During Black History Month, several of Georgia State's colleges are holding lectures and symposia with fascinating speakers covering a wide range of topics.
Feb. 8: 33rd Annual Benjamin E. Mays Lecture
The Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence
Dr. William F. Tate IV, President, Louisiana State University
“Excellence as Struggle: Truth, Empathy and Courage in Higher Education”
Tuesday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Virtual (see below for more details)
William F. Tate IV, president of Louisiana State University, will give a presentation entitled, “Excellence as Struggle: Truth, Empathy and Courage in Higher Education.”
President Tate holds academic appointments in sociology (primary), epidemiology (secondary), psychiatry and behavioral medicine (clinical), and population and public health (secondary). He is an elected member of the National Academy of Education and a past president and elected fellow of the American Educational Research Association. His research program includes the study of the social determinants of STEM attainment, geospatial modeling of health, education and developmental outcomes, and social stratification. His book project titled, “Research on Schools, Neighborhoods and Communities: Toward Civic Responsibility,” reflects his interest in the geography of opportunity in metropolitan America.
The annual Mays Lecture encourages the discussion of issues facing urban educational leaders, honors the memory of Mays and promotes his philosophy of excellence in the education of those typically least well served by the larger society.
For more information, visit https://crim.education.gsu.edu/get-connected/benjamin-e-mays-lecture.
Feb. 21: Mario A.J. Bennekin Black History Symposium Keynote Address
Perimeter College
Dr. Jeffrey O.G. Ogbar, University of Connecticut
“Musical Genealogies: African American Musical Innovation and Commentary, from Freedom Songs to Hip‐Hop”
Monday, February 21 at 3 p.m.
Dunwoody Campus, NC Auditorium
Dr. Jeffrey Ogbonna Green Ogbar will deliver a keynote address entitled “Musical Genealogies: African American Musical Innovation and Commentary, from Freedom Songs to Hip‐Hop.” Dr. Ogbar was born in Chicago and raised in Los Angeles, California. He received his BA in History from Morehouse College in Atlanta. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in U.S. History with a minor in African studies from Indiana University in Bloomington. Since 1997 he has taught at the University of Connecticut’s Department of History. From 2003-2009 he served as the Director of the Africana Studies Institute. He served as Associate Dean for the Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences from 2009-2012. In June 2012 he was named the University’s Vice Provost for Diversity. In 2014 he became the founding director of the Center for the Study of Popular Music.
Jeffrey O. G. Ogbar’s research interests include the 20th century United States with a focus on African American history. More specifically, Dr. Ogbar studies black nationalism and social justice movements. He has developed courses, lectured, and published articles on subjects as varied as the New Negro Renaissance, mass incarceration, civil rights struggles, and hip-hop. Dr. Ogbar has held fellowships at Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Research Institute, where he completed work on his book, Black Power: Radical Politics and African American Identity. He also held fellowships at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City, and the Africana studies program at the University of Miami where he conducted research for his book Hip-Hop Revolution: The Culture and Politics of Rap.
Along with research and teaching, Dr. Ogbar has enjoyed his role as the advisor to numerous student organizations, as well as working in various community service projects.
About the Mario A.J. Bennekin Black History Symposium
The symposium is a weeklong event (Feb. 21-25) open to the public which honors the legacy and life work of Mario A.J. Bennekin, former department chair and beloved associate professor of history at Perimeter who passed away in 2019. Having taught for 20 years, he was the chair of the History and Political Science department at Perimeter at the time of his passing. He was instrumental in bringing the African American Studies (now Africana Studies) curriculum to the college.
This year’s theme is “A Black History Movement: Knowing the Past Opens the Door to the Future.” For additional information about the keynote and other symposium events, visit the symposium website at https://perimeter.gsu.edu/bennekin-symposium/.
Feb. 24: Honors College Founders Lecture
Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., Princeton University
“Begin Again: James Baldwin's America And Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own”
Thursday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m.
Centennial Hall, Room 120, 100 Auburn Ave. N.E.
Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. will present the Honors College Founders Lecture on February 24 in the Centennial Hall Auditorium. His speech is titled "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America And Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own." Dr. Glaude is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. One of the nation’s most prominent scholars, the professor examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. Among his many publications, his book, "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America And Its Urgent Lessons For Our Own," explores in depth Black communities in the United States, the difficulties of race in the country, and the challenges we face currently as a democracy. To learn more about Dr. Glaude, click here to read his biography.
For more information about the Honors College, visit https://honors.gsu.edu.