What: "Liberty & Justice for All" -- The University of North Texas' annual Equity and Diversity Conference, featuring Derald Wing Sue, author of Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, as the keynote speaker

When: 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 (Thursday). Conference registration includes a luncheon, closing reception and free tickets to a lecture by socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell, who is being brought to campus as part of UNT's Mary Jo and V. Lane Rawlins Fine Arts Series. Bell's lecture, "The W. Kamau Bell Curve: How to End Racism in About an Hour," begins at 7 p.m.

Where: UNT's University Union, located at 1155 Union Circle in Denton. Bell's lecture will be in the University Union ballroom.

Cost: $75 for general registration, $50 for UNT alumni and faculty and staff members and $25 for students at other colleges and universities. UNT students will attend for free, but must register in advance. Registration available online through Feb. 17 (Wednesday)

Contact: UNT Division of Equity and Diversity at 940-565-3424

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Being told that they're "a credit" to their race, being asked which country they are from, being followed in a store by the owner and being told that the United States is a "melting pot" are all examples of people of color facing microaggressions on a daily basis, according to Derald Wing Sue, professor of psychology at Columbia University's Teachers College.

Sue, author of Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, will be the keynote speaker at the University of North Texas' annual Equity and Diversity Conference Feb. 25 (Thursday).

Aimed at students, educators and professionals who are committed to equity and diversity in higher education, the conference will take place from 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. at UNT's University Union, located at 1155 Union Circle in Denton.

Twelve different sessions will be offered to conference participants during the day, with attendees choosing from one of four sessions held from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., from 2-3:15 p.m. and from 3:30-4:45 p.m. Topics for past conference sessions have included barriers to more inclusive environments for those with disabilities, diversity conflicts in classrooms, early education for bilingual children, partner violence within LGBT communities and workplace bullying.

Sue will give his keynote address at 9:45 a.m. The son of immigrants from China, he started his career at the University of California at Berkeley where he counseled students, including many Asian American students. During that time, he conducted mental health studies on Asian Americans and documented his findings in two books, A Theory of Multicultural Counseling and Therapy and Understanding Abnormal Behavior.

Sue is also the author of Overcoming Our Racism: The Journey to Liberation. He is the co-founder of the Asian American Psychological Association with his brother and fellow psychologist, Stanley Sue, and was the association's first president. In addition, Sue is a past president of the Society for the Psychological Study of Ethnic Minority Issues and past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association. In 1996, he served on President Bill Clinton's Race Advisory Board.

The Equity and Diversity Conference will close with a networking reception from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the University Union.

Those who register for the conference will also receive a free ticket to attend the 7 p.m. lecture by socio-political comedian W. Kamau Bell, who is speaking at UNT as part of the Mary Jo and V. Lane Rawlins Fine Arts Series for Spring 2016. During his lecture, "The W. Kamau Bell Curve: How to End Racism is About an Hour," Bell will explore the current state of racism in America with a mix of stand-up comedy, a history lesson, video and audio clips, personal stories and more. The lecture will be held in the University Union ballroom.

Registration for the conference is free for UNT students; $25 for students at other colleges and universities; $50 for UNT alumni, faculty and staff members; and $75 for others. Registration is available online through Feb. 17 (Wednesday) on the UNT Division of Equity and Diversity website.

For more information, call the division at 940-565-3424.