Wayne State University experts in art, culture, education, history and politics are available to provide comments and insights related to Black History Month. Events commemorating African-American history are planned on and off campus throughout February.
Experts:
Lisa Alexander, an assistant professor in Africana Studies, is available to comment on African Americans in popular culture including film, television and sports. Her research focuses on representations of race and race relations in the media.
Xavier Livermon, an assistant professor in Africana Studies, is a specialist in South African history and culture as well as gender and sexuality. His research interests include examining the role of Africa in African Diaspora studies, gender and sexuality in the African Diaspora, black cultural studies, and music and performance cultures of the African Diaspora.
Danielle McGuire, assistant professor of history, is a nationally recognized expert on the civil rights movement, Rosa Parks, black women's roles in the African-American freedom struggle, and sexual and racial violence. In her award-winning book, At the Dark End of the Street, McGuire shares the story of black women's struggles against abuse by white bus drivers and police officers that launched the Montgomery bus boycott.
Silas Norman Jr., M.D., assistant dean for admissions in the School of Medicine, can discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion as well as share his experiences during the pivotal years of the civil rights era. As a student leader in 1961, Norman was among the hundreds of Freedom Riders to travel via interstate buses to Alabama in protest of racial segregation and inequality.
Kidada Williams, an assistant professor of history, specializes in African-American history, violence and victimization, and social movements. She is the author of Resolving the Paradox of our Lynching Fixation in American Nineteenth Century History (2005) and They Left Great Marks on Me, a book of African Americans' testimonies about racial violence and the origins of the first institutionalized campaigns of the civil rights movement (forthcoming, New York University Press, 2012).
Events:
Feb. 9, 5:30- 8 p.m.
Hope, Home and Homeland: Bailing out the Beloved Community
Spencer Partrich Auditorium, Wayne State Law School
• Patricia Williams, professor at the Columbia School of Law and author of Nation magazine's "Diary of a Mad Law Professor" column, will speak at this free event sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies, the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, the Center for Latino and Latin American Studies and the Humanities Center.
Feb. 16, 8 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Ofield Dukes Diversity Summit: Building Dialogue with Diverse Publics
McGregor Memorial Conference Center, 495 Ferry Mall, Wayne State
• In honor of the late Ofield Dukes, a distinguished public relations professional, WSU alumnus, educator and journalist, the Detroit Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the Wayne State Department of Communication will host a summit to redefine "diversity" beyond race and ethnicity and explore its meanings for the public relations profession; examine the role of diversity within the profession, publics and the process; and offer strategies and tactics for communicating with diverse audiences. The cost is $30 for PRSA Detroit members, $45 for nonmembers. Visit www.prsadetroit.org to register.
For a complete list of events, visit http://events.wayne.edu/black-history-month/2012/02/.
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