SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams was featured in late February during the annual Black History Month celebration held by The Consulate General of India, New York, in partnership with Shanti Fund.
The event was held at the Indian Consulate in New York City.
President Sams remarks centered on the importance of Black History and of its continued teaching in K-12 as well as collegiate classrooms.
Joining Dr. Sams as a speaker was Dr. Bernadine Waller, an award-winning National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, Division of Translational Epidemiology and Mental Health Equity with a dual appointment at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute.
SUNY Old Westbury and the Shanti Fund are partners in efforts increase conversation on issues related to social action, equity and justice. In 2021, through a Shanti Fund donation, the College agreed to incorporate “Gandhi Lectures” into its “Social Justice Lecture Series.” The Gandhi Lectures are designed to bring to campus speakers whose expertise and experiences reflect such Gandhian ideals as unity, integrity, selflessness, nonviolence and social action.
The founding of the “Gandhi Lectures” was an extension of the College’s relationship with the volunteers of the Shanti Fund. In 2019, the Shanti Fund led efforts that brought the Gandhi Peace Garden to campus to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth. The Gandhi Peace Garden is a stand of 150 trees on campus that includes the state tree from each of the 50 United States. It’s creation was a unique collaborative undertaking where SUNY Old Westbury provided space, the Consulate General of India took a leadership role in planning and outreach, individuals and organizations across the region donated funds to sponsor each tree, and the Shanti Fund coordinated among all participants to ensure a successful completion.