February 2018: The John Hope Franklin Memorial Day Freedom Concert featured the Brooklyn College Symphonic Choir, Conservatory Singers, and the Glee Club.
We Stand Against Hate
"We Stand Against Hate" has been a campus fixture since spring 2017. Throughout the year, the initiative features lectures, workshops, concerts, programs, and events that reflect our ongoing commitment to elevating dialogue, enhancing understanding and compassion, and celebrating the voices that make up our diverse campus community.
We Stand Against Anti-Semitism
January 3, 2022
Dear Brooklyn College Community,
In late December, a Brooklyn College student and a friend were beaten and called “dirty Jews” in an incident that is being investigated as a hate crime in Bay Ridge. The College denounces hatred and stands in solidarity with the student and members of the Jewish community, as well as any community that is subjected to acts of targeted hate. Antisemitism has no place at Brooklyn College. If you believe that you have been discriminated against on the basis of religion or any other protected identity with regards to a Brooklyn College program, please contact my office.
Thank you,
Anthony Brown, Esq.
Chief Diversity Officer and Special Assistant to the President
Office of Diversity and Equity Programs
Brooklyn College
718.951.4128
Anthony.Brown@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Presidential Statements
- In Solidarity with the Asian-American Community (March 19, 2021)
- Creating a Presidential Advisory Committee for College Staff (February 2, 2021)
- Letter of Reaffirmation (December 11, 2020)
- More Progress and New Grants for Our Immigrant Students (July 23, 2020)
- More Updates on Our Anti-Racist Agenda (July 14, 2020)
- Updates on Our Anti-Racist Agenda (July 8, 2020)
- Enacting an Anti-Racist Agenda at Brooklyn College (July 2, 2020)
- In Honor of Pride and Juneteenth (June 17, 2020)
- A Pivotal Time in History (June 10, 2020)
- Black Lives Matter Here (June 2, 2020)
- Statement Regarding Volleyball Game on February 23, 2020 (February 28, 2020)
People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
I understand their meaning,
It could and did derive
From living on the edge of death
They kept my race alive
By wearing the mask!
— Maya Angelou
Past Events
Poster for "Multicultural Feast and Culture Fair"
Multicultural Feast and Culture Fair
Celebrating International Students Day
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 6:30-8 p.m.
Prepare your food, poetry, dance, music, and art to showcase.
Sponsors
I am BC Initiative, Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, Children and Youth Studies Program, Office of International Student and Scholars Services, International Programs and Study Abroad, BLMI, BC DREAM TEAM, MEDO, CSU, Hillel, USG, and ISSO.
Poster for "Brooklyn College Celebrates Native American Heritage Month"
Brooklyn College Celebrates Native American Heritage Month
A Conversation with American Indian Community House with special guests
- Patricia Tarrant
- Sheldon Raymore
- Ben Begoe
Tuesday, November 16, 2021,
Bios
Patricia Tarrant
Patricia is an enrolled member of the three affiliated tribes located in Fort Berthold, North Dakota. She is a member of the knife clan. She was born and raised in New Jersey and has been working for the American Indian Community House on and off since 2005.
Sheldon Raymore
Sheldon is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation. He's a multidisciplinary performance artist, actor, choreographer, cultural consultant, costume designer, fashion designer, visual artist, and an award-winning grass dancer. A member of Actor's Equity Association, Sheldon serves as the Deputy Director for the American Indian Community House in New York City.
Ben Begoe
Ben, tiospaye wakankdiduta (family unit Redlightning) is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota which has affiliations in the Dakota First Nations of Manitoba. Ben is also the coordinator of Community Health Programs at the American Indian Community House in New York City advancing Native American culture, arts, and health.
Sponsors
Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL), We Stand Against Hate Initiative, Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, ISSO, I am BC Diversity Committee, with acknowledgements to the Brooklyn College Indigenous Studies Working Group and Rich Chavolla.
More Information
sailreception@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Poster for "Black Solidarity Day at Brooklyn College: We Stand Together"
Black Solidarity Day at Brooklyn College: We Stand Together
- Community
- Activism
- Solidarity
Monday, November 1, 2021, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Sponsors
Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL), Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, I am BC Diversity Committee, We Stand Against Hate Initiative, Black Faculty and Staff @ BC, Black and Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), Department of Africana Studies, Caribbean Studies Program, Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK Program
More Information
sailreception@brooklyn.cuny.edu
Poster for "Maddalena Marinari"
Maddalena Marinari
Speaker and author of Unwanted: Italian and Jewish Mobilization Against Restrictive Immigration Laws, 1882–1965
Wednesday, October 27, 2021, 6:30 p.m.
- Register in advance (After registering, you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the meeting.)
