Spring 2018
Wednesdays, 3-4 p.m.
January 31, 2018
How I Survived the Gay Rights Movement as a Trans Person of Color
Location: Student Center Theatre
Sponsored by the Arthur L. Johnson Unity Wing
J Mase III is a Black/trans/queer poet based in Seattle, WA, by way of Philadelphia, PA. He is the author of “If I Should Die Under the Knife, Tell my Kidney I was the Fiercest Poet Around,” as well as “And Then I Got Fired: One Transqueer’s Reflections on Grief, Unemployment and Inappropriate Jokes about Death.
”J Mase is the founder of awQward, the first talent agency for trans and queer people of color. He is currently co-editing The #BlackTransPrayerBook with awQward artist Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi.
February 7, 2018
Cuatro Puntos: Bringing Music to Afghanistan
Location: FAIC Concert Hall
Cuatro Puntos is dedicated to global cooperation and peace through the writing, performance and teaching of music. For four years these musicians have partnered with Afghanistan’s only music school to bring music back to a country where singing, playing and listening to music was banned only a decade ago. The Rosegarden of Light project is a peaceful reaction to violence committed against the school in 2014, when enemies of personal expression attempted to silence the brave new musical voices of Afghanistan.
February 14, 2018
Constance Baker Motley
Location: Student Center Theatre
Sponsors: Sociology/History Depts, President Núñez, & Unity Wing
An assistant professor of Africana Studies at Lehman College, Gary Ford earned his B.A. in African American history at Harvard University; his doctorate in American Studies is from the University of Maryland. In addition to writing and teaching, Ford helped produce the award-winning documentary film “Justice is a Black Woman: The Life and Work of Constance Baker Motley” with director/producer Michael Calia, director of Quinnipiac University’s Ed McMahon Mass Communications Center, and scriptwriter Susan Bailey.
February 21, 2018
Judy Dworin Performance Project “Brave in a New World”
Location: FAIC Proscenium Theatre
The Judy Dworin Performance Project is committed to exploring issues of social inequity and social justice. Selections from “Brave in a New World” will bring the voices of women and men released from prison to the stage. This episodic journey invites audiences to understand the effects of incarceration and reentry through the lens of those who have experienced it. To that end, dancers and speakers conjure images of confinement and separation, hurdles and bridges, and the emergence of hope through persistent shadows
of the past.
February 28, 2018
Martin Luther King Distinguished Service Awards
Location: Student Center Theatre
Sponsored by the Arthur L. Johnson Unity Wing
The Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Awards were established in 1996 to honor the legacy of Dr. King, whose spirit, philosophy and teachings continue to inspire countless individuals today. As a leader of the civil rights movement, Dr. King called for a commitment to serving others and to overcoming injustice for all. The awards ceremony recognizes members of the Eastern and Connecticut communities whose contributions uphold qualities of inclusion, cultural awareness, human rights and social justice.
March 7, 2018
Mom and Dad (This event has been cancelled.)
Location: FAIC Concert Hall
This panel discussion will explore the Art Gallery’s spring exhibition “Mom and Dad,” in which three artists tell stories about parents largely absent from their lives. In his series “My Da Lu,” Nelson Chan photographs his parents, whose family business forced them to spend decades traveling back and forth between China and the United States. Kalen Roach works with archival images to reconstruct his family’s history. In her photographic series “Moises,” Mariela Sancari searches to understand her father’s life by photographing men in their 70s — the age her father would have been had he not committed suicide when she was a child.
March 28, 2018
Ella T. Grasso Distinguished Service Awards
Location: Student Center Theatre
Sponsored by the Arthur L. Johnson Unity Wing
The Ella T. Grasso Distinguished Service Awards were established in 2009 in remembrance of the first woman and Italian-American elected governor in her own right in the United States. Serving as governor of Connecticut from 1974–80, Grasso’s distinguished political career spanned more than 45 years; she won all 10 elections in which she competed. The awards honor members of the Eastern and Connecticut communities who demonstrate commitment, perseverance, courage and leadership.
April 18, 2018
Ensemble/Parallax
Location: FAIC Concert Hall
The Providence-based “Ensemble/Parallax” is known for performing contemporary classical music from Europe and the United States. Their performance will feature several works from the ensemble’s extensive repertoire, and will include a significant educational component. A discussion on performance techniques, the aesthetics of new music, and historical content for the music presented will also be part of this event.
April 25, 2018
Cesar Chavez Distinguished Service Awards
Location: Student Center Theatre
Sponsored by the Arthur L. Johnson Unity Wing
The Cesar Chavez Distinguished Service Awards, established in 2013, are in remembrance of Cesar Chavez, the Mexican-American union leader and civil rights activist. Chavez dedicated his life to improving treatment, pay and working conditions for farm workers. His motto was “Si, se puede.” (meaning “Yes, it can be done.”) A great humanitarian, Cesar Chavez led a life of perseverance. The award ceremony honors members of the Eastern and Connecticut communities who have made an impact on the community in the areas of advocacy and social justice.
| Locations |
| Campus Map & Directions |
| The Paul E. Johnson Sr. Community Conference Room is on the second floor of the J. Eugene Smith Library |
| The Theatre and Betty R. Tipton Room are on the upper level of the Student Center |
| The Science Building Auditorium is in Room 104 of the Science Building |