Tapestry of Diversity and Inclusion Award
The Tapestry of Diversity and Inclusion Award is the highest distinction accorded to any employee or group of persons based on their contributions in fostering our institution’s mission as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The award celebrates the values of DEI on our campus by recognizing individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions through their leadership, service and/or support activities at SUNY Oneonta.
Commissioned in the Spring of 2010, the artist, Ms. Haifa Bint-Kadi, described the Tapestry of Diversity Sculpture as, “… seven separate mosaic poles representing the unique cultures and races of the seven continents of the world, united by the larger mosaic pole sculpture.” It invites engagement, dialogue, and contemplation as one walks through the seven mosaic poles and the main pole. Banded with tapestry and weaving patterns from around the world, the central pole provides multicultural narratives acknowledging the core values of the TDIA as envisioned by the OEI and PCOD.
This year's recipient, Dr. Maria Chaves Daza, assistant professor of Africana and Latinx Studies, was recognized with a plaque and a $500 award. The addition of the $500 prize to the TDIA was made possible by the Capek Family Fund for Inclusive Excellence, which aims to assist with DEI initiatives that advance inclusive excellence.
“This award, for me, is really about my ability to build community with people dedicated to education, to make spaces that are transformative, to decenter normative euro-centric ideas and make space for the periphery, for the disposed, for the forgotten for the atravesados, the queer, trans community of my heart; my communities of sustenance. I am grateful for the indigenous elders who took care of the land that we have the privilege to teach, learn and live on every day. The Haudenosaunee – the English/ French called them the Iroquois or the five nations, consisting of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk – the stewards of this land are also an important part of the community that I want to recognize today in making possible for all of us to gather together. I also want to recognize the many immigrants, service workers, healthcare workers, and artists responsible for providing life-giving and sustaining work to all of us. It is in this way that I weave my tapestry, what this award means to me."
Past Recipients:
Dale Capristo
Trudy Thomas Smith
Caridad Sousa
Bernadette Tiapo
Zanna McKay
Maria Christina Montoya
Emmanuel Woodland
Pathy Leiva
Melinda Brenna