Maddalena Marinari, associate professor and chair in history, peace studies, and gender, women, and sexuality studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, will speak about her book, which examines how, from 1882 to 1965, Italian and Jewish reformers profoundly influenced the country’s immigration policy as they mobilized against the immigration laws that marked them as undesirable. An immigrant herself, Marinari has long been interested in the impact of immigration laws on immigrants, immigration flows, and American identity.
Presented by We Stand Against Hate Initiative and the Department of Judaic Studies
Co-sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies; American Studies Program; Immigrant Student Success Office; Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership Center; Women’s and Gender Studies Program
Poster for "Possible Dream Encuentro: Latinx Arts, Communities and Leadership 2021"
Possible Dream Encuentro: Latinx Arts, Communities and Leadership 2021
Thursday, September 30, 2021, 3:40–5:10 p.m.
A ‘Latin American Music Recital’ in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies and National Latinx Heritage Month.
More Information
Mr. Daniel Vázquez Sanabria, 2021 Encuentro Coordinator
vazquezjd98@gmail.com
PRLS Dept. 718.951.5561 (remote)
Presented by the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies
Sponsored by BC Comité Noviembre, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, and We Stand Against Hate Initiative, and ISSO
Poster for "Welcome Back with special guest, Damon Evans"
Welcome Back
with special guest, Damon Evans
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Join with the LGBTQ Resource Center in welcoming back alumnus Damon Evans. Damon will share his experiences of being at the Stonewall Riot, being a performer in Theater and on TV, navigating Brooklyn College as an older student, and more!
About Damon Evans
Singer/actor Damon Evans is a native of Baltimore, MD. He is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and Brooklyn College where he majored in Africana Studies. He has had an active career on Broadway, television, and classical music. Her performed as an actor on the popular TV sitcom The Jeffersons and the mini-series Roots: The Next Generation. Damon appeared on Broadway and became the first African-American actor/singer to portray the role of Jesus Christ in the authorized production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Active in classical music, he has appeared at the New York City Opera, the Tulsa Opera, the Cincinnati Opera, the Virginia Opera, the Royal Opera in London, and the Netherlands Opera in Amsterdam in addition to performing as a soloist. He has recorded for EMI Records, Chandos Records, and Dorian Records.
Sponsors
LGBTQ Resource Center, Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, We Stand Against Hate Initiative
College-wide Poetry Reading
College-wide Poetry Reading
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Calling all Brooklyn College poets, undergrads and grad students, physicists, accountants, sociologists, biologists, and English majors! Bring your original three-minute poems College-wide Poetry Reading in celebration of our differences and diversity.
Let us know that you’d like to read by sending your name, your EMPLID, and a short bio (e.g., “I’m a junior majoring in math education”) to the Office of Diversity and Equity, attention: Administrative Assistant Briana Strong.
All are welcome!
Sponsored by the Department of Africana Studies, the Black Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), the Center for Disability Services, Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL), The Department of English, the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, the Department of Theater, The Women's Center, and We Stand Against Hate.
Panel Discussion on Immigrant Student Success
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
Sponsored by the Immigrant Student Success Office.
The Diverse Experiences of Asian American College Students
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Presented by Julie J. Park
Sponsored by Asian/Asian American Faculty and Staff, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL), The Women's Center, the School of Education, and We Stand Against Hate.
2021 Brooklyn College Haidt Lectures
with Prof. Moshe Rosman, Winner, The Rothschild Prize in Jewish Studies, 2020
Professor Emeritus, Koschitsky Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry, Bar-Ilan University
Three Early Modern Jewish Women Who Bent the Gender Boundary
Wednesday, April 21, 2021.
Yisrael Ba'al Shem Tov and the Beginnings of Hasidism
Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Sponsored by the Department of Judaic Studies, Department of History, the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, LAMEM, the Studies in Religion Program, Women and Gender Studies, and the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs.
Exploring Student Access to Resources and Virtual Platforms
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Sponsored by the Student Organization for Every Disability United for Progress (SOFEDUP).
Understanding Neurodiversity, Suggestions and Strategies for Student Success
Thursday, April 8, 2021
Sponsored by the Center for Student Disability Services and Judicial Affairs.
Speak Out against Anti-Asian Violence!
Speak Out against Anti-Asian Violence!
Friday, March 26, 2021
In response to the devastating events that occurred in Georgia on March 16, the extended Brooklyn College community is invited to a special conversation, "In Solidarity with the Asian-American Community."
The panel will consist of:
- Sau-fong-Au, Direct of the Brooklyn College Women's Center
- Professor Diana Pan, Department of Sociology
- Professor Pei-Han Cheng, Department of School Psychology, Counseling, and Leadership
- Professor Celina Su, Department of Political Science
with opening remakes by President Michelle Anderson.
