The April 1, 2016 campus-wide Black Life Matters in the Classroom Symposium will integrate arts, humanities, social and political science perspectives to make visible and value Black life in Ohio and beyond through scholarly lectures, pedagogy workshops, and community engagement. Specifically, the symposium will work toward the development of inclusive and anti-racist educational imperatives, policies, and pedagogies.
The Black Lives Matter Movement provides a robust model for thinking about educational inequities, the complexities of intersectional identities (gender, race, class, sexuality, ability, and so on) and the challenges of addressing the complex issues of diversity, inclusion, and access within academic contexts. #Black Lives Matter, developed by three women of color activists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi after Trayvon Martin’s murder, exemplifies an intersectional critical disposition and mode of action through its critique of anti-black universals, post-racial fantasies, and hierarchical recognitions within Black communities.
As the Black Lives Matter movement has grown, students and faculty across the nation have played a pivotal role in drawing attention to circumstances of structural racism, sexism, and heterosexism in our schools and universities. Students at middle schools, high schools, and universities across the country have organized walkouts, die-ins, and protests contesting the school-to-prison and school-to-grave pipeline, the underfunding of public schools in Black neighborhoods, and the disproportionate school suspensions of Black children.
The Black Lives Matter in the Classroom Symposium will provide the university community and the public with opportunities to engage local and nationally prominent scholars, artists, and activists in a process of education, reflection, and dialogue on forces in American life.
Contact Dr. Treva Lindsey at lindsey.268@osu.edu.
