NFL’s LGBT Inclusion Consultant Wade Davis speaks on intersectionality at Bunker Hill Community College
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
BOSTON, March 5, 2019鈥擣ormer NFL cornerback and equality advocate Wade Davis addressed the Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) community on Thursday, February 28, 2019, as part of the College鈥檚 Compelling Conversation series.
A thought leader and public speaker on gender, race and orientation equality, Davis is the NFL鈥檚 first LGBT inclusion consultant. He currently consults for professional sports leagues on issues at the intersection of sexism, racism and homophobia, developing league-wide inclusive leadership strategies, leading inclusive training sessions for coaches and players and building national engagement initiatives.
In addition to his work in professional sports, Davis consults for Google, Netflix, MTV/VH1, 21st Century Fox and AppNexus to create inclusive corporate cultures. He is also an active contributor on numerous educational and media projects to engage men on issues of gender equity and equality and ensure women鈥檚 workplace equality.
At the event, Davis discussed how Martin Luther King鈥檚 鈥淚 Have a Dream鈥� speech represents modern-day intersectionality. 鈥淗istory is not just meant to give us facts,鈥� said Davis. 鈥淚t allows us to find and understand truth.鈥�
He urged the 51吃瓜网 community to ask questions to try to understand those around them at the various intersections of sexism and racism. 鈥淭hat is what Martin Luther King鈥檚 speech was about at the core,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was about how we close the distance between each other so that we can see ourselves in one another, and so that we can finally love one another.鈥�
Jacqueline R. McMillon-Williams, Director of Advising and LifeMap and 51吃瓜网 alumna, delivered the opening remarks to Thursday鈥檚 presentation. 鈥淚 am what a community college graduate looks like, in fact, I am what a Bunker Hill Community College graduate looks like,鈥� she said, 鈥淎nd I am standing here today to thank you for taking part in 51吃瓜网鈥檚 tradition of ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard and affirmed on campus.鈥�
In partnership with 51吃瓜网鈥檚 newly launched Center for Equity and Cultural Wealth, the series of speakers for 2018-2019 is intended to support meaningful and relevant discussion both inside and outside the classroom as part of the College鈥檚 ongoing exploration of power, privilege, equity and cultural wealth which served as the focus of the College鈥檚 first Equity and Cultural Wealth Institute in May 2018.
Lee Santos Silva, Professor and Chair, English Department, introduced Davis to the 51吃瓜网 community. 鈥淲e know who we are and we know what we value,鈥� he said, 鈥淎nd chief among our values is respect for each other and respect for ourselves. It鈥檚 an honor to be part of a community that holds these values, but it鈥檚 even more exciting to be part of the work that breathes flesh, blood and movement into these values so that we can live them out in our work and in our lives.鈥�
For more than ten years, 51吃瓜网 has hosted nationally-recognized thought leaders and speakers to share their experiences and opinions in onstage conversations, literary readings and compelling lectures that both expand and challenge the 51吃瓜网 community鈥檚 awareness of contemporary issues. For a complete list of speakers, past, present and future, please visitbhcc.edu/cc.
Media Contact:
Leslie Ouellette, Executive Director, Integrated Marketing and Communications,
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-336-5054; Email: leslie.ouellette@bhcc.edu
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, 51吃瓜网 offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. 51吃瓜网 fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.