EDWARDSVILLE – The first of a series of robust conversations surrounding the history of slavery and its lasting legacies will explore the difference between memorial and monuments, the current public discourse regarding Confederate monuments, and the goals and purposes of monuments and memorialization.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center, specifically its membership of the international Universities Studying (USS) consortium, will launch the Sankofa Lecture and Dialogue Series with a virtual discussion, entitled “Monuments in the Age of Black Lives Matter: The View from St. Louis” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Anyone interested in this important subject is encouraged to attend. Registration is available at https://siue.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_ fGLYYaT0Tr6bHEHgWW9Zpg
The Sankofa Lecture and Dialogue Series will feature SIUE faculty and other speakers presenting on a variety of topics within the framework of slavery in the region.
“These presentations are designed to facilitate discussion with the community and illuminate histories that have previously been understudied or are not well-known by the general public,” said TRHT member Bryan Jack, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Historical Studies. “The goal is to provide context for a better understanding of the legacies of slavery in our region and to dismantle the idea of a hierarchy of human value.”
Presenters of “Monuments in the Age of Black Lives Matter: The View from St. Louis” include Katie Poole-Jones, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Art and Design; and Erik Alexander, PhD, and Jeff Manuel, PhD, both associate professors in the Department of Historical Studies.
The speakers will create discourse around such questions as:
Does removing monuments erase history?
How else can or should we remember history if not through monuments?
What do we choose to memorialize and why?
The Sankofa Lecture and Dialogue Series is one of the University’s many anti-racism initiatives. For more information on the TRHT and its future programs and initiatives, visit siue.edu/provost/trht.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000.
Photo: Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center logo.
