Stronger Together to Host Second Open-Dialogue Event

The University of Mississippi organizers behind the Stronger Together conversation series are back with a second open dialogue, this time focusing on allyship within the university family.

The second Stronger Together open-dialogue event is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday (June 24). Anyone interested in attending can register by completing this form, which will then direct to a Zoom link for the session.

Wednesday’s dialogue will focus on how members of the university family can be allies to the many minority groups within their larger communities. Participants will select one topic of interest from a list of six, and then be moved into smaller breakout groups that include experts within the topic area.

The six groups are:

• The Grove
• University History, Symbols and Context
• Reimagining Policing on Campus
• Freedom of Speech and the First Amendment
• Campus Elections
• Greek Life

“The first session was designed to be open because we were trying to talk about healing,” said Joshua Mannery, Associated Student Body president. “Now, as we talk about building alliances and allyship, we want people to be able to choose the type of experience they get involved with.

“We have a wealth of topics to cover at the University of Mississippi, and these are the particular issues participants in the first discussion want to talk about.”

The focus of the first Stronger Together open-dialogue event was healing. Participants were placed in breakout rooms where they had freedom to share their feelings about the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and the issue of race in the United States.

The third piece of the Stronger Together campaign will revolve around action. Wednesday’s allyship conversation will go a long way toward achieving that end, Mannery said.

“As we move toward action, we wanted to get more specific,” he said. “There isn’t a lot that you can do to combat national police brutality, but we can address the inequities we have on our campus.

“I think something positive will come from each group, and I’m excited to see what that positivity shapes up to be.”

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By JB Clark, UM Communication