area organizations to host events and lectures through its annual Diversity Series. The events provide YVC the opportunity to bring diverse perspectives to everyday topics and push the boundaries of the term beyond race, gender, social class and sexuality.