The second event in the University of Lynchburg’s new Pluralism Lecture Series, hosted by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, will be held on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Kimberly Walton, an adjunct professor at Boston College’s Woods College of Advancing Studies, will present “Pluralism as a Civic Operating System: Building a Democracy of Dignity.” The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Schewel Hall’s Sydnor Performance Hall.
Admission is free and the public is welcome.
At BC, Walton teaches courses in dignity, belonging, inclusive leadership, and organizational change. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and a Juris Doctor from The Catholic University of America.
Her lecture at Lynchburg will challenge those in attendance to “rethink democracy not as a system that merely tolerates differences, but as one that actively depends upon them — creating pathways for people across geographic, cultural, generational, and ideological divides to engage one another with dignity and purpose.”
Earlier in the day, Walton will meet with students in Lynchburg’s Westover Honors program. The students will be invited “to reflect on their own experiences of voice, fairness, belonging, and contribution, while helping inform a broader national effort to identify actionable, dignity-centered approaches for strengthening civic life.”
Lynchburg’s Pluralism Lecture Series is funded by a $25,000 grant from the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia and Interfaith America, a Chicago-based nonprofit that advances the cause of pluralism.
The University’s grant proposal defines pluralism as “not simply the presence of different identities but rather the conscious and deliberate ways in which we interact with, understand, and collaborate across those differences to create a more inclusive and thriving society.”
The Pluralism Lecture Series will continue through the 2026-27 academic year, with an overall theme of “The Art of Coexistence.” The following events will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Hall Campus Center’s Memorial Ballroom:
- Tuesday, March 9, 2027 — “America at a Crossroads: The Threat of Christian Nationalism to Our Pluralistic Past, Present, and Future,” Dr. Todd Green, senior director of campus partnerships for Interfaith America.
- Thursday, April 1, 2027 — “The Art of Coexistence Begins Within: Human Literacy and the Capacity to Live Together,” Dr. Carl Moore, lead architect for the Human Literacy Institute.
For more information on the Pluralism Lecture Series and the University’s efforts to promote pluralism, contact Dr. Robert Canida II, Lynchburg’s chief inclusive excellence officer, at [email protected] or 434.544.8540.
