Event in Bothwell Auditorium is free and open to the public
Blackburn College will host Dr. Cynthia Ganote, an inclusion and belonging expert, educator, and consultant, as part of the Kathleen J. Eberle Memorial Lecture Series in the Social Sciences. The event will take place on Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 pm in Bothwell Auditorium and is free and open to the public.
Ganote works with individuals and organizations to strengthen communication and build more inclusive environments. A sociologist by training, she has spent more than 25 years teaching and working in areas related to race, class, gender, and inequality. Ganote has taught at Vanderbilt University, Saint Mary’s College of California, and the University of Louisville. She received the 2022 Multicultural Teaching Award at Louisville, which recognizes faculty who create inclusive learning environments.
Her work centers on how small, everyday interactions shape culture over time. Alongside colleagues Dr. Tasha Souza and Dr. Floyd Cheung, Ganote co-developed microresistance training, an approach that gives people practical tools to respond to microaggressions, misunderstandings, and conflict. The focus is on what can be done in the moment, whether someone is directly affected or observing the exchange.
“Conversations about belonging are happening across higher education, and they are especially important on a campus like Blackburn where relationships and community are central to the student experience,” said Dr. Trisha Prunty, professor of psychology and social science division chair. “Dr. Ganote offers a way to think about those ideas beyond the classroom, and we invite the community to be a part of that conversation.”
This event at Blackburn College is funded through the Kathleen J. Eberle Memorial Lecture Series in the Social Sciences, an endowed fund established to bring guest lecturers and speakers to campus who will inspire, engage, and inform students, faculty, and the community in the area of social sciences, with a focus on social justice issues.