Diversity activists Noor Tagouri, Sonia Nazario, and Brian Mosteller were welcomed by SPA and a sizeable crowd Tuesday night in Alumni Hall.  The Discussion of Diversity on a College Campus Panel aimed to address how students can take steps to be more inclusive and diverse on campus.

Noor Tagouri

Tagouri spoke about her experience as a journalist thus far, and when she became the first woman to wear a hijab in a Playboy magazine. She stressed the importance of social media when considering diversity, noting that there are both pros and cons to the online platform. As a result of algorithms, readers are left believing that most people share similar viewpoints as themselves, which can be a dangerous mindset. Tagouri left the crowd with the wise career advice to, “combine causes that pain you the most with your skills and talents.” She emphasized that diversity helps give a voice to the voiceless, especially through factual journalism.

Mosteller, Nazario, Tagouri, and moderator Adriana Lacy (left to right) engage in insightful commentary regarding diversity and inclusion on college campuses. (Photo: Oyoma Asinor)

Sonia Nazario

Nazario, self-proclaimed “activist with a pen,” emphasized her advocacy for immigrants, particularly children fleeing from Central America. She spoke about her own experience as an Argentinian and living there during the Dirty War. One day in Argentina, Nazario and her mother found a puddle of blood on the street, soon discovering it belonged to two reporters who had dared to share the reality of the war. It was at that moment that she realized she needed to become a reporter.

Nazario also spoke about Kids in Need of Defense (KIDS), an organization that provides immigrant children, who have dared to make the treacherous journey into the United States alone, with a lawyer to stand with them in court. She believes these children should be considered refugees, and hopes the presence of a lawyer will help them enter the United States to join their families. Nazario concluded with a plea for students to support strong, fact-based journalism to help protect democracy.

Brian Mosteller

Mosteller, former Director of Oval Office Operations during the Obama administration, stressed the importance of traveling to gain perspective and an understanding of diversity. Through traveling to various places of worship, picking up a book you wouldn’t normally read, and engaging in fact-based debates, he believes students will gain a better understanding of diversity. Mosteller believes that by remaining optimistic and using social media to share atrocities, like police brutality, we’ve been able to see problems and incite changes for the better. “The truth of the matter is,” he concluded, “mankind is doing okay.” Humanity is in better shape than ever, at least on a global scale, and by having difficult conversations with people who are different from ourselves, we’ll be able to create a better world.