Roseann Mason

The subject of race relations is a bit like the weather: everyone is concerned about it but little is done to improve it. Roseann Mason worked to change that.

Through her administration of the award-winning Diversity Circles program run by the Center for Community Partnerships, she got people talking about racial issues, talk that led to understanding, and understanding that transformed many people's attitudes for the betterment of society. Roseann said this kind of dialogue is necessary to create action and spur change.

“I didn't really know what to expect when I joined a Diversity Circle; I didn't expect any major change in my view of people and the world,” said one Diversity Circle participant. “But it was really an eye-opening experience. I'm glad I participated.”

Roseann also administered programs to promote tolerance on sexual orientation issues and a program she helped Ethnic Studies develop on "Understanding White Privilege."

She continued the conversation in recent years as a lecturer in the UW-Parkside Sociology Department. Along with Fay Akindes of Communication, she has administered the Summer Institute: Infusing Diversity in the General Education Curriculum. This program was designed to assist General Education teachers in adapting their curriculum and pedagogy to a diversity of students.

The program was so successful that Roseann and Fay were featured speakers at Emerson College's Faculty Forum on Diversity in Boston during Sept. 2010. They addressed “Infusing Diversity into Curricular and Pedagogical Practices: An Emergent Approach.”