Past Events

Race and Human Trafficking: How Racial Inequality Impacts Human Trafficking

A 400+ year history of institutional racism in America has created economic and social inequities that heighten the likelihood that African Americans could become victims of human trafficking. This discussion will provide information about the vulnerabilities to trafficking members of black and brown communities and other minority groups might face in our society.

Transnational Knowledge: A symposium on the production and circulation of scholarship in translation

Featuring “A Critique of Provincial Reason: Located Cosmopolitanisms and the Infrastructures of Theoretical Translation,” at 10:15 am with Ignacio Sánchez Prado (Romance Languages & Literatures, Latin American Studies, Film & Media Studies, Washington University) and “Translation and the Archive” at 2 pm with Ignacio Infante (Comparative Literature and Romance Languages & Literatures). How does knowledge change as it moves from one academic language culture to another? How “placed” are our intellectual concepts? In what ways does the dominance of English-language scholarship shape the production of knowledge around the world? Who is qualified to undertake a scholarly translation? This two-day, online symposium will address these and many other questions related to the location of scholarship in translation. School of Arts and Humanities, University of Texas at Dallas.

Gallery Talk: (Un)masking Health

Join faculty curator Ivan Bujan, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University, as he discusses notions of health in relation to exclusionary ideologies of race, gender, sexuality, ability and class. In addition to scrutinizing notions of what a healthy body is — and according to whom — his Teaching Gallery installation, (Un)masking Health: Counter Perspectives, also invites us to reconsider the role that historical and contemporary grassroots movements, including the ongoing AIDS movement and the Movement for Black Lives, have had in connecting issues of health and social justice.

Ivan Bujan is a performance studies scholar working at the intersections of critical gender, race and sexuality studies; queer and trans of color critique; and contemporary visual cultures and performance; and he is deeply invested in creating publicly engaged scholarship on social justice and disparities in health. Bujan’s in-progress book manuscript highlights strategies queer of color artists have utilized to circumvent white supremacy, cis-masculinity, ableism and systemic racism in the cultural history of the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. The project centers a seldom studied domain of work related to AIDS, utilizing anti-HIV drug regimens and prevention methods as key visual motifs and responding to the contested pharmaceutical politics of the late 1980s onward. Bujan’s research appears in Viral Dramaturgies: HIV and AIDS in Performance in the 21st Century (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018), (Un)Desiring Whiteness: (Un)Doing Sexual Racism (Oxford University Press, forthcoming), Masculinities: A Journal of Identity and Culture and Theatre Journal.

Art, Museums and the Fear of a Black Planet

Ten years after the publication of her book Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum, scholar and curator Bridget R. Cooks discusses art, museums and demands for change in the age of Black Lives Matter. She considers the anxieties that Blackness provokes for rethinking art history and museum practices, and explores how artists are already imagining worlds of Black freedom.

Bridget R. Cooks is associate professor in the Department of Art History and the Department of African American Studies at the University of California, Irvine. Her research focuses on African American artists, Black visual culture and museum criticism. Cooks has worked in museum education and has curated several exhibitions, including Grafton Tyler Brown: Exploring California (2018), Pasadena Museum of California Art; Ernie Barnes: A Retrospective at the California African American Museum (2019), CAAM); and the nationally touring exhibition The Black Index.

Lois D. Conley, founder, president and CEO of the Griot Museum of Black History, will serve as moderator.

Black Girlhood Studies in Conversation with Dr. Nazera Sadiq Wright

In this conversation, Nazera Sadiq Wright will discuss her book Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth Century and recent digital humanities project, “DIGITAL GI(RL)S: Mapping Black Girlhood in the 19th Century.” Wright is associate professor of English and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky. She is the author of Black Girlhood in the Nineteenth Century (University of Illinois Press, 2016), which won the 2018 Children’s Literature Association’s Honor Book Award for Outstanding Book of Literary Criticism. Her digital humanities project, “DIGITAL GI(RL)S: Mapping Black Girlhood in the 19th Century” documents the cultural activities of black girls living in Philadelphia in the 19th century. In 2019, she was elected to the American Antiquarian Society. Fellowships through the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Bibliographical Society of America funded archival research for her second book, Early African American Women Writers and Their Libraries. Funded by the Center for Race, Ethnicity & Equity and co-sponsored with African and African American Studies; Institute for Public Health; American Culture Studies; and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.

