Son of Civil Rights Titan C.T. Vivian to Lead Subsequent Race at Georgia Tech Dialog

Campus and Community

Titan CT Civil Rights son Vivian leads next race at Georgia Tech Conversation

January 19, 2021

• Atlanta, GA

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Al Vivian, a national mediator on diversity and inclusion and son of civil rights leader CT Vivian, will be running the next race at Georgia Tech: A Call to Action on Thursday, January 21. The virtual discussion is the second in a series of campus discussions about races.

The first conversation, Race at Georgia Tech: A Call to Action, took place last July and drew more than 1,000 unique viewers during 90 minutes of virtual, open discussion with mostly black students, faculty and staff discussing their personal experiences with race and ways Georgia Tech can expand its commitment to eradicating overt and implicit racism and building a more diverse and inclusive campus.

The second event will build on the Summer Talk and feature a keynote from Vivian and questions and answers.

Discussions on race came about after President Ángel Cabrera and other senior leaders met numerous black students, staff and faculty who shared their personal experiences of racial marginalization.

“The Race at Georgia Tech discussion series represents the institute’s commitment to creating a campus environment in which race issues, including diverse perspectives, can be strongly considered in society,” said Archie Ervin, vice president of institute diversity, justice and Inclusion. “Our goal is to create opportunities for more conversations about races and Mr. Vivian is an expert in enabling these conversations, which are difficult for some to have.”

Al Vivian heads Basic Diversity Inc., a national full-service training and consulting company for cultural diversity best known for its Race Awareness Workshop. His father, a confidante of Martin Luther King Jr., founded the organization more than 45 years ago. The elder Vivian was a senior executive at King, advising five US presidential administrations on civil rights issues. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. He died last year.

Vivian will host a race workshop for the institute’s leadership team on Wednesday January 27th.

To register for the Georgia Tech: A Call to Action race on January 21, visit: bit.ly/RaceatGeorgiaTechJan21.