Co-sponsored by Africana Studies, members of the Asian/Asian-American Faculty and Staff, members of the Black Faculty and Staff, members of Faculty of Color, Judaic Studies, Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the Brooklyn College Women’s Center, and We Stand Against Hate.
CUNY Women’s Council Presents: Embodied Poetics, Featuring Aimee Cox
Tuesday, March 23, 4–5:15 p.m.
Embodied Poetics (for self-identified women) will use the poetry of a different woman of color as the embodied inspiration for accessible yoga and guided free-form movement, with time to write and reflect on responses to the poetry and the movement, writing their own embodied poetics.
Safer Sex Workshop With Babeland
March 18, 2021
Babeland is back (virtually!) for our annual Safer Sex Workshop for CUNY students. Babeland representatives will lead an inclusive workshop on sex-related topics. Guests will have the opportunity to ask questions anonymously. The event will also feature a raffle for some Babeland merchandise.
Meditation With Bilqis @ the Women’s Center
March 15, 2021
Practice calming the mind during these uncertain times. Learn breathing skills and techniques to achieve fuller inner peace and solace.
What’s in the Cards: Tarot Session With Spiritualist, Intuitive Tarot Reader, Yogi, and Holistic Health Practitioner Briana Strong
March 10, 2021
Briana Strong will introduce the tarot and lead both a general reading for the collective, invite one-card pulls from individuals, and do a spirit-guide pull from three different tarot decks. A divine feminine meditation on feminine energy and empowerment and Q&A will follow.
Yoga @ Women’s Center
March 4, 2021
Alumna Bilqis Benu will lead a Hatha yoga session and talk about mind/body connection and well-being while leading a series of asanas. All levels welcome.
A Conversation With Transgender Prisoners' Rights Activist and Litigator Dee Farmer
March 5, 2021
Dee Farmer is a legal expert and consultant for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She was the first transgender plaintiff to bring a case before the United States Supreme Court. In 1994, her landmark case, the unanimous Farmer v. Brennan decision, established that prisoners have a right to be protected from harm and that prisons are responsible for their safety.
Common Reader/The 1619 Project, A Conversation with Cornel West: Culture, Race, and Democracy
Common Reader/The 1619 Project, A Conversation with Cornel West: Culture, Race, and Democracy
Philosopher, Political Activist, Social Critic, Author, and Public Intellectual
March 9, 2021
Introduced by Martha Nadell, Associate Professor, English Department
"I Am Not Your Negro," by James Baldwin
February 25, 2021
Film screening and discussion
Black Culture: The Underappreciated Pioneer
February 26, 2021
Join the ladies of Women of Color and Assistant Professor of Sociology DonnaLee Granville to discuss the impact that black culture has had on popular culture throughout history and how it influences today's cultural climate.
Restorative Yoga
February 23, 2021
John Hope Franklin Commemorative Events
The departments of History and English, together with the Wolfe Institute and the Common Reader/1619 Project, invite the public to two free online Black History Month events commemorating Tulsa 1921 through oral histories and music.
February 23, 2021
Remembering Tulsa, 1921: Race Relations in Early 20th Century United States
- John W. Franklin, National Museum of African American History
- Cheryl D. Hicks, University of Delaware
February 24, 2021
Social Justice through Sound and Film
- Professor Malcolm J. Merriweather
- Laura Karpman
- Professor Jonathan Zalben
- Professor Stephanie Jensen-Moulton
The Black Entrepreneurial Spirit (B.E.S.T.) of Black History Month
February 23, 2021
A panel discussion highlighting alumni who have become successful entrepreneurs since graduating. Presented by SAIL Center, I Am BC Diversity Committee.
Common Reader/The 1619 Project, With Author Robert Jones Jr. '06, M.F.A '08
Common Reader/The 1619 Project, With Author Robert Jones Jr. '06, M.F.A '08
February 18, 2021
As part of the Common Reader/The 1619 Project. organized by the Department of English, Robert Jones Jr. reads from his critically acclaimed debut novel, The Prophets. He will be introduced by Wadzanai Mhute, an M.F.A. student in creative writing at Brooklyn College. This is co-sponsored by the college’s We Stand Against Hate initiative, departments of English and History, Wolfe Institute, and Office of Diversity and Equity Programs.
Racism, Mental Health, and Strategies for Supporting Our Students
February 18, 2021
Co-founders of the BARE Mental Health & Wellness Center, Professor Jessica LoPresti, Suffolk University Boston, and Professor Tahirah Swain, University of Massachusetts Boston, will discuss the impact of racism and discrimination on the mental health of our students of color and the strategies and resources faculty can use to support their success.
