SUNY Empire Diversity Task Force to Host Forum Addressing Anti-Semitism on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – APRIL 20, 2020) SUNY Empire State College will host a forum addressing anti-Semitism on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day on Tuesday, April 21. The session will focus on the continued importance of remembering the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, and address the recent increase of incidents of anti-Semitism around the world.

Last year, the President’s Task Force to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion was formed by SUNY Empire State College President Jim Malatras. Its mission is to proactively assess the college’s diversity and inclusivity climate in the wake of alarming incidents of hate—particularly anti-Semitism— on college campuses across the nation. The task force’s mission is to expand opportunities for underrepresented groups, coordinate initiatives to increase diversity, enhance academic support, and expand public policy research on issues of equity, tolerance and inclusion and to do so in real time as emerging issues arise.

One of the task force’s first actions is a series to increase cultural awareness through deliberative conversation, a virtual format designed to bring together individuals who represent diverse perspectives.

“Over the past several years, the increase in hate and incidents of anti-Semitism around the globe, including here in New York, is alarming,” said SUNY Empire State College President Jim Malatras. “This forum on Holocaust Remembrance Day is a way for us to learn from the past and confront this trend head-on. Many thanks to the SUNY Empire Presidential Task Force to Enhance Diversity and Inclusion for putting this important program together.”

"It is an honor for me to be part of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israel's national memorial day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust,” said SUNY Empire State College Associate Dean of the School for Graduate Studies Eileen Angelini, co-author and director of “France Divided,” a documentary focused on the division of France during World War II.

“Deliberative conversations are a form of citizen engagement at SUNY Empire State College,” said SUNY Empire State College Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Rhianna Rogers. “They highlight SUNY Empire’s desire to offer students culturally inclusive and timely programming around today’s pressing issues in hopes of achieving an increased understanding of an issue from differing perspectives.”

The Holocaust Remembrance Day forum is the third in this year’s series, preceded by deliberative conversations about gentrification in New York state and why every vote counts in an election. Registration is required to participate in the conversation, which is scheduled for April 21 at 5:30 p.m. Upon registering, guests will be provided with conversational guiding documents.

Attendees are encouraged to view “The Path to Nazi Genocide” prior to the event. The documentary is available at no cost at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College educates students at any stage of life with a personalized learning experience delivered online, in person, or a blend of both. Since 1971, SUNY Empire has empowered students to earn an accredited degree around the demands of a busy lifestyle to advance their personal and professional goals. With world-class faculty, more than 1,300 dedicated mentors to help students tailor their degree programs, and cutting-edge distance learning technology, SUNY Empire delivers a trusted and flexible online college experience grounded in more than 30 New York State locations and seven international sites where students can learn and collaborate in person. Our nearly 50 years as a leader in awarding credit for prior learning and life experience helps students earn a degree faster and at lower cost. To learn more, visit www.esc.edu and follow @SUNYEmpire.