BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Center for Cultural and International Affairs is beginning a conversation series on campus focused on conversations about overcoming division and building community.

This first luncheon has the Center teaming up with Jessica Vincent, director of the Center for Community Engagement and WE LEAD. The luncheon on Nov. 1 will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in the French See Dining Center side dining room.

Designed in partnership with The King Center, this conversation aims to bring people of different backgrounds together to share stories and experiences around race in order to bridge divides and build the Beloved Community, according to Laurie Goux, director of WVWC’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Next up for the Center for Cultural and International Affairs will be a conversation on Health Disparities in the Black Community with Casilda Woodward-Acquaah, MSN-Ed. This event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 9 from 11 a.m. to noon in the side dining room of the French See Dining Center. A virtual option is also available.

Finally, on Nov. 16 a conversation on Healing the Separation with guest speaker Sylvester Baugh will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in the French See Dining Center side dining room. Baugh, author of “Leveraging Diversity at Work” is director of Baugh Training and Consulting. Prior to Sept. 11, he was a diversity management trainer for United Airlines and has been a professional trainer for employability issues and career development since 1982.

For more information, or to RSVP for any of these events, please email Goux at goux.l@wvwc.edu.

Our Beloved Community Talks serve as a platform that not only seeks to bridge divides but also demonstrates how love in action can serve as a catalyst for change. Recognizing conversations represent just the start of community building, they are significantly vital to the start.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for more than 130 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan one of its 2023 Best Colleges in the Southeastern Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan seventh in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students more than 40 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, and nursing; 22 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 70 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.