Locating Black Racial Science

For much of the 20th century, African-American physicians, scientists and activists embraced aspects of eugenics and racial science to make arguments for racial equality. They mobilized what I call black eugenics, which I define as a hereditarian approach to racial uplift that emphasized social reform, public health and reproductive control as strategies of biological racial improvement. I argue that this engagement and embrace of eugenics was also undergirded by a long history of racial science that relied upon a commitment to beliefs in biological racial differences. African Americans invested in eugenics and racial science sought to disentangle ideas of biological race from racism by using the tools and practices of racial science. They hoped that with rigorous scientific study, they could understand the true nature of biological race and its relationship to their quest for equality. Understanding the true nature of biological race would also contribute to how they imagined the utility of eugenic interventions for improving the biological composition of the race.

History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (HPSM) Lecture

Policymaking through a Racial Equity Lens

Structural racism in laws and legislation have created gross inequities throughout every system of our society, ultimately encumbering our nation’s potential for greatness. Addressing these disparities requires that we analyze how current policies perpetuate racialized outcomes, and redesign policies to advance equity. Only then can we unlock the power and the promise of policy making as a tool of justice.

This Brown School Curriculum Showcase event is part of our recognition of Black History Month.

Social Movements and Social Change

To be perfectly still or frozen in time is a notable phenomenon. Motion, or change of position, is a more familiar state. This February we explore ways that motion is also truly remarkable, having an impact on our physical and social worlds, and, on a smaller scale, our personal and work lives. MLA Lecture Series 2022.

Ageism: What It Is, How It Hurts and How To Combat It

Nancy Morrow-Howell’s research, advocacy and educational efforts have centered around changing work environments and employment policies to enable people to work longer; restructuring educational institutions so that individuals can educate themselves across the life course; enabling older adults to engage in volunteer and service work; and supporting caregiving to facilitate involvement and reduce negative effects.

Slavery and Discrimination in Education, Voting Rights, and Economic Power

This year, 2022, marks the 100th anniversary of the Mound City Bar Association. In celebration of the anniversary, the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy recently published, “Celebrating the Mound City Bar Centennial; Looking back, Leading Forward,” which includes articles from prominent judges, lawyers, and professors on issues related to the Mound City Bar Association: https://journals.library.wustl.edu/lawpolicy/. This is the second of two programs featuring the authors. Cosponsored by the Washington University Public Interest Law & Policy Speaker Series, the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, the Mound City Bar Association, and U.S. Arbitration & Mediation.

Speakers:

Professor David Konig, Washington University School of Law
Hon. David Mason, Judge, 22nd Circuit Court
Professor Kim Norwood, Washington University School of Law
Ronald Norwood, Lewis Rice, LLC
Denise Lieberman, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
Sandra Moore, Advantage Capital
Dorothy White-Coleman, White Coleman & Associates, LLC
Hon. Lisa White Hardwick, Judge, Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District

Advocacy & Allyship: Supporting Transgender Youth

Adolescence is a tender time full of profound self-discovery. Coming into your own is complicated enough and many transgender youths face extra challenges posed by the attitudes/ideologies of peers and adults, the practices and policies of the institutions in which they engage, and political efforts to strip away rights with abhorrent anti-trans legislation.

On Transgender Day of Visibility, join us for a conversation about the needs and experiences of transgender youth. Information will be shared and ideas will be suggested for how each of us can take steps to create a more caring and inclusive society.

Speakers

Lisa Brennan (she/her)
Co-leader, TransParent St Louis
Author of The Auditorium in my Mind/Treasuring My Transgender Child

Jess Jones (they/them)
Owner, Jess Jones Education & Consulting

Sayer Johnson (he/him)
Executive Director, Metro Trans Umbrella Group

Christopher Lewis (he/him)
Co-Director of Pediatric Transgender Health
Director of Differences of Sex Development Clinic
Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine

Moderated by:
Kelly Storck (she/her)
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Author of Gender Identity Workbook for Kids

Joint Book Launch: ‘The New Sex Wars’ and ‘Porn Work’ with Brenda Cossman and Heather Berg

Join us for a joint book launch spotlighting the new work of Brenda Cossman, professor of law at the University of Toronto, and Heather Berg, assistant professor of women, gender and sexuality studies at Washington University, followed by a conversation moderated by Rebecca Wanzo, chair and professor of women, gender and sexuality studies, Washington University. Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto.

