NEWS

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Newberry College received a Growth Grant from South Carolina Humanities for the college’s ninth annual Dufford Diversity & Inclusion Week. The week was held Oct. 25 through Nov. 1.

Funding for the grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan initiative.

“We are very grateful for the grant funds received from SC Humanities,” said Dr. Peggy Winder '86, director of diversity education and professor in the Department of Sport Professions. “It truly means a lot for our diversity and inclusivity efforts, in that it allows us the opportunity to offset some costs and continue educating our audiences by sharing human stories that are often ignored or forgotten.”

Winder added that the Newberry Opera House also received Growth Grant funding for its collaboration with Newberry College, affording an even greater reach to the local community.

Dufford Diversity & Inclusion Week is an annual event series started in 2013 through the vision and generosity of Dr. William E. Dufford '49. Dufford made history in 1969 as the administrator responsible for integrating the Sumter County school system. As an educator, he has been a lifelong advocate for civil rights and quality education for all.

“The Dufford series is a tangible outcome of the College’s commitment to promoting personal and social acceptance, and the awareness, development and understanding of diversity, multiculturalism and social equity,” added Winder.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this nonprofit organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 350,000 citizens annually.

For more information about Dufford Diversity & Inclusion Week, visit newberry.edu/Dufford.