Restorative Yoga
February 9, 2021
Battle of the Sexes
February 5, 2021
Join the ladies of Women of Color and the brothers of Phi Sigma Chi Multicultural Fraternity Inc. for a friendly debate regarding our views on relationships, stereotypes, political stances, gender roles, and much more. Presented by the Beta Chapter of Phi Sigma Chi Multicultural Fraternity Inc. & Women of Color.
Black and Jewish Multicultural Identities, and Anti-Semitism
February 4, 2021
“Black and Jewish Multicultural Identities, and Anti-Semitism” will explore the possibilities and meanings that arise when black and Jewish identities merge. This event will feature a lecture by Professor Katya Gibel Mevorach from Anthropology and American Studies at Grinnell College. Gibel Mevorach holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Duke University. She received her B.A. and M.A. in African studies from Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. Gibel Mevorach is author of the books Black, Jewish and Interracial: It's Not the Color of Your Skin but the Race of Your Kin and Other Myths of Identity, and she has also been published in several notable journals. She moved to Israel in 1970 after graduating from The Brearley School in New York and returned to the United States in 1991 to pursue doctoral studies. She was invited to join Grinnell College as a Scholar-in-Residence in January 1996.
Sponsors: We Stand Against Hate, Africana Studies, Judaic Studies, and Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center
Film Screening and Discussion: White Supremacy in Blackface
February 2, 2021
A film screening of White Supremacy in Blackface, directed by Domini Quinn SupaStar (2020) and discussion on the social construct called "white supremacy" as seen by its number-one target: black people. Screening and discussion led by Professor of Sociology Jean Eddy Saint Paul. Courtesy of I Am BC Diversity Committee, SAIL Center, and Black Faculty and Staff at BC.
SHIN-DC III Annual Congressional Holocaust Commemoration
January 28, 2021
Brooklyn College and its Judaic Studies program are proud to be a sponsor of SHIN DC III Annual Congressional Holocaust Commemoration Day. This event highlights underrepresented Jewish Holocaust communities, including Sephardic and Romaniote experiences, under this year's theme, "Refugees of the Holocaust." It will include examining the experiences of Sephardic and Ashkenazi refugees in Sephardic lands or communities of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, the Balkans, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia.
Special guest Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, will tell his Sephardic family’s story of survival, and the keynote speaker is Devin Naar, the Isaac Alhadeff Professor in Sephardic Studies at the University of Washington.
Claims of Hidden Racism in Mainstream Economics: A Critical Response
December 3, 2020
Many critics have suggested that mainstream economics provides a rationale for the racial exploitation they believe is endemic to capitalism, most recently in an essay by John Kolmos. Professor Emeritus Robert Cherry will respond to these claims and Professor Marc Fox will be the discussant.
Professor Cherry will identify circumstances in which the profit motive can undermine discriminatory barriers and many cases where it is not. While discriminatory hiring practices should not be ignored, to the extent productivity inadequacies explain racial disparities in the developmental affirmative action policies may be necessary to increase the pipeline from underrepresented groups. Third, the talk will discuss the employment problems faced by a large share of black men. What are the particular personal and structural barriers they face and why Obama-like incremental polices can ameliorate their situation.
Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil
November 20, 2020
In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, we'll be holding our annual vigil to read the names of those who have passed away due to transphobic violence.
Common Reader Project and The 1619 Project - 1619, Racism, and Science
November 18, 2020
Transgender Awareness Week
November 13-19, 2020
Each year, between November 13 and 19, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility about transgender people and address issues members of the community face.
Celebrating Native American Heritage Month - The Lenape of Brooklyn: Origins, Acknowledgements, and Activism
November 10, 2020
A conversation with historian Heather Bruegl.
Brought to you by the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, and We Stand Against Hate.
With acknowledgments to the Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, the library, the Honors Academy, and the Indigenous Studies Working Group.
¡Basta Ya! (Enough Already!) - What A Few Puerto Rican Students Did That Irreversibly Changed The Ivory Tower
October 6, 2020
An Event of the 15th Annual Possible Dream: Latinx Arts, Communities and Leadership Encuentro, In honor of Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month
Discussants
- Dr. María Pérez y González, PRLS Deputy Chairperson/Former PRLS Chairperson
- Dr. Virginia Sánchez Korrol, Professor Emerita/Former PRLS Chairperson/Winner of the 2020 Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Service in NY History by the New York Academy of History
In cooperation with Puerto Rican Alliance (PRA), BC Comité Noviembre, APREE (Alliance for Puerto Rican Education and Empowerment), Sponsored by the Office of Equity and Diversity Programs, ‘We Stand Against Hate’ Initiative.
