The Office of Multicultural Affairs and Know Your Neighbors will host a virtual community leader panel Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The panel will feature residents from the local Cleveland community who aim to spread awareness about activities happening in their neighborhoods.
The residents will talk about what they do in their neighborhoods, the impact that their work has locally, and all the assets their neighborhoods have to offer. Students will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions.
This event is being hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs as well as a group of students and recent alumni working together on a completely student-run campaign to improve relationships with the local community.
Event organizers recognize CWRU students are not integrated with the communities surrounding campus and may hold negative stereotypes about local residents—seeing the neighborhoods as being solely defined by poverty and crime—and that local residents often do not feel welcome on campus.
Know Your Neighbors’ mission is to recognize the effects of past institutional decisions, establish positive relationships between students and residents, and cultivate pride that goes both ways through empowering local residents and educating students on the many assets of the surrounding communities.