International Education Week 2023 Centers on Equity in Global Learning

International Education Week (Nov. 12-17) may have been created by the U.S. State Department, but for us at Emerson, it’s a chance to celebrate all things global about the College.

This year, for the first time, IEW will operate with a theme: Inspiring Equitable Futures in Global Education.

“This theme was identified as a result of Emerson’s ever-deepening relationship between its international communities and programs and the critical issues that members of those communities and programs face in today’s world,” said Corey Blackmar, Director of Global Partnerships and Internationalization, and organizer of Emerson’s IEW events.

Many of the week’s 18 events, Blackmar said, sit squarely at the intersection of these topics:

On Monday, Nov. 13, 6:00-8:00 pm, Emerson alum and filmmaker Yelena Demikovsky, MFA ’04 will screen her film, Black Russians: The Red Experiment. The film focuses on Black Americans who emigrated to the Soviet Union during the first half of the 20th century to escape racism and the Jim Crow South. The film examines the personal and historical complexities of their stories, and will be followed by a talkback with Demikovsky. (The Judee, basement of the Little Building).

Tikesha Morgan, Assistant Dean for Global & Equity Education, will lead BIPOC, Queer & Abroad on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 12:00-1:00 pm. This info session for students who may have questions and/or concerns about traveling globally as someone with intersectional identities. Come get tips, tricks, and general info. (Intercultural Center, 172 Tremont).

Learn about your fellow Emersonians and their myriad cultures at a Multicultural Mingle on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 5:00-7:00 pm (Beard Room, Piano Row), then cap off the week with a chat in your native tongue or your high school Spanish. Stop by one of the Language Tables in the Bordy Theater on Friday, Nov. 17, 2:00-3:00 pm, and strike up a conversation. Just one rule: No English allowed.

Hear about how College leadership is laying the groundwork for a future at Emerson where internationalization and equity are not just inextricably tied, but part of the DNA of everything we do. Anthony Pinder, Vice Provost of Internationalization & Equity, and Shaya Gregory Poku, Vice President for Equity & Social Justice will speak to the theme of this week’s IEW in their keynote, “Inspiring Equitable Futures in Global Education,” on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 4:00-5:00 pm (Greene Theater, Tufte).

In addition to these equity-themed events, are info sessions on Global Pathways program, Fulbright scholarships, the Peace Corps, and more; an International Film Festival of student work; as well as the ever-popular, always delectable Global Food Fest, both in Boston and Los Angeles.

For a full schedule of events, visit emerson.edu/iew.