Given the current racial tensions and incidents involving police brutality around the country, the Penn Alumni’s “Antiracist Education and Action” series is timely and important. Starting as soon as tomorrow, the events range from a Zoom chat with Rolling Stone Senior Writer Jamil Smith (Penn ’97) as he answers questions about his latest Black Lives Matter-centered cover story, to a discussion of the importance of Penn Alumni’s James Brister Society. The series has come into fruition concurrently with the announcement of Raymond S. Markowitz President’s Distinguished Professor CJ Taylor as Penn Engineering’s inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Find the full listing of events (to date) below.
Zoom Q&A with Penn Alum and Rolling Stone Senior Writer Jamil Smith
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | 6:00 PM PT/9:00 PM ET
Join Penn Club LA and Rolling Stone Senior Writer Jamil Smith (Penn ’97) for a timely and topical discussion on Tuesday, June 30 at 6 pm PT. Jamil will discuss his recent cover story in Rolling Stone (The Power of Black Lives Matter) and issues relating to the current social justice movement around Black Lives Matter and racial inequity in America.
Host: Penn Club of Los Angeles
Featuring: Jamil Smith C’97
Click here to register. – –
La Casa Latina Combating Anti-Blackness Book Club
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | 6:00 PM EDT
Please join us in reading and discussing: Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis. Join us Tuesday, June 30 at 6pm EST for a virtual discussion on the book!
Please RSVP at https://bit.ly/lclangeladavis to receive Zoom link.
Host: La Casa Latina
– –
Solidarity and Allyship: LGBTQ and Black Communities
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 | 8:00 PM EDT
Due to Covid-19 and civil unrest in the country, this year’s PennGALA / YaleGALA annual Pride party has been rescheduled and in its place, we will be hosting a conversation about Pride, allyship and solidary between the Black and LGBTQ communities. We invite you to participate in the conversation as our speakers take us on a journey to explore how we can support and advance our communities. Click here to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Host: PennGALA & YaleGALA
Featuring: Malik Muhammad, Associate Director of the LGBT Center and Thomas Simsarian Dolan, Yale C’05
– –
Diversity at Penn: An Introduction to The James Brister Society
July 9, 2020 | 7:00 PM EDT
Our speakers will discuss Diversity & Inclusion, their experience as Penn students, and the importance of the James Brister Society.
Host: James Brister Society, Penn Club of San Francisco
Featuring: Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran, ENG’89, W’89, LPS’15, Trustee Patricia Martin, MD, M’85, Trustee Michael Barrett, ENG’89
Click here to register.
– –
Black Lives Matter: Understanding the Reason Behind Protest and Unrest
July 14, 2020 | 7:00 PM EDT
With a focus on current events, police brutality, juvenile justice, and prison reform how are activists today forging change for our communities?
Host: Penn Spectrum on the Road
Speakers: Sara Reese Lomax, C’87, Judith Browne Dianis, W’87
Click here to register.
– –
Penn Alumni Reading Club
Discussion will be held in August – date and time to be announced soon
Host: Black Alumni Society, Alumni Education