Taking White Supremacy to Court: The Charlottesville Case
September 30, 2020
We invite you to join a conversation about racism and Integrity First for America’s current efforts to fight back against white supremacy using the justice system.
The Dept. of Africana Studies presents VOICES FOR CHANGE
September 30, 2020
Prof. Eto Otitigbe of The Dept. of Art will lead us on a Journey Into the Exploration of Monuments, History, and Memory Through Art.
Where Does Culture Belong? Indigenous Artifacts in Museums and Universities
September 25, 2020
Conversation with LaDuke and cultural anthropologist and member of the Delaware Nation of Oklahoma Nekole Parton Alligood about decolonization as it relates to NAI artifacts, bones, burial sites, and how these are used by universities, museums, and researchers.
Robert L. Hess Memorial Lecture by 2020 Hess Scholar-in-Residence Winona LaDuke
September 24, 2020
Winona LaDuke is a rural development economist working on issues of economic, food, and energy sovereignty. She lives and works on the White Earth reservation in northern Minnesota, and leads several organizations including Honor the Earth, Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute, Akiing, and Winona's Hemp. These organizations develop and model cultural-based sustainable development strategies utilizing renewable energy and sustainable food systems.
Sustainability in the 21st Century
September 24, 2020
Panel with Sustainability faculty at BC and beyond
Countering Colonialism in the Classroom
September 23, 2020
Panel discussion with Victoria Stone-Cadena, Lawrence Johnson, Naomi Schiller, and Hess Scholar in Residence Winona LaDuke.
The Citizen Artist: Performing Resistance
September 23, 2020
On this panel, BC faculty and alumnae discuss how theatre artists address environmental and social issues in their work.
Food Sovereignty & Public Health
September 23, 2020
Roundtable discussion with Sarah K. Khan, alumna Tiana Rainford, and Hess Scholar in Residence Winona LaDuke.
Civil Rights and Resistance: Uprisings for Planetary Justice
September 22, 2020
A panel featuring BC faculty with LaDuke, discussing activism for environmental justice, including issues of climate, water, and pollution.
The I in BIPOC: Racial Justice and Indigenous Peopl
September 22, 2020
A conversation with undergraduate students and Hess Scholar in Residence Winona LaDuke.
Native/Indigenous Studies, Here & Now: Conversation with Jaskiron Dhillon and Winona LaDuke
September 21, 2020
Preceded by a Land Acknowledgement and Blessing by elder George Stonefish Useful as an introduction to Native American/Indigenous (NAI) Studies.
Black & LGBTQ+ Activism: Not Separate, Not Equal
June 30, 2020
The We Stand Against Hate Initiative, the Wolfe Institute, the Black, Latino Male Initiative, the Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the LGBTQ Resource Committee, the Women's Center and the LGBTQ Resource Center are sponsoring a symposium entitled "Black & LGBTQ+ Activism: Not Separate, Not Equal.”
Andrea Ritchie, writer, lawyer, and activist for women of color, and Tamika Spellman, pioneering activist and advocate, will serve as the primary speakers for the symposium. The symposium will be interactive and offer insight into Black Queer activism during this period of social unrest.
We Should Be Able To Breathe: Virtual Town Hall
June 3, 2020
With Anthony Brown, the Chief Diversity Officer at Brooklyn College, and David Wells, the Director of the Black, Latino Male Initiative.
A Boy from Bustina: A Son. A Survivor. A Witness.
November 25, 2019
Lawrence Burian spoke about the monumental autobiography written by his father, Andrew Burian, A Boy from Bustina: A Son. A Survivor. A Witness. (Yad Vashem Publications, 2016) a first-person narrative of his remarkable survival of the Birkenau and Mauthausen concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Lawrence Burian has been a member of the board of directors of the American Society for Yad Vashem for more than 20 years. Inspired by his father's life story, he too, has been committed to Holocaust education and remembrance. "I feel a great sense of responsibility towards helping ensure that future generations are aware of what occurred but also learn important lessons for the future," he says.
This event was accompanied by the exhibit, BESA: A Code of Honor. Muslim Albanians Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust. The exhibit, which was on display in the Brooklyn College Library through December 1, was developed by Yad Vashem and on loan from the American Society for Yad Vashem.
Annual Symposium on Haitian Creole Language and Culture
October 25 and 26, 2019
Co-sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College.
Panel Discussion: 400 Years Later—The Legacies of 1619
October 24, 2019
The Department of History, in collaboration with the Wolfe Institute for the Humanities, the Conservatory of Music, and the H. Wiley Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music, presents "400 Years Later—The Legacies of 1619." The panel discussion will feature John W. Franklin, cultural historian at the National Museum of African American History, and Steven Hahn, the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize-winning author of A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South From Slavery to the Great Migration, moderated by Brooklyn-based historian and curator Prithi Kanakamedala. Funding is made possible by a generous grant from Kimberley Phillips Boehm.
