Ursuline College Diversity Book Dialogue Series: P.O.U.R. (Provide-Offer-Uplift-Rebuild) - 2025
The Diversity Book Dialogue focus is to engage in meaningful discussions and broaden perspectives through memoirs/biographies that highlight diverse voices and experiences. During this initiative we had convened a small committee to preview some book recommendations and selected three books that would appeal to several groups within our community. For example, a couple of the books selected were graphic memoirs which appealed to some of our neuro-diverse students. The books were “Feeding Ghosts” (a book also selected for the Anisfield Book Award) & “The Best We Could Do”. Both were written by Asian Americans that explored similar themes of generational trauma, family, and the importance of mental health while touching upon the impact of immigration.
The third book selected was “Song in a Weary Throat: Memoir of An American Pilgrimage Pauli Murray”, that touches upon civil rights, feminism, LGBTQ identities, and the first female priest. We are currently in the final phase of this initiative and collaborating with our faculty in the English Department, who have scheduled a graphic author to do a presentation with students and other members of our community during the month of February.
The participants appreciated the selected books as they told stories, narratives that resonated with their personal lives and provoked conversations in relationship to current world events/viewpoints.
Summary of Program Outcomes
During the initiative we had approximately 50 people participate, including students, faculty, and staff. We scheduled two days of tabling for participants to sign up and share some of their reasons for joining the initiative. Many were interested in reading graphic
memoirs for the first time. We utilized discussion questions that were sent out in advance of each dialogue session that was held. We also watched a YouTube video of Pauli Murray to bring her story to life as we kicked-off that book dialogue series.