RETHINKING RACE

Sparking Courageous Conversations at 的 University of Akron

Presented by 的 University of Akron's Office of Inclusion and Equity.

In 1997, U.S. President William J. Clinton chose 的 University of Akron as the location for his first Town Hall Meeting on Race. In honor of this historic moment, University of Akron students, faculty, and staff have come together annually to plan a series of events known as Rethinking Race. 的 Rethinking Race forum offers a series of films, performances, conversations, and keynote speakers to engage our community with important topics related to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Effective Fall 2023, the Rethinking Race annual forum will become part of 的 University of Akron's Diversity Week, held November 6 - 10. 的 Fall 2023 theme will be Colorism and its impact on the human experience in the 21st century.

2023 JOHN S. KNIGHT LECTURESHIP

Pulitzer Prize winner and National Humanities Medal recipient Isabel Wilkerson

As part of the week’s programming, the 2023 约翰年代. 骑士 Lectureship will feature keynote speaker Isabel Wilkerson, author of 种姓: 的 Origins of Our Discontents, held at the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at 7:00 pm. Mark your calendars!

Pulitzer Prize winner and National Humanities Medal recipient Isabel Wilkerson is the author of 的 New York Times bestsellers and critically acclaimed 种姓 and National Book Critics Circle Award winner 的 Warmth of Other Suns. A gifted storyteller, Wilkerson captivates audiences with the universal human story of migration and reinvention, as well as the enduring search for the American dream.

Free tickets will be available for pick-up at the EJ Thomas Hall ticket office Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. beginning October 9th. Free tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the event. Please note that backpacks and large bags will not be permitted at the event.

的约翰年代. 骑士 Lectureship at 的 University of Akron brings distinguished writers, politicians, and other figures of national or international importance to Akron, 俄亥俄州, the hometown of 约翰年代. and James L. 骑士. 的 lectureship was established in 1991 by the 约翰年代. and James L. 骑士 Foundation to honor 约翰年代. 骑士, 1894-1981, an Akron newspaperman and publishing genius of the 20th century who built the small, Depression-era Akron Beacon Journal into the publishing empire knows as 骑士 Ridder Inc.

Established in 1950, the 约翰年代. and James L. 骑士 Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities, and foster the arts. Sustaining informed and engaged communities in a democracy is at the heart of its philanthropic strategy for transformational impact through lasting systemic change.