John Hope Franklin Freedom Concert
October 24, 2019
Curated by Assistant Professor Laquita Mitchell with Assistant Professor Malcolm J. Merriweather of the Conservatory of Music, the concert will expand on the model by Coretta Scott King, presenting a tapestry of choral music, poetry, and prose that illustrates the struggle of people around the world and promotes religious, social, and political harmony.
Lecture: The Significance of the Border Wall in American History
October 17, 2019
The Wolfe Institute for the Humanities presents a lecture by New York University Professor of History Greg Grandin.
Lecture: Lives Still in Limbo: UnDACAmented and Navigating Uncertain Futures
October 7, 2019
The Department of Sociology presents the 2019 Charles R. Lawrence II Memorial Lecture by Professor Roberto Gonzales, Harvard University Graduate School of Education and director of Immigration Initiative at Harvard.
The Untold History—130 Years of Women's Political and Economic Advancement
October 3, 2019
The Archives and Special Collections division of the Brooklyn College Library, in collaboration with the YWCA of Brooklyn, unveils an archival historic collection following more than a century of women's political and economic empowerment in Brooklyn. The exhibit, pulled from 350 boxes of historical documents, including more than 6,000 photos dating back to the 1880s, has been organized and prepared for public access and research.
Film Screenings: Period. End of Sentence.
September 26, 2019
Two screenings of the 2019 Oscar-winning documentary film, with Associate Professor Patricia Antoniello facilitating discussion. Co-sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, the Women's Center, and the Department of Television and Radio.
Film Screening: Chèche Lavi
September 21, 2019
Documentary film that focuses on the experiences of Haitian immigrants who are stranded at the Mexico-U.S. border in 2016, following a mass migration from Brazil. The film explores the relationship between two Haitian men whose friendship and futures were altered by incomprehensible geopolitical forces.
We Are Brooklyn: Immigrant Voices
September 12, 2019
Art exhibit opening, based on oral histories with immigrants and children of immigrants conducted by Brooklyn College students as part of the Brooklyn College Listening Project.
Frances Haidt Annual Lecture, With Film Screening of Who Will Write Our History?
April 8, 2019
Professor Samuel Kassow, Trinity College, spoke on "History and Catastrophe: The Secret Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto." Kassow is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Who Will Write Our History?, which was also produced as a highly praised documentary. The film documents the secret Warsaw ghetto archive that was found buried in several tin boxes and metal milk canisters. It includes reenactments of key figures and events to preserve the memory of Jewish life under extreme persecution in Nazi-German occupied Poland during World War II. Discussion and questions were conducted by Professor Robert Shapiro, Department of Judaic Studies, and translator-editor of The Warsaw Ghetto Oyneg Shabes-Ringelblum.
Kassow is the Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He has been a Lady Davis Visiting Professor at the Hebrew University, the Leon I. Mirell Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and the Shier Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto. From 2006 to 2013 he was the lead historian for two galleries of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, and he has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Jewish Research. A child of Holocaust survivors, Kassow was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany.
American Torture
April 23, 2018
What happens to American society when the practice of torture is no longer reviled but instead put up for debate? A conversation between CUNY School of Law’s Professor Ramzi Kassem and Brooklyn College Professor Moustafa Bayoumi as they discuss the legal, political, and cultural implications of torture today.
Interfaith Dialog With Mustafa Akyol
April 18, 2018
An interfaith dialogue featuring Turkish writer and The New York Times International journalist Mustafa Akyol, author of Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty.
OneMind: Peace in the Middle East
March 27, 2018
OneVoice presented a workshop on conflict resolution, using a five-step model designed to depolarize conflict across communities, and foster viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement, and using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study.
Discovery Faith
March 23, 2018
Reflections on the major monotheistic religions in dialog with one another, with Professors David Brodsky (Judaic Studies), Bilal Ibrahim (History), Lauren Mancia (History), and Sara Reguer (chair, Program for Studies in Religion).
RespondBC! Opening Reception
March 11, 2018
RespondBC! recognizes the diverse voices of the Brooklyn College community by showcasing their art, in any media, that conveys their personal, social, cultural, or political positions.
Discussing Faith: What the Pre-Modern History of Jewish-Christian-Muslim Interactions Teaches Us
March 6, 2018
What is the history of Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations? History and Judaic Studies faculty engaged in discussion about what we can learn from the pre-modern history of these religions.
Immigration Rights and Resources in CUNY
February 27, 2018
An informative panel discussion on the legal rights of immigrants, and the resources available to them at CUNY.
