On Friday, March 22, 2013, I had the honor of delivering a keynote lecture at a Women's History Month banquet at Marietta College. Dr. Richard Danford serves as their Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, and he earned his PhD at Ohio State University. He therefore receives ASCENT magazine and saw the feature in which they highlight my scholarly and community activities. Because I emphasize the role that women played in initiating lynching drama, he immediately recognized my investment in building on the legacy that women in the United States have left us.
The visit was a joy from beginning to end. I met with a literary research methods course taught by my SSAWW colleague Professor Nicole Livengood; I met with an organization for black women students; I spoke to a group of English majors and History majors interested in archival research; and I met with members of Marietta's newly formed Lesbian and Gay Task Force to share the findings of my forthcoming essay on anti-LBGT violence.
This incredibly productive day ended with the lecture itself, a generative Q&A session, and a book signing that their bookstore generously arranged and attendees graciously supported.
Still, there was yet another element that made this trip special. I stayed in an "executive suite" in one of
the dorms. Turns out, it was a brand new dorm built in honor of the
institution's first black alumnus,
Charles Sumner Harrison, Class of 1876. (He also earned an M.D. in 1895
from Howard University.) Two of his brothers later graduated from
Marietta as well. It was an humbling treat to walk past these portraits throughout my stay.
On Monday, February 4, 2013, I delivered a keynote lecture to help kick off Bucknell University's programming for Black History Month. The event was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. The details that made the visit so lovely were handled by Dr. Vincent Stephens,
Director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services. He is an American Studies scholar whose analyses have been quite influential. Aside from numerous music reviews in publications such as Popular Music & Society, his essay “Pop Goes the Rapper: A Close Reading of Eminem’s Genderphobia” appeared in the journal Popular Music and was reprinted in the popular culture textbook Common Culture. For more on Dr. Stephens' publications, including free downloads, visit his Selected Works page.
Time spent with faculty members and students made this a particularly productive visit. Conversations with theatre scholar Meenakshi Ponnuswami were particularly warm and invigorating. We found much common ground through dramatists James Baldwin and Amiri Baraka, and Dr. Ponnuswami gave me wonderful suggestions for an essay with which I have been struggling. I also had a great time meeting Dr. Michael Drexler who specializes in nineteenth-century American literature. Fortunately, a few students also made time for me outside of the lecture! I had a great tour from Paul and a nice lunch with Juanita and Trayvon. Also, Darby stayed after the lecture to share his ideas about the issues with which we both struggle as we try to remain true to our ideals in a society that sometimes seems reluctant to reward that kind of integrity. I came back to Columbus energized!
