ECTC to host panel discussion March 9

Elizabethtown Community & Technical College presents “Words that Fly and Words that Die: Acceptable Language in Diverse Communities,” sponsored by the student organization “we” (women, etc.), at 7 p.m. March 9 in Room 212 of the Regional Postsecondary Center. The program will include a panel of ECTC faculty and a discussion facilitated by Mikal Forbush of The University of Louisville’s Muhammad Ali Center for Peace and Justice, and will provide an opportunity to learn about language as a tool to promote peace-building and healthy diverse relationships.

Professor of English Michael Coyle will begin the panel with a discussion about the functions of language and the way it can be used with deliberation to confirm or alienate those with whom we interact. 

The following panelists will continue this message with the following focus: Associate Professor of Spanish Alberto Moreno - Race/Nationality; Library Assistant Bernice Bennett - Sexual Orientation; Women’s Studies Instructor Susan Berry – Gender; and Professor of Anthropology Pem Buck – Class.

The program will conclude with a brief presentation by Mikal Forbush, the program coordinator at the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Louisville. In keeping with the mission of the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice, which is to advance the work, study and practice of peacemaking, social justice and violence prevention through the development of innovative educational programs, training, service and research, Forbush will then lead the audience in an interactive discussion about derogatory language used to refer to African Americans, and equip participants with the skills to engage in positive relationships with sensitivity in a diverse community. 

For information about the presentation, contact Deena Lilygren, 706-8582, or Maggie Brown, 706-8446, at ECTC.