OneMind: Peace in the Middle East
February 27, 2018
OneVoice presented a workshop on conflict resolution, using a five-step model designed to depolarize conflict across communities, and foster viewpoint diversity and constructive disagreement, and using the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a case study.
John Hope Franklin Lecture and Freedom Concert
February 26, 2018
The John Hope Franklin Memorial Day celebration opened with a discussion on African American history and the public sphere, featuring panelists David Blight, public historian (Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom), the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s John W. Franklin (My Life and an Era: the Autobiography of Buck Colbert Franklin), and Kimberley Phillips-Boehm, award-winning historian and writer (War! What is it Good For? Black Freedom Struggles and the U.S. Military from World War II to Iraq). The evening’s Freedom Concert featured the Brooklyn College Symphonic Choir, Conservatory Singers, and Glee Club.
Celebrating Love Across Cultures Through Gospel Music
February 15, 2018
Loving Immigrants in America
November 16, 2017
An enriching conversation about diverse immigrant experiences and their ethical implications in the current political context. Professor Daniel Campos will be in conversation with philosophy student Nimra Asif.
Debating the Future of Policing
November 14, 2017
Professor Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing, debated the future of law enforcement with Heather McDonald, author of The War on Cops.
Watched
November 2, 2017
Watched (Katie Mitchell, 2017), is an intimate and moving exploration of the experience of coming of age - under the gaze of state surveillance. The screening was followed by a discussion with guest speakers, Prof. Jeanne Theoharis and filmmaker, Katie Mitchell.
Strategies to Combat Racism and Anti-Semitism: The Psychodynamics of American Politics
October 19, 2017
Rabbi Michael Lerner discusses the psychopathology in American life that creates the climate in which racism against African Americans and anti-Semitism grow, and strategies to take the country in a different direction.
- Rabbi Michael Lerner Encourages Students to Dream a Different Kind of World
- Strategies to Combat Racism and Anti-Semitism Facebook Video
Immigration Now: DACA & Citizenship Resources in CUNY
October 3, 2017
Jasinta De La Cruz is an immigration lawyer with CUNY’s Citizenship Now! Project, which provides free, confidential immigration legal services to help students, their families, and other immigrants in the city on the path to U.S. citizenship.
Watched
May 16, 2017
Watched (Katie Mitchell, 2017), is an intimate and moving exploration of the experience of coming of age - under the gaze of state surveillance. The screening was followed by a discussion with guest speakers, Prof. Jeanne Theoharis and filmmaker, Katie Mitchell.
Laughter without Borders
May 3, 2017
Andrew Horton's documentary, aughter Without Borders, followed four Swedish clowns in Northern Greece in 2016 as they bring laughter to Syrian refugee children. The screening was followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and some Swedish clowns.
The Sounds of Post-Inauguration Protests
May 2, 2017
The election of Donald Trump inspired thousands of residents across the country, many of them new to activism, to join in active protests. Music and sound are an important means to engage these protesters, build solidarity among them, and keep them going. This was a preliminary account of the sounds of these protests, outlining the paths of historic reference, innovation, and global circulation.
RespondBC!
April 28, 2017
People have used art to respond to shifts in culture, politics, and society for generations. RespondBC! was no different, gathering a series of artworks across all mediums in a response to the current pressures of society and growing political tension in the United States.
NO BAN, NO WALL: The Struggle for Immigrant Rights Under Trump
April 27, 2017
How does one resist the Trump administration's xenophobic policies? Why is it important to engage in this struggle today? In a panel discussion, journalist Sami Disu, Make the Road’s Luiza Tanuri, and Bay Ridge for Social Justice’s Yasmine Kamel, shared how and why everyday people can join the cause.
Ronit and Jamil: A Reading by author Pamela Laskin
April 24, 2017
A beautiful, lyrical novel retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet but through the lens of modern-day lovers during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, read by author Pamela Laskin.
RespondBC!
April 23, 2017
People have used art to respond to shifts in culture, politics, and society for generations. RespondBC! was no different, gathering a series of artworks across all mediums in a response to the current pressures of society and growing political tension in the United States.
Founders of Serve 2 Unite Stand Up Against Hate
April 17, 2017
Organized by Brooklyn College’s SEEK program, Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michaelis, Serve 2 Unite co-founders, elaborated on how their experience of hate and violence was transformed into understanding, acceptance, and compassion.
Today's Civil Rights Movement
April 6, 2017
How can we participate in today’s civil rights movement? We asked: Danny Greenberg '66 (Legal Aid Society New York), Judge Sharon Bourne-Clarke '89, Wendy Amengual Wark, and Norman Siegel '65 (NY ACLU) replied.
