Our two-day Unity in Community Days event – March 26-27, 2025 – is available for Merrimack faculty, staff, students and community members. Please review the schedule below.
Speaker: Kadie LaFlamme
Moderator: Sarah Simmons
Location: Arcidi A
Students will engage in a thought-provoking workshop designed to deepen their understanding of privilege and its impact on our lives. Through a blend of insightful discussions and engaging exercises, participants will explore the concept of privilege, focusing on how it influences our interactions, opportunities and perceptions in daily life. Discover the complex relationship between privilege and power, and engage in introspective dialogue to reflect on your own experiences and their broader social implications. By the end of the session, participants will have a clearer grasp of privilege’s role in shaping social dynamics and practical strategies for fostering compassion, civility, justice and human rights.
Speaker: Ayana McCoy, Gabby Womack and Dr. Shameka Powell
Moderator: Melissa Spencer
Location: Crowe Hall Executive Room
Join us for an engaging panel discussion exploring the challenges and triumphs of professionals’ journey through uncharted territories. This session brings together experts from sociology, the sciences and library studies, who have navigated challenging environments and interactional experiences, defied expectations and paved the way for future generations. Panelists will share their personal journeys, discuss systemic challenges, and offer insights on mentorship, resilience and expanding opportunities for advancement. No matter your field, this discussion will provide valuable perspectives and actionable strategies to chart your success.
Speaker: Dr. Ebelia Hernández
Moderator: Dr. Michael Mobley
Location: Aricidi A
Student activism has been a part of the college experience since the beginning of college student life. There are several reasons students engage in activism, and there are significant developmental outcomes that include cognitive, interpersonal and identity development. This talk will review multiple studies on Latino adults (college years and beyond) to examine how interactions with peers, class assignments and participation in cultural organizations’ activism influenced an internalized, lifelong motivation to serve their communities.
Speaker: Dr. Reverend Jennifer Harvey
Moderator: MT Davila
Location: Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher
The political realities have changed a great deal in a short period of time raising questions of our commitments to civil rights, human rights and justice for all. Yet, the same histories and discourses sustaining civic injustices that have long impeded our work to create a U.S. society in which all of us can flourish remain alive and activated in the current civic moment. Jennifer Harvey has spent decades as a white U.S.-American educator and a Christian pastor who is also queer helping build and live within a multi-racial community rooted in a commitment to the well-being and flourishing of us all. In this presentation, she’ll share lessons, challenges and hope-giving portals of possibility from her own experience that have much to offer us now as we seek to live together well in a time of profound difficulty.
Speaker: Rachael Tampone
Moderator: Cristina Fernández
Location: Arcidi A
Professional staff from International Student Support and Study Abroad will host a panel of students who will discuss their experiences studying abroad, with specific emphasis on intercultural connections and expanded perspectives gained through this experience. The panel will include four students: two international students studying here at Merrimack (one graduate, one undergraduate) and two students who have studied abroad outside of the United States (one semester long, one short term). The session is ideal for students who may be thinking about study abroad opportunities, as well as faculty and staff who may want to get involved with global education and faculty-staff led opportunities at Merrimack. International snacks will be provided.
Speaker: Kevin McGuire
Moderator: Debra Michals
Location: Cascia Hall
This session will provide information on effective and responsive interventions to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities across various contents and spaces. A brief video featuring Universal Epic Universe will be shown, and McGuire will share his experience in being a part of Steven Spielberg’s creative team to ensure maximum accessibility. McGuire will offer an interactive Q&A session responding to topics and issues including but not limited to, access to education, housing, places of public accommodation and caregiving.
Speaker: Brian Pistols, Tides, Step2 and Cachief
Moderator: Christian Kronsted
Location: Cascia Hall
The Flavor Continues (FTC) is Massachusetts’ first community-led nonprofit organization enacting social change through Street & Club dance. Join TFC as they provide an overview of their mission and operations, an introductory lesson to Street dance, and cypher demonstration. Learn about how Hip Hop’s lifespan from a NYC subculture in the 1970’s to a global phenomenon today continues to bring liberation, healing, unity, and empowerment to the people through the spirit of the go off.
Unity in Community, a two-day program, now in its tenth semester, represents the President’s Initiative on Belonging, Engagement and Excellence. The program features community scholars, leaders, artists and advocates who will share knowledge and strategies, designed to enhance awareness and understanding. The Merrimack community will gather for forums, panels and discussions to inspire attendees to nurture spaces of belonging in our campus community and beyond.
Who Should Attend
All events are in person and are free and open to the public.
Event Details
This campus-wide programming is sponsored by the President’s initiative President’s Initiative on Belonging, Engagement and Excellence in collaboration with the Office of the Provost.
