The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues Starts Semester Exploring Racism, History, Literature and More
Seminar Series to Host Wide-Ranging Discussions Throughout the Month of September
The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues begins a new semester of exploring critical topics by welcoming Myisha Cherry, a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside, to discuss why anger is essential to the anti-racist struggle. Five additional events in September will look at history, literature, medicine, constitutional law, classics and the Caribbean diaspora. All events are open to the public, and many will be livestreamed.
The Case for Rage: Why Anger is Essential to Anti-Racist Struggle
Myisha Cherry, University of California, Riverside
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Livestream Link
Cherry, a professor and philosopher, will argue that anger, especially anti-racist anger, can be a powerful force for good. She will explain how rage can be used with its mighty force to challenge racism: it aims for change, motivates productive action, builds resistance and is informed by an inclusive and liberating perspective. This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Constance & Rose Ganoe Memorial Award for Inspirational Teaching and 2022 award-winner Assistant Professor of Philosophy Amy McKiernan; the Department of Philosophy; and Ethics Across Campus & the Curriculum.
Counting Lost Stars: Fiction Inspired by History
Kim van Alkemade, New York Times best-selling author
Stern Center Great Room, 7 p.m.
In this program, the author will discuss the facts that inspired her latest novel, Counting Lost Stars, and how a writer’s imagination transforms history into fiction to tell a human story. Her third historical novel, Counting Lost Stars, about an unwed college student who has given up her baby for adoption helping a Holocaust survivor search for his lost mother, was inspired in part by her father’s experiences in Nazi occupied Holland. This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of American studies, English, history and women’s, gender & sexuality studies.
It’s Time to Talk About Women’s Brains and the Birth Control Pill
Sarah E. Hill, Texas Christian University
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Livestream Link
In this talk, Hill will discuss what we know and don’t know about the pill and women’s brains and behavior. She will also talk about why this information matters for men and for those who care for women’s mental and physical health. Hill will urge researchers to conduct better, more inclusive science that teaches men and women about who they are and how their brains work, whether they are on—or off—medications like the birth control pill. The program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the Women’s & Gender Resource Center, LGBTQ Services, the AAUW Carlisle Chapter, the AAUW Dickinson Chapter, the Pre-Health Program, and the departments of chemistry, economics, political science and psychology. This program was initiated by the Clarke Forum’s student project managers.
The Beirut Barracks Bombing of 1983: The Stories that America Needs to Hear
James Breckenridge, U.S. Army War College
Michael Gaines, Beirut Veterans of America
Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Livestream Link
Experts will explore the legacy of the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. This panel will discuss the history of the Lebanese Civil War and the American military intervention from 1982 to 1984. The Beirut barracks bombing is an important event in American history, one that is often disregarded and forgotten, and yet it is loaded with meaning and lessons in counterterrorism. The panel will emphasize the value of remembering the past and honoring the sacrifices of the Beirut veterans. The program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the departments of history and French & Francophone studies, as well as the programs in military science and Middle East studies. It is also part of the Clarke Forum’s Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty Series.
Winfield C. Cook Constitution Day Conversation
Citizenship and Immigration Law in American History
Amanda Frost, University of Virginia
John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, President of Dickinson College
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.
Livestream Link
To commemorate Constitution Day in 2023, Dickinson College will feature President John E. Jones III ’77, P’11, a retired federal judge, in a wide-ranging constitutional conversation with noted legal historian Amanda Frost from the University of Virginia. Jones and Frost will discuss how various landmark cases and developments from the American past have helped shape several recent controversies in citizenship and immigration law. This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and the House Divided Project.
Bodega Poetics: Classics and Caribbean Diaspora
Dan-el Padilla Peralta, Princeton University
Stern Center Great Room, 7 p.m.
Livestream Link
Beginning with a reflection on the history of the word “bodega,” this lecture will look at the significance of ancient Greece and Rome to modern Caribbean communities. The focus will be on thinking through the shifting relationship of “classics” to Afro-Caribbean diasporas, and on several forms of interpretation useful for charting that relationship: historical, poetic and autobiographical. This program is sponsored by the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues and co-sponsored by the First-Year Seminar Program and the departments of classical studies, Spanish & Portuguese studies, Africana studies and the Latin American, Latinx & Caribbean studies program.
A full schedule of the Clarke Forum’s semester programs is available at the Clarke Forum website.
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Published September 4, 2023