Why Do I Write Books About Neo-Diversity?

“The problem today is not race relations, per se, or unconscious bias. Today’s problem is getting people to admit, acknowledge, and examine the origins of and manage their neo-diversity anxiety. That is an anxiety about who belongs in what spaces. That is the anxiety of “who are among the ‘we’ and who are among the ‘they?’” That is the anxiety that is the American intergroup problem of our time. Our newest American dilemma.”

–  “To Live Woke: Thought To Carry In Our Struggle To Save The Soul Of America.”

Dr. Rupert Nacoste

Dr. Rupert Nacoste is Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University. During his time in the U.S. Navy (1972-1976), to deal with its serious racial problems, the Department of Defense trained him (and others) to be a facilitator of racial dialogues among sailors. Since 1974, Dr. Nacoste has worked as a scholar-activist of interpersonal and intergroup relationships. His books include his memoir Making Gumbo in the University, Taking on Diversity: How We Can Move from Anxiety to Respect, and his newest, To Live Woke: Thoughts to Carry in our Struggle to Save the Soul of America.

Dr. Nacoste joined the faculty of North Carolina State University in 1988. He was the recipient of the 2013 UNC Board of Governor’s Teaching Excellence award, based on his captivating oratory style which engages people to see their own role in moments of tension in social interaction. Division-9 of the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues named him winner of their 2020 Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award.

Shana Tucker

Cellist. Singer-Songwriter. Arts Advocate. Teaching Artist. Collaborator. Cultural Conduit. In each role, Shana Tucker is a builder-of-connections, whether she’s associating STEM concepts with backbeats or engaging a packed house through candid song-storytelling in performance. Shana’s unique genre of ChamberSoul™ weaves jazz, roots, folk, acoustic pop, and a touch of R&B.

A Long Island, NY native, Shana studied cello at Howard University in Washington, DC, where she took her first dive into improvisational performance and honed her singer-songwriting skills. She later received her degree in Violoncello Performance from CUNY-Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, where she studied with master cellist Marion Feldman. Shortly after the release of her debut CD, SHiNE in 2011, Cirque du Soleil recruiters heard an NPR interview with Shana about her ChamberSoul songwriting and performance style, they invited her to be cellist/vocalist for their show, KÀ in Las Vegas, where she performed for five years before returning to North Carolina.

Shana was recently named the first-ever Artist in Residence at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts in Asheville, NC for their 2019-2020 concert season. In Spring 2018, Shana was Resident Teaching Artist at Springhouse Community School in Floyd, VA, where she co-presented Courageous Conversations, a semester-long course about racism, intersectionality and how to be an authentic, effective ally with Jenny Finn,  Head of School.

Click here to learn more about Shana Tucker