October 15, 2025
North Adams, MA – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its 8th Annual
Day of Dialogue on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. This campus-wide alternative day of
education will suspend regular day classes to ensure full participation by students,
faculty, and staff in meaningful conversations about insecurity and its impact on
individuals, communities, and systems.
This year's theme, "Unpacking Insecurity to Build a Shared Future," explores insecurity
as a deeply human experience that manifests in countless ways, from personal feelings
of imposter syndrome to systemic forces that fuel competition, erode trust, and perpetuate
scarcity mindsets in our rapidly changing world.
"We are excited about where students, staff, and faculty alike are taking our theme,"
said Kerri Leyda Nicoll, Professor of Social Work and one of two Faculty Fellows for
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MCLA. "We have sessions planned on everything
from journalism to community gardening to neurodivergence, all connected to experiences
of insecurity and to visions of a more collectively-oriented future in which everyone
feels secure, cared for, and connected."
The keynote panel, "From Scarcity to Solidarity: Imagining a Shared Future," will
bring together three distinguished voices to explore how we might move from competitive
scarcity mindsets toward collaborative, solidarity-based futures.
Anaïs Duplan is a trans* poet, curator, and artist who serves as professor of postcolonial literature
at Bennington College. He is the author of a book of essays, Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture (Black Ocean, 2020), among many other works. In 2016, Duplan founded the Center for
Afrofuturist Studies, an artist residency program for artists of color. He is the
recipient of the 2021 QUEER|ART|PRIZE for Recent Work and a 2022 Whiting Award in
Nonfiction.
Dr. Timothy Callahan leads the North Adams Public Schools, where he has spent 27 years in the district.
His journey began as a substitute teacher and included various roles from English
teacher to high school principal and district leader before becoming superintendent
in 2025. Beyond education, Dr. Callahan is a pop culture and role-playing game writer
who has written for Fantagraphics, Goodman Games, Macmillan Publishing, and Marvel
Entertainment. He is the author of Grant Morrison: The Early Years (2007), the editor of Teenagers from the Future (2008), and the designer of numerous adventures for Dungeon Crawl Classics. In 2021,
he completed his doctoral dissertation on "Principal Actions in Massachusetts in Relation
to School Accountability Status" and has presented at conferences on topics including
Rethinking Discipline, Public Education as Equity, and Blended Learning Models. He
believes deeply in the power of public education to build community and create a positive
shared future.
Charles Redd, Berkshire Health Systems Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer began his career
as a nursing assistant in 1985. He worked in nursing positions of increasing responsibility
for nearly three decades, including at Baystate Medical Center as Assistant Manager
of Telemetry and ICU Step-Down Units, Director of Emergency and Behavioral Health
Services, and Clinical Documentation Improvement Lead. Prior to his appointment as
BHS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Redd served as the Director of Quality
for Fairview Hospital.
Redd has been engaged in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work for more than 12 years,
first as part of the Black Employees Connecting resource group at Baystate Health
and then as a leadership fellow with Partnership Inc. in Boston. Locally, Redd represents
Berkshire Health Systems on the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human
Services’ (EOHHS) Health Equity Accountability Group and the Massachusetts Health
& Hospital Association’s (MHA) Hospital Incentive Workgroup. He is currently a member
of the BHS Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and writes a weekly blog exploring
relationships, respect, and equity called Dignity Freedom Fighter.
The keynote panel is scheduled for 12-1 p.m. in the Campus Center Gym and includes
lunch (beginning at 11:30 a.m.). The keynote panel presentation is free and open to
the public, while the remaining sessions throughout the day are reserved for MCLA
campus community members.
The in-person event will feature workshops, panel discussions, and interactive sessions
led by faculty, staff, and students.
The Day of Dialogue represents MCLA's ongoing commitment to creating spaces where
difficult conversations can happen productively and respectfully, fostering critical
thinking and community engagement across campus.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we're here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In every way possible, the experience at MCLA is designed
to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully empowered
to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 130-year commitment to
public education, we have fortified our dedication to equitable academic excellence.
MCLA has appeared on U.S. News & World Report's list of Top Ten Public Colleges for
11 consecutive years, earning the No. 6 spot on the list of Top Public Liberal Arts
Schools in the nation for 2026. The College's focus on affordable education and economic
prosperity is reflected in additional 2026 U.S. News rankings: No. 6 for Top Performer
on Social Mobility for liberal arts colleges in the state and No. 4 for Top Performer
on Social Mobility for public liberal arts colleges in the country. These rankings
measure how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants.
