Dickinson's Clarke Forum Announces October Lectures
The Anita Tuvin Schlechter (ATS) Auditorium in autumn.
Events Focus on Constructive Dialogue, Puerto Rico, Black Birthing Crisis
The Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues welcomes October with a galvanizing lecture by the CEO of BridgeUSA, an organization devoted to protecting democracy and promoting positive change through constructive dialogue. The month continues with an exploration of the crisis of high mortality rates for African American mothers and babies and of the historical and current issues surrounding Puerto Rico in relationship to the United States.
All Clarke Forum events are open to the public, and many are livestreamed.
Tuesday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m.
A New Divide: The Possibility for Dialogue
Manu Meel, CEO of BridgeUSA
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
As part of Dickinson’s Dialogues Across Differences initiative, Manu Meel will visit Dickinson to discuss how young people can bridge differences, protect democracy and create a brighter future through constructive dialogue and healthy disagreement. The CEO of BridgeUSA, an organization devoted to this aim, Meel is a former political analyst for the Department of State and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Learn more about this event and access the livestream link.
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m.
The Morgan Lecture: The Black Birthing Crisis: Why Understanding Slavery & Gynecology Helps Us All
Deirdre Cooper Owens, University of Connecticut
Anita Tuvin Schlecter Auditorium
Deirdre Cooper Owens traces high rates of maternal and infant death among African Americans to structural racism and the layered legacies of slavery. The associate professor of history and Africana studies (University of Connecticut) will speak about the history of American slavery, the birth of gynecology and the colonial-American roots of today’s birthing crisis and offer insights on how we may effect positive change. Prior to her current appointment, she directed the Program in African American History at the Library Company of Philadelphia and headed a medical-humanities program at the University of Nebraska. Learn more about this event.
Thursday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m.
Puerto Rico: The 51st State? Explaining the Diminished Prospects for Puerto Rico Statehood
Carlos Vargas-Ramos, Hunter College, Columbia University
Stern Center, Great Room
Carlos Vargas-Ramos, a director at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, will discuss Puerto Rico in relation to the United States and the unlikelihood that, in the near future, Puerto Rico will be admitted into the Union as member on equal standing with other states. This includes an overview of the historical process of incorporation of U.S. territories into the Union; political, economic racial and cultural obstacles for Congress to incorporate Puerto Rico as a state; why a majority of Puerto Rico residents may not want Puerto Rico to become a U.S. state; and colonization in an international context. Learn more about this event.
A full schedule of the Clarke Forum’s semester programs is available at the Clarke Forum website.
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Published September 25, 2024