We speak with Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., as he begins his sixth academic year as Chancellor of UNC Greensboro. In the midst of a global pandemic and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement, he shares his personal experience of becoming the first Black chancellor of a non-HBCU in the UNC System. “The beauty of universities is that they can be a space of discovery, and they can also be a space for real dialog,” he says, “At the same time, they can be institutions that reify existing structures of bias and discrimination.” In light of this, Chancellor Gilliam discusses the call to become “anti-racist”, and speaks about the tremendous potential of UNCG as an unusually diverse campus. “We’re diverse on a number of dimensions,” he says. “The campus is not dominated by any one group… What’s interesting about this is that when students come out of their classes, they’re likely to see somebody that looks like them… That’s the power and beauty of this campus. We’re all in one place. It’s a good step in this grand march towards freedom.”
UNCG student Luis Mejia Cruz, a chemistry student who immigrated to Greensboro from Mexico City when he was nine years old, also joins the conversation. Luis shares his thoughts on the importance of connecting with our history, and talks about how the pandemic has sparked connections within his community.
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 14: Living a Life of Value
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 13: Creating New Possibilities
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 12: History Speaks: Unsung Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement Visual History Project
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 11: Giving Voice to the Voiceless
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 9: A Moment of Change
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 8: In the Wake of Uncertainty - Creating New Possibilities
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 7: Student Success During a Pandemic
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 6: The Power of Local Networks in Food Security
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 5: Virology in the time of COVID-19
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 4: Creatively Creating On and Off the Stage
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 3: Cooking Palestinian Food to Build Community in Greensboro
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 2: Improvisation in Jazz and Everything Else
Yes, and Cafe - Episode 1: Play is Learning and Life
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