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Diversity

Greenville County Cultural Diversity Highlights

  • Southern Living Magazine recently recognized the area as being South Carolina’s City of the Arts.
  • Greenville’s international flavor is also seen in its faith community – with a variety of major world religions represented, providing services in Kurdish, Korean, Chinese and many other languages.
  • Microsoft recently ranked Greenville County as being a Top 10 digital county.
  • Artisphere, Greenville’s newest arts festival offering, will feature international artists in both visual and performing arts.
  • Greenville is also home to numerous world-class chefs regularly featured in Bon Apetite.

International Festivals

Main Street occasionally closes to traffic and allows for local festivals and celebrations in a family-friendly atmosphere.  International festivals include: the Greenville Scottish Games, the Greek Festival, Oktoberfest, Hispanic Festival, A Day with India Event, as well as the Shinnehkai and Bon Japanese Festivals and the World Tai Chi Day.

Diversity Leadership Academy

Population centers such as the Upstate have become increasingly diverse as South Carolina has grown in recent years.  Recognizing a need for diversity-related programming, the Riley Institute, then in cooperation with the American Institute for Managing Diversity (AIMD), launched a unique program that encouraged community leaders to consider the challenges and opportunities presented by the many facets of diversity in our state, including among others, differences in cultural background, language, gender, and physical ability.

Since its inception in 2003 in the upstate of South Carolina, the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) (formerly Diversity Leadership Academy (DLA)) now operates statewide, adding classes in the South Carolina Lowcountry (2005) and Midlands (2006). Over 400 CEOs of corporations, mayors, city and county council members, legislators, school superintendents, pastors and rabbis, non-profit heads, chamber of commerce directors, and community leaders have graduated from the program.

Now, having established a critical mass of leaders that now serve as champions and supporters of dialogue and collaboration around diversity issues, the Riley Institute has launched a new program, independent of AIMD, that will serve as a cornerstone offering: the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI). Like the former DLA, this program is offered to select senior level leaders across the state. The new program focuses on diversity leadership, community building, and communication and collaboration skills.

http://riley.furman.edu/diversity

The Minority Economic Development Institute, Inc. (MEDII)

The Minority Economic Development Institute (MEDII) is a non-profit economic development organization founded in 2007 to serve as a state-wide resource which aims to increase the economic assets of minority individuals and minority-owned businesses. MEDII intends to function in the Upstate from a main location in Greenville, South Carolina. Its goal is to develop and implement programs to increase the per capita income of minorities through several initiatives including Business Development, Research, Policy, Advocacy, and Education and Training.

http://www.mediiupstate.org/

Opportunities for Minority Business (via the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce)

  • Project Advance is a business-mentoring program that is completely owned by women and minorities. 
  • The Business Women in Action Committee creates opportunities for women in business by providing network, mentoring, awareness and education.
  • The African- American Committee creates opportunities for African-American-owned businesses by providing network, mentoring, awareness and education.
  • The Hispanic Committee creates opportunities for Hispanic-owned businesses by providing network, mentoring, awareness and education.

www.greenvillechamber.org

Religious Communities with a Cultural Affiliation in the Upstate

  • Vedic Center of Greenville (Hindu)
  • Hindu Society of Greater Spartanburg
  • Bethel Israel Synagogue (Jewish)
  • Temple of Israel (Jewish)
  • Islamic Society of Greenville (Muslim)
  • Carolina Buddhist Vihara
  • St. George Greek Orthodox Church
  • St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church (Egyptian)