Join us for the 2026 Adirondack Diversity Initiative Symposium — Rooted & Rising: Rights, Resilience & the Future — on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3 at the Adirondack Center for the Arts in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.
2026 Symposium Agenda*
Friday, October 2, 2026
9:00 a.m. — Registration & Networking
10:00 a.m. — Welcome & Overview
10:55 a.m. — Concurrent Sessions
- Power and Harm: Civil Rights in 2026 — Darin Perrotte, Saranac Lake Police Department; Reverend Ken Hitch, St. Eustace Episcopal Church, Lake Placid
- Rooted in Pride: LGBTQI+ Community, Resilience and the Road Ahead — George Connelly, Harrietstown Town Council; Rebecca Donnelly, Potsdam Pride; Erica Olmstead
- Under Pressure: Democracy, Free Speech, and the Culture War on Campus — Kathy Bonavist and Annie Rochon, Paul Smith’s College; Joe Keegan, North Country Community College; Garrett Marino, The Wild Center
11:50 a.m. — Group Session
- One Fight, Many Fronts: Native Sovereignty — Keeley Jock, Kanienʼkeháka (Mohawk) environmentalist; Alvera Sargent, Friends of Akwasasne School; Annie Rochon, Paul Smith’s College
12:40 p.m. — Lunch
1:50 p.m. — Group Session
- What We Have Found: Reporting in the North Country — David Escobar, North Country Public Radio and Adirondack Explorer; Aaron Marbone, Adirondack Daily Enterprise, LeeAnne Ruff, Mountain Lake PBS
2:45 p.m. — Skills-building Session
- Community Tools — Keela Grimmette, North Country Immigrant Allies
3:40 p.m. — Closing Day 1
Saturday, October 3, 2026
10:00 a.m. — Welcome & Keynote
- The Long Tradition: Art, Resistance and the Movement — Charles Clark III, Black Experience in the Adirondacks; Ren Lee, Media Sanctuary; Meg Trelease, Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts; Iakonikonriiosta, Mohawk Nation; Blake Lavia and Tzintzun Aguuilar-Izzo, Talking Rivers
11:10 a.m. — Concurrent Sessions
- We Tend Each Other: Healing Justice, Community Care and Collective Survival — Colleen Corrigan, Spirit Sanctuary & Death Doula; Ben Strader, Blue Mountain Center; Gail Brill, The Heart Banner Project and The Lady Liberties
- The Welcoming Adirondacks: What It Takes and Who’s Doing It — Steve Brown, The Devlin Inn; Willa Ferrer, Blue Mountain Center
12:05 p.m. — Group Session
- Many Roots, One Movement: Coalition-Building Across Issues in the North Country — Carla Eliana Gadoy Laguna, North Country Immigrant Allies; Martha Swan, John Brown Lives!; Raamitha, Poor People’s Campaign; Kary Johnson, Voters for Change
12:50 p.m. — Lunch
1:55 p.m. — Concurrent Sessions
- Held in Sound: A Healing Sound Bath — Mary Bartel, Inner Quest Yoga
- Come Back to Yourself: Meditation as Resistance and Rest — Colleen Corrigan, Spirit Sanctuary & Death Doula
- Write It Down: Journaling for Clarity, Grief, and Vision — Rebecca Donnelly, Potsdam Pride
3:00 p.m. — Closing Performance by Charmaine Crowell-White
4:00 p.m. — Symposium Closing
* Symposium agenda items and presenters are subject to change.