Fresno State celebrates Diversity Awareness Week April 20-25 with notable speakers Lawson Fusao Inada, a Fresno native and 2006 Poet Laureate of Oregon, and Fadumo Dayib, the first woman to run for president of Somalia.

Dayib will speak on Monday April 20 at noon in the USU room 309 on campus. Born in Somalia, Dayib fled to Finland with mother during Somalia’s civil war in the 1990s. She spent 12 years as a healthcare and development specialist working with the European Union and the United Nations, tackling problems like forced migration, gender issues and HIV/AIDS prevention. Dayib is now a candidate for president of Somalia. She will campaign on a platform of education, minority protection and youth employment. Dayib will be interviewed by Dr. Kris Clarke, professor in the Department of Social Work. The two became friends when they both lived in Finland. Dayib’s visit is sponsored by the College of Health and Human Services, the Department of Social Work Education and the Cultural Heritage Institute.

Inada was born in 1938 in Fresno. He is a third-generation Japanese American. In 1942, Inada and his family were sent to internment camps in Fresno, Arkansas and Colorado. He was one of the youngest to live in the camps. Inada, also a jazz bass player and jazz aficionado, studied poetry with Philip Levine at Fresno State. His books of poetry include “Before the War: Poems as they Happened” and “Legends from the Camps.” Inada’s visit is sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Institute and the Department of Social Work Education.

Other Diversity Awareness Week activities include:

  • Faculty Panel on Cultural Competency, 11. a.m.- 1 p.m. Monday April 20 in the Madden Library, room 2206. The event is sponsored by the Center for the Scholarly Advancement of Learning and Teaching, Researchers and Critical Educators, and Multidisciplinary Perspectives of Women in Education and Research
  • Safe Zone Training at Fresno State, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 21 in the Madden Library room 3212. The event is sponsored by LGBT+ Allies.
  • International Coffee Hour, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 in the Madden Library room 2206. The event is sponsored by International Student Services and Programs
  • A screening of the film “Dislecksia” followed by a student and faculty panel, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 in the Satellite Student Union. The event is sponsored by Services for Students with Disabilities and Student Involvement.
  • NCBI: Building Bridges, Tackling Fears (Classism), 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Wednesday April 22 in the Madden Library, room 2206. The event is sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Institute.
  • Farmworker Appreciation Day film and discussion, 5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Wednesday April 22 in the Satellite Student Union. The event is sponsored by the College of Social Sciences.
  • Dr. Sara Cooper from Chico State University will present “Nuts and Bolts of Small Press Publishing: The Cubanabooks Case Study,” 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday April 23 in the Music Building room 160. The event is sponsored by APCE – Asociación para la promoción de la cultura en español.
  • Multicultural Night at 7 p.m., Thursday April 23 in the Satellite Student Union. The event is sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Rho Multicultural Fraternity Inc.
  • Dedication of the Armenian Genocide Monument at 7:30 p.m., Thursday April 23 at the Maple Mall at Fresno State. The event is sponsored by The Armenian Genocide Centennial – Fresno Committee.
  • Screening of the film “OMAR,” 5:30 p.m. Friday April 24 in the Peter’s Education Center auditorium. The screening is sponsored by CineCulture.
  • World Moment of Silence in Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, 7:15 p.m. Friday April 24.The event is sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Centennial – Fresno Committee.
  • Welcoming Diversity Workshop, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25 in the Vintage Room. The event is sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Institute and guests must pre-register at www.fresnostate.edu/cvchi.

For more information or if you need special accommodations please call the Central Valley Cultural Heritage Institute at 559.278.6946 or visit in the Thomas Administration building, room 110A.