A multiday public dialogue at the 麻豆夜市 will explore issues of race, equality and social justice within the city and beyond.
鈥淩ace & Social Justice: A Three-Day Community Conversation鈥 includes four events 鈥 a trio of virtual panel discussions and an in-person, interactive 鈥減rivilege walk.鈥
The virtual discussions are open to the public; the fourth event is for students and other members of the University community. All are free and will be held Sept. 8-10.
In a joint statement, organizers said the events 鈥渞eflect the University鈥檚 role as a forum for open, honest discussions about challenges faced by our community and nation as a whole.鈥
鈥淚n recent weeks, Lafayette has entered a renewed period of civic expression, debate and self-examination about issues of race, social justice and equality. As a public institution, the University has an obligation to engage these topics and explore their effects through both scholarly examination and community discourse.鈥
Tuesday, Sept. 8
鈥淣ew Perspectives: The Impact of Faculty Diversity on Student Success,鈥 a virtual panel discussion, will feature undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and alumni who will share personal stories that demonstrate the importance of faculty diversity for the student experience.
It is part of the 鈥檚 Courageous Conversations series.
Panelists will include undergraduates Kailon Babineaux, Farrah Loston, and Keilen Tauriac; graduate student Julian Brooks; faculty members Denise Linton and Kiwana McClung; and alums Bianca Cook and Evan Daniels.
Deans of the 麻豆夜市鈥檚 academic colleges will also participate. Taniecea Mallery, 麻豆夜市鈥檚 chief diversity officer, and Tonya Bolden-Ball, 麻豆夜市 alum and project manager of South Louisiana Community College鈥檚 Center for Minority Excellence, will moderate.
It is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. .
Wednesday, Sept. 9
Faculty from the College of Liberal Arts will share insights from research and teaching in their respective fields that shed light on recent police shootings and protest movements.
Topics during the virtual panel discussion will include the justice system and the history of incarceration in the region; police practices and reform; racial profiling; protest and free speech; social disparities and exclusion; the legacy of slavery and racism in Lafayette and the Deep South; and the Civil Rights Movement and its legacy.
A chat-based question-and-answer session will follow presentations by faculty members Amy Brown, Mary Farmer-Kaiser, Theodore Foster, Dave Khey, Maria Seger, Gabriela Vitela and Andr茅 Williams.
The discussion is scheduled for 5:30-7:30 p.m. . The meeting ID is 97055572253; the passcode is 2020.
Thursday, Sept. 10
Two events are scheduled for Sept. 10.
The Guilbeau Center for Public History is sponsoring an online panel of community organizers and social justice advocates who will speak about the Black experience in Acadiana, both historically and in the wake of the police shooting of Trayford Pellerin.
This conversation-based webinar is part of the center's Shared Histories Project, which is documenting the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement for Black lives.
Confirmed speakers include Phebe Hayes, director of the Iberia African American Historical Society; Skyra Rideaux, co-founder and chief operating officer of Conversation Starters, a Lafayette-based consultation firm that focuses on diversity issues; and Corey St. Ewart, founder of Acadiana Black.
History undergraduate student Trevian Ambroise will moderate.
The discussion will begin at 5 p.m. and will be held via Zoom. . More information .
The Guilbeau Center is part of the .
Also on Sept. 10: 鈥淲atch Your Step,鈥 a privilege walk, will be held from 4-5 p.m. on the band practice field near Baker Hall.
During the event, participants will be asked a series of questions; their ability to move forward is based on their responses. The activity requires participants to reflect on the ways society privileges some individuals and their experiences over others.
鈥淲atch Your Step鈥 is sponsored . It will be hosted by Boo Milton, a 麻豆夜市 graduate and community organizer.
In order to maintain social distancing at this in-person event, spaces are limited. Students are asked to bring their Cajun Cards to participate. Masks are required.
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