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School Speakers Program
Stories connect us. They help us understand experiences beyond our own and see the world through someone else's perspective.
Diversity Coalition's School Speakers Program brings firsthand stories into the classroom through speakers with powerful lived experiences.
The program is free for schools and designed to complement classroom learning, helping students deepen understanding, empathy, and engagement.
Contact our education committee chair at katminck@gmail.com to request a speaker.
More information about this program in the slides below, or in this PDF.
Speaker List - Summary
Chumash/Titavian Elder – History Through Indigenous Perspectives
A local tribal elder and historian shares stories, traditions, and perspectives that bring Indigenous history to life, including an age-appropriate discussion of the California missions.
Cambodian Refugees – A Story of Survival and Resilience
A Cambodian family shares their journey of surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide, rebuilding their lives in California, and preserving their culture and heritage. The journalist who documented their story may join the presentation depending on availability.
Afghan Couple: From working with US Troops in Kabul to SLO
After supporting U.S. troops in Kabul, they were forced to flee Afghanistan during the U.S. withdrawal. Today they are building a new life in SLO, balancing hope for the future with concern for families still in Afghanistan.
Afghan Speaker: Finding Home: An Afghan Woman's Journey
Worked with a nonprofit empowering women and girls through sports before the Taliban returned to power. She shares her journey as a refugee and immigrant, exploring freedom, belonging, and what it means to build a new life and find home.
Syrian Speaker - Perspectives from a Civil War
Speaker who grew up during the Syrian Civil War and recently escaped and resettled in SLO with her family.
Ukrainian Refugee – A Life Interrupted
Forced to flee Ukraine with his family after Russia's invasion, this speaker shares his journey of resilience, displacement, and rebuilding a new life while remaining connected to his homeland.
Breaking Barriers: A Journey into Law
A local Hispanic attorney shares their path into the legal profession, exploring the cultural, educational, and economic barriers they overcame while pursuing a career in law.
Disability Advocate - "See us, Know Us"
Diagnosed with a disability at age six, this speaker shares her experience living with a disability, challenging assumptions and exploring what true accessibility and inclusion look like.
Holocaust survivor – Hidden to Survive
She hid from the Nazis in an attic for 2 years, a story similar to Anne Frank’s. She and her daughter share her story of survival (Hybrid presentation, with the daughter in person and the mother on Zoom).
Japanese Concentration Camp survivor
Was sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona with his family during WWII. He shares his story and also gives the history of AAPI prejudice. (Hybrid-style presentation, with survivor on Zoom and relative in person).
Lost Boy of Sudan
Survived the horrors of the civil war in Sudan in the nineties, and has written two books about his story. His story was also documented in ”The Good Lie (2014)”, a movie starring Reese Witherspoon.
Sudanese refugee
Survived the lead-up to war in Sudan, then worked to resettle other refugees, through the International Refugee Committee.
Contact our education committee chair at katminck@gmail.com to request a speaker.