Paul Cato receives 2024 Furthering Diversity Award

The University of Chicago’s Diversity Awards intends to recognize, honor, and celebrate the significant contributions of underrepresented students on the University of Chicago’s campus. This is an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to recognize yourself or students you collaborate with who have taken leadership roles or made exceptional contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at the University of Chicago.

The John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought congratulates Paul Cato, a doctoral student, on receiving a “Furthering Diversity” Award. This award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within their division or school at UChicago.

Cato is an interdisciplinary scholar who studies African Americans’ place within love’s history, theorization, and politics. Building upon the conversational nature of African American thought, his work identifies, broadens, and develops transhistorical dialogues on love between Black thinkers, Black cultural spaces, and the Western canon. His dissertation, “‘More Like a Fire, Like the Wind,’” examines the discourse on "active love" that unfolded through James Baldwin’s conversations with contemporary Black intellectuals, particularly Ralph Ellison and Audre Lorde. Outside his scholarly endeavors, Paul is heavily involved in the fights against racism and ableism. He is a founding member of an international epilepsy awareness organization and an active alumnus of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and diversity program.

To see the full list of 2024 award winners, click here or visit the Diversity Advisory Board's web page.