The Crossing Bridges Summit

Program Overview

The Crossing Bridges Summit is one of our signature programs in which students, faculty, and staff engage with community members to address racial divides in the Mon Valley.

The Crossing Bridges Summit is comprised of five key areas:

Speaker Series

The Speaker Series brings prominent local and national figures to campus to offer different perspectives on questions of race and racism in the United States and the Mon Valley. This year, our Speaker Series will consist of four panel discussions Examining Black Women's Health. Our final event, Political Influences on Black Women's Health will be held on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. ET. Be sure to view the archive from our previous events.

2020-2021 Crossing Bridges Summit Panelists

Summit Talks

Summit Talks occur the Saturday after each Speakers Series event. Faculty, staff, students and community members join discussion leaders to consider our speakers' major points. Participants identify actionable items the campus will pursue as it works to be an agent for positive change. Our next Summit Talk will occur on Thursday, April 15, 2021 from 4:35 p.m - 5:30 p.m. ET, following the Political Influences on Black Women's Health panel discussion.

Unity Talks

Our student-led campus-based discussions focus on topics that emerge from student dialogue about race and racism. Unity Talks engage students, faculty, and staff in honest dialogue about issues that concern students. During the Fall 2020 semester, our Black Student Union and our Student Government Association sponsored two Unity Talks: "Do You Feel Safe in Your Skin" and "Youth Activism". The first Spring 2021 event, "Protest: Reflections of Identity on Activism" was held February 22. The next event is "One Year Later: A Reflection on Race and Identity During a Time of COVID-19, Quarantine, Isolation and a Virtual World" and will be held March 30.

Visiting Scholar

The Visiting Scholar Series brings intellectuals, artists, activists and others to campus for a yearlong engagement to include teaching, community outreach, research, and/or creative performance. Dr. Tom Poole, a civil rights scholar with extensive work in educational equity is the current Visiting Scholar.

Task Force on Racial Equity and Justice

Our Task Force on Racial Equity and Justice works to create a community in which individuals can thrive and be successful. The Task Force is responsible for examining curriculum and programming and making recommendations to ensure that all members of the campus community develop an understanding of racial justice, racism and its impact on society. The Task Force also makes recommendations on professional development offerings for employees and works to ensure that students have equitable access to an education at Penn State Greater Allegheny.