What does it mean to be an UPstander? And what does it mean to raise one?

Those questions were at the heart of Berkeley Carroll's recent Gina Curry Speaker Series, which welcomed Dr. Omékongo Dibinga, internationally renowned speaker, educator, artist, and professor of intercultural communication at American University, for an evening of reflection, dialogue, and shared purpose.

Known as "the UPstander," Dr. Dibinga has spent his career inspiring individuals and communities to take a stand when they witness injustice. He has spoken at the United Nations, partnered with the U.S. State Department on global leadership initiatives, and shared his work in nearly 30 countries, reaching audiences through CNN, NPR, the BBC, and O Magazine, among many others. His book, The UPstander's Guide to an Outstanding Life, and his G.R.O.W. framework have helped schools and organizations nationwide build cultures grounded in empathy, equity, and courageous conversation.

That framework, Give, Release, Overcome, Win, anchored the evening's interactive session, offering the BC community a practical and personal roadmap for doing the work.

Grounded in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of the Beloved Community, Dr. Dibinga guided the audience through both the personal and collective dimensions of building a world where every member has the opportunity to be celebrated and affirmed. 

The Gina Curry Speaker Series honors the legacy of Ms. Gina Curry, whose years of dedicated leadership of the Parent Association's Equity and Inclusion Committee, Mosaic, made her a consistent and vital voice for diversity, belonging, and courageous conversation at BC. The series was created to carry forward the spirit of those conversations, with the same energy, empathy, and honesty that defined her time at the school.

Though Ms. Curry was unable to attend in person, her daughter Briyana Martin was there in her place. 

I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for the truly amazing event at the Gina Curry Speaker Series. Not only was it thought provoking and invigorating, but it also made me incredibly proud of my mother and her contributions to communities.

Briyana Martin

A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Dibinga, to Briyana Martin, and to the BC Office of Equity and Inclusion for an evening that reminded all of us what it looks like, and what it takes, to show up as UPstanders for one another.