- We Stand Against Hate Event Takes on Today’s Civil Rights Movement
- Today's Civil Rights Movement Youtube Video
Listen-In/Listen Up! Students Teach the Teachers About Struggle
April 4-5, 2017
Panels of students will share their stories of struggle, what makes them feel vulnerable or unwelcome on campus, and how we can create a more inclusive and nurturing environment at Brooklyn College. Following the panel discussion, the student moderator will lead a wider discussion with student members of the audience.
Shared Paths, Divergent Courses: Zionism & Palestinian Nationalism
March 28, 2017
In a lively back-and-forth hosted in the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Hussein Ibish (Senior Resident Scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute) and David Meyers (Judaic Studies, UCLA) provided a thoughtful look at the history and interpretation of two opposing movements: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism.
- We Stand Against Hate Series Presents "Shared Paths, Divergent Courses: Zionism & Palestinian Nationalism"
- Shared Paths, Divergent Courses Youtube Video
A Historical and Constitutional Assessment of Trump's Immigration EOs
March 28, 2017
Tasked with the difficult job of assessing the historical context of President Trump’s immigration-based executive orders, Cornell University’s Maria Cristina Garcia and the Center of Constitutional Rights’ Shane Kadidal, in two events, provided insight into how Trump’s actions will affect immigrants, refugees, and exiles in the United States.
Ronit and Jamil: A Reading by author Pamela Laskin
March 22, 2017
A beautiful, lyrical novel retelling the story of Romeo and Juliet but through the lens of modern-day lovers during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, read by author Pamela Laskin.
Freedom Concert
March 22, 2017
A celebration of Coretta Scott King’s vital role in the civil rights movement through choral music, poetry, and prose, led by professors Malcolm J. Merriweather and Ira Spaulding.
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me: A Fake News Event
March 21, 2017
A fun, informative game show, hosted by professors Beth Evans, MJ Robinson, and Katherine Fry, that served to teach students how to identify and deal with the problem of fake news in modern journalism.
Freedom Concert
March 20, 2017
A celebration of Coretta Scott King’s vital role in the civil rights movement through choral music, poetry, and prose, led by professors Malcolm J. Merriweather and Ira Spaulding.
Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop
March 24, 2017
Culminating in mini-performances based on collected stories, Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop brought together storytelling, conversion, and improvisation skills in a series of helpful workshops.
Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop
March 10, 2017
Culminating in mini-performances based on collected stories, Otherness & Togetherness: A Storytelling Workshop brought together storytelling, conversion, and improvisation skills in a series of helpful workshops.
Disturbing the Peace: A Documentary about Israeli and Palestinian Activism
March 6, 2017
Disturbing the Peace highlights former Israeli and Palestinian combatants who transform into nonviolent peace activists, culminating in forming Combatants for Peace. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers and participating members of Combatants for Peace.
Founders of Serve 2 Unite Stand Up Against Hate
March 2, 2017
Organized by Brooklyn College’s SEEK program, Pardeep Kaleka and Arno Michaelis, Serve 2 Unite co-founders, elaborated on how their experience of hate and violence was transformed into understanding, acceptance, and compassion.
John Hope Franklin Celebration
February 28, 2017
A collection of films, lectures, political dialogues, and an exhibition of African-American art and history, that celebrated the life and work of John Hope Franklin, the first African-American chair of an academic department.
- John Hope Franklin Memorial Day Celebrated at Brooklyn College as Part of Its "We Stand Against Hate" Initiative
- John Hope Franklin Celebration Youtube Video
Surveillance and the First Amendment
February 22, 2017
In this conversation, professors Moustafa Bayoumi (English), Benjamin Carp (History), Sandra Kingan (Mathematics), and Alex Vitale (Sociology) tackled the problem of state-sponsored, undercover operations on university campuses in the context of the First Amendment.
- Brooklyn College Faculty View First Amendment Rights Through an Interdisciplinary Lens
- Surveillance and the First Amendment Facebook Video
How to Engage Others and Accept and Understand Difference: A Skills-Building Workshop
February 21, 2017
In this panel, Professors Penny Repetti (Philosophy) and Katie Rose Hejtmanek (Anthropology) explored the meaning of human culture and how to accept and understand the variety differences among them.
Executive Order Q & A
A Q&A on President’s Trump’s Travel Ban, an executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, that featured immigration lawyer Arda Beskardes, and hosted by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
February 16, 2017
Children's Books on Compassion
February 14, 2017
First of a series of monthly dialogs on high-quality children's books, occasionally with the author, designed to develop empathy in readers of all. Hosted by Dean April Bedford, the Children's Books on Compassion Series promoted the best of children’s literature and their authors.