Deconstructing Inclusion: Beyond a Seat at the Table

Intentionally and authentically leaning into the practice of inclusion empowers, amplifies, and honors the voices around the table to foster the power of collaboration and innovation for maximum impact.

Join this panel of experts as they share a deeper understanding of inclusion best practices and skills for implementation.

This program is presented in partnership with  Influencing Social Policy, Grand Challenges for Social Work, and the  Network for Social Work Management.

Register online to receive Zoom information on the morning of the event. You can also join us during the live stream.

Open Classroom | Register Now!

Environmental Justice in St. Louis with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment

Join the Gephardt Institute's Graduate Impact Forum for a graduate social and civic conversation. We will host Missouri Coalition for the Environment, who is tackling the issue of environmental justice. This event is open to all graduate students who are interested in civic dialogue and learning more about the local St. Louis environmental issues. Whether you know a little or a lot, we hope you’ll join our conversation!

Start Where You Are: Mapping a Journey Toward Equitable Data Practice

Social sector organizations can increase their impact, both individually and collectively, by strategically engaging with data. At this event, participants will identify specific tools and strategies for utilizing data in collaboration with community partners to advance shared priorities and promote equitable outcomes.

This session will provide multiple opportunities to assess where you are on your journey toward equitable data practice, reflect on where you would like to be, and identify tools for moving you toward your goals. No matter where you are starting, this event is for you!

Presenters will help you identify:

• Your current capacity to utilize data to further your mission and increase your impact
• Your capacity to engage with data in a way that centers equity and builds mutual trust and benefit with clients, community and other stakeholders
• Organizational priorities for future growth in these areas
• Tools and resources to help you along the way

Panelists include:

Carlton Adams: Chief Operations Officer, Operation Food Search
Bridget Blount: Chief Impact Officer, Baltimore’s Promise
Trina Ragain: Chief Innovation Officer, Operation Food Search
Ginger Zielinskie: Chief Strategy Officer, data.org

Join the Social Policy Institute to hear insights from national and local leaders, connect with social sector colleagues, and grapple together with big-picture questions about your current or future data practices.

The Data Science for Social Impact initiative is a partnership between the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, in collaboration with an advisory committee, the St. Louis Regional Data Alliance, and data.org.

Register to attend virtually

College Behind Bars: WashU’s Prison Education Project

In 2014, a group of faculty began offering WashU liberal arts courses to students incarcerated at Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. Those courses grew into degree programs, which were enriched with reading groups, lectures, chess,and performances, and supported through tutors and research assistants. Since its founding, the Prison Education Project has awarded 35 degrees, launched a re-entry program, expanded to a women’s facility, and supported the design and development of a Learning Management System created by incarcerated programmers, for incarcerated students. Join us for a conversation with Sean Armstrong, dean, University College; Jim Brock, WashU 2021, PEP alumnus and re-entry alumni coordinator; Rob Henke, PEP founding director; and Kennedy Young, WashU 2022, PEP tutor and book club facilitator, who will discuss the program, the joys and challenges of learning and re-entry, and the students who amaze and inspire them. The event will be moderated by Pat Matthews, associate dean for academics, University College. 

This event is presented by University College in partnership with WashU Engage.

Register to attend virtually.

Conspiracy! Evangelicals, Fear, and Nationalism in the 21st Century

American Evangelicals are undergoing a profound shift in how they conceive their political, social and civic action in America. Anthea Butler’s talk will explore evangelicals’ changing beliefs, the embrace among many of conspiracy theories and nationalism, and the implications for the upcoming elections of 2022 and 2024.

Anthea Butler is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought and Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A historian of African-American and American religion, Butler’s research and writing spans African American religion and history, race, politics, Evangelicalism, gender and sexuality, media and popular culture. You can find more of her writing and public engagement at Antheabutler.com.

Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and the Soul of a Neighborhood

Join us for this public lecture by Mark Oppenheimer, who will speak about his recent book Squirrel Hill, which offers a piercing portrait of the struggles and triumphs of one of America’s renowned Jewish neighborhoods in the wake of unspeakable tragedy that highlights the hopes, fears and tensions all Americans must confront on the road to healing.

Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in the country, known for its tight-knit community and the profusion of multigenerational families. On October 27, 2018, a gunman killed eleven Jews who were worshipping at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill–the most deadly anti-Semitic attack in American history.

