NC Pride Month

Dear Campus Community, 

April is North Central College Pride Month! The Cardinal Safe Zone committee, in partnership with the student organization OUTreach and the Department of Art and Design, has planned a month of activities to coincide with Day of Silence on April 23. Day of Silence is a national day of action to spread awareness about the effects of bullying and harassment of LGBTQIA+ students.   

Unfortunately, homophobic and transphobic actions and incidents continue to occur on our campus. As stated in a message from President Hammond to the campus community in February, “these actions stand in stark contrast to the College’s core values of equity, diversity and inclusion and simply have no place on our campus or within our community.” The Cardinal Safe Zone committee remains steadfast to its mission to help create and sustain a safe, just, and supportive campus where individuals of all sexual and gender identities encounter equal opportunity and feel appreciated for the ways they enhance our community through their presence.   

As such, you are cordially invited to participate in all Pride Month events. Additionally, we will be featuring content throughout the month of April on our social media platforms Facebook (Cardinal Safe Zone Ally Program at North Central College) and Instagram (@ncsafezone). Be sure to follow us! Please visit the Cardinal Safe Zone Pride HUB Page for a list of all Pride Month events and meeting links: https://hub.northcentralcollege.edu/sites/diversity-inclusion/news/18370/cardinal-safe-zone-pride-month 

PRIDE MONTH EVENTS: 

All Month
Pride Month Book Display, Oesterle Library 
You will be able to find books on LGBTQIA+ history, YA, Adult Fiction and other topics.  

Wednesday, April 7 
OUTreach Meeting/Movie Night (Moonlight), 7:30 pm 
OUTreach meeting and movie night will be in Smith Hall. OUTreach will be showing the Best Picture-winning film Moonlight. Moonlight is an American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. Limited space available. This meeting can be attended both online and in-person, but if you attend in-person, you MUST RSVP for the event.  

(RSVP Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j-uQtLxZ5Az2pLs4X7pdcnl_wDlBVqJUo-fj15FG_fM/edit?usp=sharing) 

Thursday, April 8  
OUTreach Tie Dye Event, Rall House Lawn, Noon - 1:30 pm 
OUTreach will be holding their annual Dye with Pride event, where students can tie-dye their very own bandana. Limited space available. This event can be attended in-person, but if you attend in-person, you MUST RSVP for the event.  

(RSVP Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tjnMMFb8KXu8v7oovA0dLHMhle6A3KXfBhlGKBYUUbM/edit?usp=sharing)

Tuesday, April 13 
Informational and Giveaway Table, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm 
The Office of Multicultural Affairs will have a table outside the science center. We will be sharing facts about the LGBTQIA+ community and giving away stickers, flags and other giveaway items. 

Wednesday, April 21 
Talk with Artist Sam Kirk, 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm via Zoom 

Sam Kirk is a Chicago based multidisciplinary artist, who explores culture and identity politics. Her artwork focuses on a variety of intersections that encompass a call to celebrate differences and enact change. Vivid and powerful images of women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who have historically been underrepresented are celebrated in narratives that share the journeys that have made them who they are.  

Kirk’s artwork, much like her life, has been an ongoing narrative about how life’s experiences impact our identity. Her public murals often address social issues, as she intentionally uses the public space to spark dialogue around topics of equality and visibility for women, communities of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community.  

Sam's work has been featured in top publications such as O Magazine, Forbes, and recently was listed as one of the top 50 Artists of 2020 in Chicago by New City Magazine. Her collaborations include global brands and US-based non-profit organizations such as Houghton Mifflin, Xfinity/Comcast, World Business Chicago, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and WBEZ.  

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89625987372pwd=bXBseTFpSzVRUTZMOHNySnNwQy9VZz09  
Meeting ID: 896 2598 7372 
Passcode: YMt3k8 

Friday, April 23 
Day of Silence 
Day of Silence is an annual day of action to spread awareness about the effects of the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students. Flag displays and information about Day of Silence will be placed across campus.  

If you have questions, please contact Cardinal Safe Zone at safezone@noctrl.edu or Dorothy Pleas, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs at djpleas@noctrl.edu.   

Thank you, 

Cardinal Safe Zone Committee 

Karl Constant, Multicultural Affairs 
Myrtle Castro, Residence Life 
Hale Ekinci, Art and Design 
Kevin McCarthy, Student Affairs 
Dorothy Pleas, Multicultural Affairs 
Rachel Pridgen, Student Involvement 
Claire Vail, CSZ Student Worker 
Andrew Zobac, Residence Life 

Dorothy Pleas 
Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural Affairs 
North Central College 
djpleas@noctrl.edu 
Pronouns: she/her/hers