EVENTS

11/09/21
Fulbright Italy presents: Identity and searching for Black lives in the archives in the words of Lanitra Berger and Maaza Mengiste

A conversation between Maaza Mengiste, Fulbright 2010 and author of the novel, The Shadow King, which shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize and was a 2020 LA Times Book Prize Fiction finalist, and LaNitra Berger, an award-winning scholar, social justice advocate, and Fulbright Program Advisor, and moderated by Timothy Martin, Board Member of the U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission and a performer and teacher of over 30 years. The conversation will touch upon topics such as race and identity and the need to “decolonize” the archives, and focus on how Maaza’s book was shaped by her Fulbright experience in Italy. The conversation will also expand to encompass issues of diversity and identity in contemporary Italy.

01/11/21
Virtual Book Launch Webinar

Can an artist both contribute to and counteract a social movement?

Join me for a conversation with Dr. Marcia Chatelain for my book launch on January 11, 2021 at 7pm EST.My book, "Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color: will be published by Bloomsbury Academic on December 24th.

Dr. Chatelain and I will be discussing race, social justice movements, art, and activism on January 11th. Dr. Chatelain is the author of the critically acclaimed book, "Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America" and is the creator of the #Fergusonsyllabus, among many other important contributions to public history scholarship and higher education.

12/15/20
Jewish Book Festival presents: LaNitra Berger

South African painter Irma Stern gained international fame for her expressionist paintings of Black, Jewish and colored (mixed race) people. Yet she accepted grants from the apartheid government and publicly expressed support for it, despite her ties to more progressive members of the South African Jewish community and her frequent visits across the “color line” to the Black townships where her subjects lived. Art historian LaNitra Berger examines these contradictions in Stern’s life and career from her childhood during the Boer War to her death in 1966, and she interviews Jewish community members and the post-apartheid generation of Black artists for their perspectives on Stern’s legacy in South Africa.

11/17/20
Social Justice & International Education: Exploring the Intersections

Featuring: Michele Norris
‍
An acclaimed journalist, author, and social advocate, Michele Norris fosters important dialogue on current events, social issues, and the power to make change. She will serve as the keynote for this special event.

‍Higher education institutions and international educators have played a vital role in resolving conflict through education, training, and research. This program brings together educators, scholars, and practitioners who are doing innovative work promoting social justice, confronting inequality, and fostering social responsibility in a global context.

You Should Attend If:

• you are currently engaged with social justice initiatives
• If you want to learn more about the intersection of social justice with international education
• If you are interested in using international education to develop social responsibility and enhance social justice initiatives
• If you are interested in ensuring international education initiatives are equitable and socially just

What You Will Gain From Participating:

• Knowledge and examples of international education programs and initiatives that develop students’ sense of social responsibility, and that enhance social justice initiatives
• Perspectives on the ways in which international education opportunities can be made more equitable
  
• Understanding of key ways in which international education and social justice can become mutually reinforcing