Reparations for slavery. Environmental justice. Reproductive justice. Students, faculty, staff and the general public are invited to engage with these urgent topics and more throughout the spring semester thanks to the 鶹ƵSymposium. The , which includes film screenings, lectures, concerts, exhibits, workshops and more, takes up this year’s theme of “repair.” Each program encourages participants to consider whether and when “repair” is possible, and how repair can help lead us to a more just world.
According to , director of both the Humanities Center and Central New York Humanities Corridor, “repair” can take on many forms and meanings. For some, it might signify healing, mending or fixing on an intimate or personal level, while for others it can mean setting things right on a more structural level, to rectify historical wrongs. The spring semester’s diverse mix of events, featuring several community-engaged components, offers a range of opportunities to connect with and make an impact on the local community.
“Bridging scholarly inquiry with public impact, engaging wider communities in social justice matters and the public good, is at the core of what 鶹ƵUniversity is all about—and certainly lies at the heart of 鶹ƵSymposium’s annual lineup,” observes May. She notes that “this year’s activities centered on ‘repair’ show how deeply the humanities are needed, in both educational and community settings, to confront complex questions of reparations, restitution, displacement, climate and wellness in quite profound ways.”
Sara Trail
This semester’s 鶹ƵSymposium events kick off with a two-day event featuring the (SJSA). Founded in 2017 by Sara Trail, SJSA is a platform where individuals utilize textile art for personal transformation and community cohesion and to begin the journey toward becoming an agent of social change. Trail, who learned to sew at the age of 4, is now a successful author, sewing teacher and pattern and fabric designer. On Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. she will visit the (CFAC) in 鶹Ƶto present a program titled . The event will highlight the SJSA project, its history and impact, with a focus on how textile arts can contribute to repairing societal injustices.
Community Quilt Project
On Jan. 28 at 10 a.m., registrants are invited to create their own social justice quilt block in a led by Social Justice Sewing Academy instructors. In addition, now through Feb. 17, visitors can view SJSA quilts on display at CFAC, located at 805 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. Trail’s visit is organized by , an associate professor in the School of Information Studies.
Reparations NOW! The Department of (AAS) will host a pair of film screenings in the Hall of Languages’ Kilian Room.
A screening of the documentary “” (2008) will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. This film details the efforts of descendants of Black residents who were “banished” from their towns as they seek reparations for the harm directed at their ancestors. , visiting assistant teaching professor of African American Studies, will moderate a discussion about the film.
“” (2014) will be screened on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. This film contrasts the £20 million Britain paid to compensate Caribbean slaveholders in the 19th century with contemporary demands for redress from descendants of Jamaican slaves. , associate professor of African American Studies, will moderate a conversation about this film.
SeQuoia Kemp
Reproductive Justice–Part of , a yearlong exploration of the environmental humanities and arts organized by A&S’s and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Writing, Rhetoric and Communications Program, of the Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center will take part in two 鶹ƵSymposium events.
will trace out the relationship between environmental racism and reproductive justice and explain how the health of mothers is a key barometer of community health. Situated in the local 鶹Ƶcontext, Kemp’s talk will center on mothers’ lived experiences. This event will be held Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Community Engagement Room, Nancy Cantor Warehouse.
Kemp will also lead a , which offers members of the 鶹Ƶcommunity an opportunity to address intergenerational trauma in service of gaining greater reproductive justice for all. This event is Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. at the Salt Space, 103 Wyoming St., Syracuse.
Community-Engaged Repair–The , with support from the Engaged Humanities Network and Unlearning the Urban, will host Sara Safransky, assistant professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt University. Motivated by a concern for social and ecological justice, Safransky’s research centers around urban displacement and land justice.
Safransky’s first event, , is a workshop open to faculty, staff and students highlighting her community-engaged work in Detroit as a jumping off point for a broad conversation about how, why, and for whom research might take place. This event is Friday, Feb. 24 at 12:30 p.m. in Eggers Hall (room 155).
Her second event, , is a public lecture about the legacies of industrial decline in Detroit and the possibilities for creating a more just city. This event is Friday, Feb. 24 at 3 p.m. in MacNaughton Hall (room 200).
– Four composers whose music centers on the ideas of justice and identity will present a concert on March 26, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse III. Hosted by the and the , the performance of “repair” works will feature Flannery Cunningham, Stacy Garrop, Anthony R. Green and James Gordon Williams. The concert is free to all SU students, faculty and staff with valid ID.
Nell Irvin Painter
– The 40th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Public Memorial Lecture will feature a virtual talk by , professor emerita at Princeton University. Hosted by the Department of African American Studies, the program will explore issues of racial and gender identity and how they have figured into North American and Western history more broadly. Painter’s work urges us to look at history beyond the lines of difference and stereotype. The event on March 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. will feature a question-and-answer session and will be moderated by , associate professor of African American Studies.
–CODE^SHIFT (Collaboratory for Data Equity, Social Healing, Inclusive Futures and Transformation) at the Newhouse School presents a showcase of media, art and storytelling created within immigrant and refugee communities in 鶹Ƶand Richmond, Virginia. The event will feature work by the current cohort of Narratio Fellows, created in collaboration with artist Rina Banerjee, the . The showcase is March 30 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Museum Studies Gallery at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse.
Climate Justice–George Lakey, a renowned champion of creating positive social change through nonviolent direct-action tactics, will take part in two events exploring climate justice as part of .
At the first event, , Lakey will share stories of how the successfully mobilizes cross-sections of society to address structural challenges in the United States, and how people can create inclusive nonviolent campaigns. This event is April 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Bird Library (room 114).
Lakey’s second event, Climate Justice Nonviolent Action Campaign Training, will feature a discussion with Sarah Nahar, a Ph.D. candidate in religion, on how to craft nonviolent social change campaigns to be inclusive, powerful and successful. This event is April 14, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Folk Art Center.
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