The College of Humanities and Africana Studies Program are hosting a series of virtual events this month to celebrate Black History Month.
Special guests include author and journalist Jelani Cobb and historian Brenna Wynn Greer, both scheduled to appear via Zoom in presentations that are free and open to the public.
The Africana Studies Program will host a Black History Month Virtual Showcase on Feb. 17, inviting the public and students to hear from guests, professors, alumni and students about academic programs, research, community partnerships and more.
Whose Vote Counts?
Jelani Cobb, staff writer at The New Yorker and Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism at Columbia University
Join Jelani Cobb for a conversation about the role of race in our elections. In his October 2020 documentary by the same title, Cobb reported on allegations of voter disenfranchisement, how unfounded claims of extensive voter fraud entered the political mainstream, and rhetoric and realities around mail-in ballots. Cobb will reflect on what happened and where we go from here.
Cobb is the recipient of the 2015 Sidney Hillman Award for Opinion and Analysis writing and writes frequently about race, politics, history and culture. He was formerly Associate Professor of History at the University of Connecticut, where he was director of the Africana Studies Institute. He has received Fellowships from the Fulbright and Ford Foundations.
This program is funded by the “Why it Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Black History Month Virtual Showcase
Meet the Africana Studies Program at the College of Humanities! Students and the general public are invited to hear about our dynamic academic programs, research and community partnerships. Dr. Bryan Carter will introduce Africana Studies professors, alumni and students, and special guests including Attorney Richard Davis and Barbea Williams of Barbea Williams Performing Company.
Who Framed Rosa Parks: The Photographic Legacy of Civil Rights Icons
Brenna Wynn Greer, Associate Professor of History, Wellesley College
Join historian Brenna Wynn Greer to examine the collaboration of civil rights activists and media that resulted in visuals and ideals that set the terms for Black protest and Black history.
Greer is a historian of race, gender, and culture in the twentieth century United States, who explores historical connections between capitalism, social movements and visual culture. Her first book, Represented: The Black Imagemakers Who Reimagined African American Citizenship (University of Pennsylvania Press), examines the historical circumstances that made the media representation of black citizenship good business in the post-World War II era. She is currently at work on her second book, which examines the postwar development of black commercial publishing and its significance within U.S. culture and black life.