Danna McIntire, a community organizer, will present several programs during Clarion University's observance of "National Mix Up Day" on Nov. 10.
McIntire will present presentations, 9:30-10:45 a.m., 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., and 2-3:15 p.m. in the Gemmell Student Complex Multi-Purpose Room. The programs are free and open to all with faculty members being urged to bring their classes to the activity. Those bringing
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| Danna McIntire |
Clarion University's Martin Luther King Jr. Committee, Building Bridges program, Office of Minority Student Services, and ASIA are sponsoring the "National Mix It Up Day," a joint initiative of Tolerance.org and Teaching Tolerance.
"As part of National Mix It Up Day, be a part of the experience that links you from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Fred Flintsone," said McIntire about her presentation. "This is an hour of interactive fun that offers a taste of pop culture, a little of this and a little of that, maybe a winning hand, and definitely something that will leave you with a thought or two. Join us as we get befuddled, bunched up and thrown together in a mixed up way."
McIntire has been a community organizer for about 10 years. This includes planning numerous Latino and multicultural events in the Harrisburg area. She currently works for the federal government in a similar capacity of reaching out to diverse communities. She has worked with everyone from the Amish, Asians, Africans . . . on down the alphabet. She is also the founder of Hablanews.com, a bi-lingual website.
Teaching Tolerance's Mix It Up program helps K-12 teachers develop inclusive school communities. Teaching Tolerance provides Mix It Up activities for teachers to use to organize a successful Mix It Up and promote social border crossing all year long.
The organization believes thrive socially and academically in schools that are inclusive. Yet, for far too many students, schools are hotbeds of exclusion. Social scientists have long maintained that contact between diverse groups helps alleviate tensions and reduce prejudice. Mix It Up seeks to break down the barriers between students and improve inter-group relations so there are fewer misunderstandings that can lead to conflicts, bullying, and harassment.
Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving inter-group relations and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children.
Teaching Tolerance offers educational materials to teachers and other school practitioners in the U.S. and abroad. Its self-titled magazine is sent to 400,000 educators twice annually, and tens of thousands of educators use our free curricular kits. More than 10,000 schools participate in the annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day program.
Teaching Tolerance's teaching materials have won two Oscars, an Emmy and more than 20 honors from the Association of Educational Publishers, including two Golden Lamp Awards, the industry's highest honor. Scientific surveys demonstrate that our programs help students learn respect for differences and bolster teacher practice.
"National Mix It Up Day" is the last program for the Fall 2009 semester for the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee. Activities will resume, Jan. 27, 2010, with National African American Read-In Day at 1 p.m. in Level A, Carlson Library.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee maintains that the breadth of Dr. King's heritage as an American leader is a mainly untapped resource. Consequently, this year's committee seeks to focus on the theme "The Audacity of the Dream." Some areas of Dr. King's active involvement to further social justice include all levels of schooling, human violence, intolerance, gender issues, and the structure of job opportunities. Programs in these and other domains developed through various academic disciplines seem appropriate for the committee to cooperatively develop this year.
Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.
