News Release
August 2003
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)—Moravian College will
soon mount a mural display that features a collection of thought-provoking
and moving quotations about diversity and inclusion. The diversity
mural, comprised of four large wall panels, will be installed in the
Pavilion area of the Huppert Union Building on Wednesday morning, August
27. The panels contain an artistic presentation of quotes from a variety
of prominent individuals—including civil rights and religious
leaders, philosophers, humanitarians, poets, and writers. The quotes
reflect a wide range of perspectives from an ethnically diverse group
of people throughout history and from around the globe.
The project began over a year ago when the College
solicited quotations from Moravian College students, faculty, and
staff that would affirm
the institution’s commitment to diversity. “The response
was thoughtful and overwhelming,” said Mike Seidl, assistant
to the president. “We discovered that just as we at Moravian
celebrate our differences—whether intellectual, religious, racial,
or ethnic—we also seek a common ground in which those differences
are joined in shared human experience and purpose.”
The project was guided by Sharon Brown, director
of institutional diversity and multicultural affairs, who led an
ad-hoc group of student,
faculty, and administrators. Anne Dutlinger, art department chair and
assistant professor of art, worked with graphic design students Erin
Boyle ’02, and Lauren Nicholas ’01 to design the layout
of the quotations. Brown is particularly impressed with the message
that the new mural conveys. “We felt that we needed a visual
symbol that reflects one of our core values at Moravian,” she
said.
Two panels will be installed on the inside wall
of the Pavilion cupola. One includes a quote from abolitionist Frederick
Douglas, “The
mind does not take its complexion from the skin.” The same panel
contains a quote from a 14th century Moravian theologian, Jan Hus, “Love
the truth. Let others have their truth, and the truth will prevail.” A
quote from Jewish scholar Rabbi Hillel reads, “If I am not for
myself, who will be? If I am only for myself, who am I?” An excerpt
from a poem by Mexico’s Octavio Paz, a Nobel Laureate in Literature,
is presented in his native Spanish and an English translation.
A second panel features a quote from Martin Luther
King, Jr., “We
are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single
garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Another
quote by Leontyne Price, a Mississippi musician and opera singer, notes
that “Accomplishment has no color.” Poet Maya Angelou is
also represented: “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past,
threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.” Civil
rights advocate Nelson Mandela is also quoted, “Education is
the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Words
of Eleanor Roosevelt’s are also featured: “No one can make
you inferior unless you agree to it.”
Another long wall in the Pavilion will hold a panel
with a quote from French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, “There are no elements so diverse
that they cannot be joined in the heart.” Mother Theresa is quoted, “If
you judge a person, you have not time to love them.” From Harriet
Tubman, a former slave who worked to free other slaves, “I was
free, but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I
was a stranger in a strange land.” There are also quotes from
Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu and Hopi Native American writer Polingaysi
Qoyawama.
A panel on the back wall of the Pavilion affirms
a shared value at Moravian which is contained in the College’s strategic plan: “Diversity—The
best education brings together a diverse population of men and women
in a climate that values equality, promotes mutual respect, and explores
the benefits and challenges of living in an inclusive and pluralistic
world.”
