Category: Uncategorized

Gain a greater understanding of mental health during this virtual session, “Mental Health Matters: Cultivating Community Awareness.” The free educational event was held on Wednesday, May 24 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Listen to a panel of local mental health experts as they discuss the impact mental health challenges can have on individuals, families, and communities.

A link to the recorded presentation can be found at this link.

Reading List:

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental Illness by Roy Richard Grinker

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America by Ron Powers

Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison

Hershey All Things Diversity’s latest virtual educational session with focus on “Understanding the Muslim Community”. The session was held on Wednesday, March 1 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Four guest panelists shared insights into the key tenets of Muslim faith, provided some historical perspectives on the American Muslim story and discussed the current dynamics shaping American Muslim communities.   The event was be livestreamed on the Hershey All Things Diversity YouTube channel and the recording has been posted so community members can review the session at any time.

Panelists at this event discussed ways their organizations seek to attract and retain a diverse talent pool of employees. Some of Hershey’s largest employers were represented, including Lynette Chappell-Williams, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Penn State Health; Alicia Petross, Chief Diversity Officer, The Hershey Company; Leslie Ferraro, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts; and Fonati Abrokwa, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion, Milton Hershey School. 

Click this link to watch the live stream on the Hershey All Things Diversity YouTube Channel. 

This session welcomed a panel of speakers who highlighted how they are employing diversity, equity and inclusion training and perspectives in their work with students and the community at large. Panelists include Stacy Winslow, Superintendent of Derry Township School District; Chief Garth Warner, Derry Township Police Department; and Fonati Abrokwa, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion at Milton Hershey School.

Click the link below to watch a recording of the live stream on the Hershey All Things Diversity YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NOaP7f2h6E

Lindsey Lughes from the LGBT Center of Central PA speaks about how to understand and support the LGBTQ+ young people in your life. This session will cover basic terminology and language, practical recommendations for providing tangible support to LGBTQ+ youth, and local resources for LGBTQ+ young people and their parents, teachers, etc.

Lindsey is the former Director of Training and Education for the LGBT Center of Central PA, and previously served as the Director of Youth Programs for the same organization. After a decade in Pennsylvania, she returned to her home state of North Carolina to serve as the executive director of an LGBTQ+ organization. She has been an educator in various capacities and on a number of different subjects but has worked on LGBTQ+ rights for fifteen years. Lindsey has used her passion to conduct dozens of workshops with a specialization in transgender identities, terminology, and best practices. Lindsey is a certified trainer by the Transgender Training Institute.

Watch a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

Reading List:

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki
You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson
Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum
Brave Face: A Memoir by Shaun David Hutchinson
A Queer History of the United States for Young People by Richie Chevat
The ABC’s of LGBT+ by Ash Hardell
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson
Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Ageism is a threat that can impact anyone and everyone regardless of age. In this online program, with cross-generational challenges trailblazer, consultant, and author Phyllis Weiss Haserot,
we will discuss why and how and a path to solutions. Phyllis is co-host of the Legacy-Makers@Work podcast and author of You Can’t Google It!, Embrace GENgagement, and The Rainmaking Machine.

Watch a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

Suggested reading list from The Hershey Public Library:
· Nomadland: Surviving American in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder
· The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die by Keith Payne
· Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
· A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
· The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
· Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement by Rich Karlgaard
· The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life by Marci Alboher
· Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis
· Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher

Mrs. Haserot’s website is: https://youcantgoogleit.com/
She invites questions through her email address: pwhaserot@pdcounsel.com
Her LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pwhaserot

Joseph Robinson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute, presents “Dr. King: A Man or a Myth.” He will share information on the formative years of Dr. King, and contrast his human personality with his mythic persona.

Author, speaker, and real-world leader Joseph Robinson, Jr. is passionate about helping people identify and cultivate vital characteristics of leadership. Retired after more than two decades with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Joe serves as Executive Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Development Institute. This program is an initiative of the Harrisburg Interdenominational Ministers Conference to develop emerging community leaders. Joe also is certified as a quality manager through the American Society for Quality. Included in Robinson’s varied experiences is having obtained his BA degree from the University of Virginia.

Martin Luther King Leadership Development Institute
https://mlkldi.org/

Watch the recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

Suggested reading list from The Hershey Public Library:
Let the Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Stephen B. Oates
My Life, My Love, My Legacy, by Coretta Scott King
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr., edited by James M. Washington
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited by Clayborne Carson
Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, by Russell Freedman
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968, by Alice Faye Duncan
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., by Doreen Rappaport

PA State Representative Patty Kim will discuss her experiences being the first Asian American woman in the PA legislature, and how her culture, ethnicity, and upbringing, have impacted her career and personal life.

Hershey Area All Things Diversity is a free series of programs to create awareness, and promote acceptance and inclusion in our community. It is coordinated by Derry Township, The Hershey Story Museum, Derry Township School District, Milton Hershey School, The Hershey Company, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, and Hershey Trust Company.

Watch a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

AAPI Reading LIst:
Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob
Land of Big Numbers by Te-Ping Chen
Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
Severance by Ling Ma
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Interior Chinatown: A Novel by Charles Yu

The public is invited to attend the next Hershey Area All Things Diversity virtual event on Thursday, October 14 from 7 to 8:30 p.m., to learn about the Latino/Hispanic Presence in Central PA. The free educational presentation wraps up Hispanic Heritage Month.

The speaker, Dr. Hector Ortiz, will talk about the basics in understanding culture, diversity, and differences, and the framework of intercultural communication. This presentation will define who is a Latino, a Hispanic, or a LatinX, similarities and differences in the Latino Hispanic community, as well as how culture, language, and traditions interact with the different generations of Latino/Hispanics/LatinX.

Hershey Area All Things Diversity is a free series of programs to create awareness, and promote acceptance and inclusion in our community. It is coordinated by Derry Township, The Hershey Story Museum, Derry Township School District, Milton Hershey School, The Hershey Company, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, and Hershey Trust Company.

Watch a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henríquez
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
A Lot Like Adiós by Alexis Daria
A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
Fruit of the Drunken Tree by Ingrid Rojas Contreras

When we teach young people that it is okay to talk about race and racism, we promote the value of diversity, mutual respect, and how to demonstrate and develop empathy for others. When caregivers and educators discuss race and racism, it helps young people understand that conversations about race are not taboo and that ignoring race and racism is harmful. Join us as we help youth choose their path by disrupting racism, changing the norm through listening, developing empathy and creating understanding for one another.

This program will help to guide attendees in engaging youth in difficult conversations about race, and the impacts of racism on our youth. In addition to teachers and counseling staff from Milton Hershey School, teens will be on hand to offer their perspectives on approaching the topic of racism.

Hershey Area All Things Diversity is a free series of programs to create awareness, and promote acceptance and inclusion in our community. It is coordinated by Derry Township, The Hershey Story Museum, Derry Township School District, Milton Hershey School, The Hershey Company, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, and Hershey Trust Company.

Watch a recording of this presentation on our YouTube channel.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

YOUNG CHILDREN & ELEMENTARY-AGED STUDENTS

Websites on resources that promote exposure among younger children- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W…

Websites promoting discussions about racism with children- https://docs.google.com/document/d/14…

Books list of diverse books, that have characters of color and address key issues linked with diversity – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h…

EARLY, MIDDLE, LATE ADOLESCENTS:

Hershey Public Library Resources- https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Abby…

Milton Hershey School Resources – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M…