Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Biracial Students On Campus: We Are America (Too), Suzanne Marie Prentiss, Tyrel J. Prentiss

Black Issues Conference

This interactive discussion will explore the changing face of minority students from the perspectives of a biracial student and his mother who teaches on campus.

Incorporating 2010 Census data, personal stories, and campus initiatives, we will discuss who defines race, the importance of racial identity, and what we can do as a campus and community to provide a supportive environment for biracial and mixed-race students. As we explore the changing face of America and the increasing racial diversity of our citizens, it is critical that we understand the implications and opportunities inherent in that change.

What does it mean to …

Fast Fat Girls In Pink Hot Pants: One Writer's Journey Across The Mason-Dixon Line, Artress Bethany White

Black Issues Conference

Fast Fat Girls in Pink Hot Pants: One Writer's Journey Across the Mason-Dixon Line

Fast Fat Girls in Pink Hot Pants is the title of a collection of poetry that I began writing several years ago. The book chronicles my journey from growing up in the northeast before moving to the South to work on my Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky. The book deals largely with racial identity and the question of whether or not the New South is really new when it comes to racial politics in the 21st century. In my presentation I would like to discuss …

Afro-Environmentalism: Black Stewardship In The New Millennium, Shelby Renee Burks Ward

Black Issues Conference

In the 21st century, societies face serious environmental problems. Black leadership in the environmental arena—stewardship—is vital for successful decision-making that respects all life on the planet, human health, and sustainable economy. Afro-environmentalism will explore how the legacy of the civil rights movement inspires environmental activism, current environmental problems, and how people of African descent are needed to effectively address those problems.

As African-Americans, the civil rights leaders of yesterday gave us an incredible legacy. Men and women fought against oppression and gave their lives for equal treatment, justice, and freedom. Today, environmental problems also include matters of injustice, untruth, and …