Professor, antiracist activist and author of the New York Times bestseller How To Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi will be a featured virtual guest at Madison College tonight.
The discussion, “Madison College Talks: A Crucial Conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi” will be facilitated by Lucía Nuñez, the vice president of equity, inclusion, and community engagement at Madison College. Today’s discussion will focus on Kendi’s concept of antiracism and how anyone can play an active role in building an antiraicst society.
“We had over 47 book clubs, both with students and faculty at Madison College who participated in reading [the book] and discussing it,” Nuñez said. “This time around after we hear from Dr. Kendi, we’re going to have action groups. ‘How are we going to apply this? What does this mean for Madison College? We’re trying to extend [the discussion] so it’s not just a one-off. It’s not just we passively listen to a speaker, but rather we apply what we’re learning from that speaker.”
Kendi wrote How To Be an Antiracist in 2019 and the book saw a renewed interest during the George Floyd protests, when its sales surged. He is currently the Andrew W. Mellon Professor at Boston University and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, according to his site.
Nuñez is hopeful that the discussion will lead to plans on how to improve Madison College.
“We put together an equity and inclusion plan when I started in 2016. Since then, we’ve been in the process of updating that plan even before the pandemic and Geroge Floyd,” she said. “So, there’s been a lot of interest in making sure we advance equity and inclusion throughout our college, from our classrooms to our interaction students to student life. So we still have work to do. We’ve been in the process of really coming to terms with ‘how is it that we become more anti-racist?’”
Wednesday’s online discussion, which will be from 6:30-8:00 p.m., is also new territory for Madison College, which makes the event more exciting for Nuñez.
“I’m very excited to talk to him and ask him some questions that have come from our community,” she said. “I want to make that connection. I see the importance of [getting] creative to eradicate racism in this country and then looking at how we heal the years of oppression that have put people in situations where there’s damage. We need the healing that occurs when we start recognizing and listening to people’s stories, and then responding in a way that’s responsible and compassionate. I’m very curious to meet him in that way just because I feel his journey has been so powerful.”
Visit the event page for more information on tickets.
