Wilkes University students, faculty and staff recognize Black History Month with a variety of lectures and events throughout February.
11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3: The Impact of Colorism on the BIPOC Community
Held via Zoom
Jane Sanchez Swain, assistant director for degree completion programs and PhD student at Montclair State University, will facilitate an interactive workshop on colorism and its impact on Black, Indigenous and people of color. The workshop will be attended by Wilkes students, faculty and staff. Sanchez Swain has over 15 years of experience as an educator, keynote speaker and workshop facilitator. Previous experience with the National Coalition Building Institute laid the foundation for her experience and passion in social justice and diversity education.
Advance registration is required by emailing Erica Acosta at erica.acosta@wilkes.edu. Zoom access will be provided upon registering.
11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15: Third Annual Douglass Day Transcribe-a-thon
Breiseth Hall room 105
Members of the Wilkes community take an active role in preserving Black history during the nationwide transcribe-a-thon. The event, which honors both Frederick Douglass Day and Black History Month, will take place in Breiseth Hall room 105. This year’s event focuses on transcribing the records of the Colored Conventions, the longest-running 19th century campaign for Black civil rights. Wilkes students, faculty and staff are welcome to participate in the transcribing session.
5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16: A Special Evening with Juan Logan
Held via Zoom
Sordoni Art Gallery director Heather Sincavage will moderate a conversation with Juan Logan, artist and art collector, to discuss his exhibition Creating & Collecting. At once abstract and representational, his large mixed media paintings, sculptures and installations address issues of identity, place and power. Through commentary about history and cycles of oppression, Logan’s work makes visible the hierarchical relations and social stereotypes that shape individuals, institutions, and the material and mental landscapes of contemporary life. The Creating & Collecting exhibition will run through March 13. Check wilkes.edu/sordoniartgallery for hours and related events.
Advance registration is required by emailing Heather Sincavage at heather.sincavage@wilkes.edu. Zoom access will be provided upon registering.
4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23: Afrofuturism Jazz Ensemble Presentation
Henry Student Center Ballroom
Members of the Chicago- and Detroit-based collective, Autophysiopsychic Millennium, led by Adam Zanolini, LuFuki and Angel Bat Dawid, will offer a workshop on the work of multi-instrumentalist and composer Yusef Lateef. Lateef’s music explored African, Middle Eastern and Indian traditions, incorporating them into “jazz,” a term he rejected in favor of his own term Autophysiopsychic music. The workshop will be interwoven with musical performance and discussion. The project explores Lateef’s work as a progenitor to the concept of Afrofuturism, which blends music, visual arts, science fiction and technology to imagine alternate realities and a liberated future viewed through the lens of Black cultures. No prior musical experience is necessary to participate in the workshop.
