In ARHU, a Series of Talks Centering Race, Equity and Justice

By ARHU Staff 

The College of Arts and Humanities (ARHU) at the University of Maryland is launching a yearlong colloquium and conversation series, hosted by Dean Bonnie Thornton Dill, to introduce audiences to faculty expertise on issues of systemic racism, inequality and justice. The events are free and will take place virtually. 

The first colloquium will be held Wednesday, Sept. 16 from 9-10 a.m. and features Perla Guerrero, associate professor of American studies and U.S. Latina/o studies. Guerrero’s talk will engage the audience in a discussion on racialization, the different ways Latinx communities are perceived and the way these communities address justice and equity. It will be followed by a conversation with the dean and a Q&A. 

Upcoming talks will focus on topics ranging from ‘racial battle fatigue’ in Black theatre and culture to incarcerated women and media activism. A full list with links to register is available below.  

“This series provides a special opportunity for people to engage with ARHU faculty members, whose expertise on aspects of race, inequality and justice can promote thoughtful conversations and generate ideas for social action and change,” said Thornton Dill. 

The series is part of a new college-wide campaign to address racism, inequality and justice in curriculum, scholarship, programming and community engagement. Among other actions, a recently announced 21-person Committee on Race, Equity and Justice, led by Associate Dean Linda Aldoory and made up of faculty, staff and graduate students, will serve to advise the dean on goals related to the eradication and dismantling of structural racism and on strategies for ensuring equity and social justice throughout the college, campus and community. 

The full list of Fall 2020 colloquia is as follows (spring dates coming soon): 

• Sept. 16, Perla Guerrero, associate professor in the Department of American Studies, will discuss: “How Latinx communities organize for justice and equity and/or experience inequality in different work spaces.” Learn more and register.
• Oct. 6, Marisa Parham, professor in the Department of English and director for the African American Digital Humanities initiative (AADHUM), will discuss: “Purpose, Frivolity, Futures: What, really, is inclusion?” Learn more and register.
• Oct. 26, Scot Reese, professor in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, will discuss: “Racial ‘Battle Fatigue’ in Black theatre and culture.” Learn more and register.
• Nov. 5, Julius Fleming, Jr., assistant professor in the Department of English, will discuss: “His book, ‘Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Refusal to Wait for Freedom.’” Learn more and register.
• Nov. 17, Tamanika Ferguson, presidential postdoc in the Department of Communication, will discuss: “The power of voice and resilience: incarcerated women and media activism.” Learn more and register.
• Dec. 8, Richard Bell, professor in the Department of History, will discuss: “African American political culture, and his book: ‘Stolen: Five Free Boys Kidnapped Into Slavery and Their Astonishing Odyssey Home.’” Learn more and register.