Many neighborhoods would be understandably subsumed by despair and recrimination after such an event, but not this one. In his book, Mark Oppenheimer poignantly shifts the focus away from the criminal and his crime, and instead presents the historic, spirited community at the center of this heartbreak. He speaks with residents and nonresidents, Jews and gentiles, survivors and witnesses, teenagers and seniors, activists and historians.
 
Together, these stories provide a kaleidoscopic and nuanced account of collective grief, love, support and revival. But Oppenheimer also details the difficult dialogue and messy confrontations that Squirrel Hill had to face in the process of healing, and that are a necessary part of true growth and understanding in any community. He has reverently captured the vibrancy and caring that still characterize Squirrel Hill, and it is this phenomenal resilience that can provide inspiration to any place burdened with discrimination and hate.

Faculty Book Talk: Heidi Kolk and Iver Bernstein

Join us for a panel discussion by essay contributors to “The Material World of Modern Segregation: St. Louis in the Long Era of Ferguson.” The collection (forthcoming in The Common Reader: A Journal of the Essay, 2022) stems from a conference by that name in spring 2017, involving leading scholars on race, segregation and urban space, and experience from in and outside Washington University. The collection of essays is co-edited by Heidi Kolk (Sam Fox School) and Iver Bernstein (History, AFAS and American Culture Studies).

This event is taking place in Umrath Hall, and will also be livestreamed and recorded for virtual viewing. Follow link for details on pre-registration and health screening.

Rethinking Monuments & Memorials

Freedom | Information | Acts

Join us for an open house of the first Studiolab, Freedom | Information | Acts, a full-year interdisciplinary graduate course addressing access to archival materials from the Jack Willis and Henry Hampton collections of civil rights documentary film projects, and to movement history more broadly.

Thinking through access to these materials and stories, the Studiolab students have used an array of archival sources to teach a research methods course at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center through WashU’s Prison Education Project.

Follow the link below for details and to RSVP.

Counter/Narratives: ‘More Than One Thing’

The story of the Pruitt-Igoe housing development is often considered a tragedy. Throughout its existence, local media regularly fixated on its downfall due to lack of resources, proliferating racist images of crime, neglect and disorder. In reality, its history is much more complex. The short film More Than One Thing provides a different viewpoint of this moment in history through the personal narrative of teenager and resident Billy Towns. The film was shot by WashU graduate student Steven Carver in 1968 and 1969 and is told through the eyes of Billy as he narrates over footage of his everyday life, sharing his hopes and dreams with the viewer. The film acknowledges some realistic concerns, but largely serves as an embracing and optimistic portrayal of the young man, providing space for him to speak in his own words.

Presentd by the Ethical Society of St. Louis and Washington University Libraries. The film was first screened at the Ethical Society in 1970 and was preserved and digitized by Washington University Libraries’ Film and Media Archive in 2016. The film is included in the exhibition Counter/Narratives: (Re)presenting Race & Ethnicity, on view at the John M. Olin Library through July 10, 2022.

Free and open to all; registration required.

Juneteenth Pop-Up Display

In commemoration of Juneteenth, we bring together works by four contemporary American artists of African descent—Torkwase Dyson, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Joyce Scott, and Danny Tisdale—for a pop-up display organized around the practices of storytelling and remembrance. While viewing the display, we invite you to reflect on what histories we are taught, whose stories matter, and how we remember. An accompanying reading table contains multiple points of entry for learning about the historical events surrounding emancipation as well as their legacies in the present, offering context for understanding the ongoing struggle for Black liberation and racial justice through the lenses of historical texts, personal narratives, and children’s literature.

Image credit

Torkwase Dyson (American, b. 1973), A Place Called Dark Black (Bird and Lava), 2020. Acrylic and ink on canvas, 96 x 80 x 2". University purchase, Parsons Fund and Bixby Fund, 2021.

Counter/Narratives of Independence: Celebrating Juneteenth

Join the University Libraries, in partnership with the Department of African and African-American Studies and the WashU & Slavery Project, for a special Juneteenth celebration. Come together as a community to learn more about the holiday and enjoy refreshments. The event will begin with an introduction to Juneteenth and its importance in history and today. Following the introduction, activities for all ages will be available, including a dramatic reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?,” children’s story time, interactive stations, and a viewing of current exhibitions.

Free and open to all, registration required.