Spring 2022 Events: 

January 20 | 3:30pm | MLK Speak Out & Dialogue 

The Center for Multicultural Student Services presents the MLK Speak Out & Dialogue in The Union Ballroom for a community dialogue led by D.E.E.P. Impact Educators on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 24 | 4-5pm | ASW: Miriam Kilimo

The Africana Studies Workshop presents Miriam Kilimo. This event will be held virtually from 4-5pm. Please contact Becca Paulisch (paulisra@jmu.edu) for more information.

January 28 | 7pm |  Obsidian Journal Presents Furious Flower 2020 Winners | Virtual

Obsidian Journal presents Furious Flower 2020 winners, Diamond Forde and Kweku Abimbola in this virtual event on January 28 at 7pm. 

February 3 | 12pm | Shelf Life - The Silent Shore with Charles L. Chavis, Jr. | Virtual

In partnership with the Maryland Center for the Book at Maryland Humanities, the Virginia Center for the Book at Virginia Humanities presents this virtual event. The Racial Terror Project and JMU's Justice Studies department are community partners for this event, as well. Attendance is free; you can register and find more information here: https://bit.ly/3G1PwYO 

February 15 | 7pm | Reading & Fireside Chat with Jocelyn Johnson

The College of Arts & Letters, JMU Black Student Alliance, and JMU English presents the Reading & Fireside Chat with Jocelyn Johnson, JMU alum and author. Johnson will be reading from her debut book, My Monticello in Wilson Hall Auditorium at 7pm. There will be a book signing from 6-6:30pm and after the event.

February 16 | 5pm | Furious Flower: Khadijah Queen Reading | Highlands Room (Festival)

Furious Flower presents a reading by Khadijah Queen. This event will be in person in the Highlands Room in Festival on JMU's campus.

February 16-19 | 12th Annual African, African American & Diaspora Studies (AAAD) Interdisciplinary Conference: “Voices of Race, Modes of Advocacy”

The AAAD Studies Center presents the 12th Annual AAAD Studies Interdisciplinary Conference virtually February 16-19. “Voices of Race, Modes of Advocacy” features keynote speaker, Dorothy Roberts and featured speaker, Andrea Ritchie. For more information and the full program, visit the conference website: https://sites.lib.jmu.edu/aaadjmu/ 

February 16 | 10-11:15am | Featured Speaker: Andrea Ritchie | Virtual

February 16 | 11:30-1pm | Sisters in Session Plenary Panel | Virtual

February 16 | 3:00-4:30pm | CVPA Presentation | Virtual

February 16 | 5pm | Furious Flower Poetry Reading: Khadijah Queen | Virtual

February 17 | 10-11:30am | ODU Plenary Session | Virtual

February 17 | 4-5:30pm | Mary Awkard Fairfax Exhibit | Simms Center in Harrisonburg (In-Person)

February 18 | 10-11:30am | Keynote: Dorothy Roberts | Virtual

February 19 | 10-11:30am | ASW Panel | Virtual

February 24 | 6:30-8:30pm | Getting Familiar with the Ole School

The Ole School Alumni Group presents "Getting Familiar with the Ole School," a Black History Month event. Location TBD.

March 3-4 | Furious Flower Collegiate Summit | Virtual

Furious Flower presents the Furious Flower Collegiate Summit with 2021 National Book Award Finalists Doughlas Kearny and Amber McBride; time TBD. 

March 8 | 4-5pm | ASW: Dr. Njelle Hamilton

The Africana Studies Workshop presents Dr. Njelle Hamilton. This event will be held virtually from 4-5pm. Please contact Becca Paulisch (paulisra@jmu.edu) for more information.

April 20 | 4pm | Furious Flower Poetry Prizewinners Reading with Judge Tim Seibles | Highlands Room (Festival)

Furious Flower presents the Furious Flower Poetry Prizewinners Reading with Judge Tim Siebles in the Highlands Room of Festival.

March 3 | 4pm | Inaugural Terry Beitzel Lecture | Wilson Hall

A lecture titled "The Fall of Kabul: Lessons for Leadership," will be delivered by Samiullah Nuristani, Ph.D., on Thursday, March 3, at 4pm in Wilson Hall. Admission to Nuristani's talk is free and all are welcome to attend. It honors the moemory of Terry D. Beitzel, who died early last year of COVID-19 complications. Beitzel, a professor of justice studies at JMU, had served as the director of the Gandhi Center and was also an active member of the Advisory Council of the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and a friend and supporter of AAAD. (https://bit.ly/GandhiCenter)

March 3-4 | Furious Flower Collegiate Summit | Virtual

Furious Flower presents the Furious Flower Collegiate Summit with 2021 National Book Award Finalists Doughlas Kearny and Amber Mcbride.

March 8 | 4-5pm | ASW: Dr. Njelle Hamilton | Virtual

The Africana Studies Workshop presents Dr. Njelle Hamilton. This event will be held virtually from 4-5pm. Please contact Becca Paulisch (paulisra@jmu.edu) for more information.

March 8 | 5pm | Police and the High Sheriff Come Riding After Me | Virtual

Performers of country music and its predecessor genres have supported Southern political candidates before country music even became a solidified musical style. One unifying theme from the late 19th century to the present has been that musicians supporting political campaigns have repeatedly borrowed elements and whole songs from African American tradition, while they have also drawn from depictions of Blackness rooted in minstrelsy. This talk, featuring Dr. Peter La Chapelle, will analyze two country music-infused political campaigns - one in the 1920s and one in the 1960s - and then make connections between this history and the role that race is now playing in the modern genre. This event is sponsored by The Cohen Center for the Humanities and is virtual. (https://jmu-edu.zoom.us/j/86386361141)

March 10 | 6-9:30pm | Cultural Heritage Month Speaker: Tianna Soto | Union Ballroom

Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Student Services, this event features writer, speaker, and educator Tianna Soto. As a Puerto Rican, Jamaican-Chinese woman born and raised in the south in a family of New Yorkers, Tianna understands what it’s like to exist between worlds. She encourages students to honor their personal narratives and the qualities that make them unique while sharing practical guidance for mental health and wellness. Her work is heart-centered, service-driven, culturally-informed, and rooted in empathy. (https://bit.ly/TiannaSoto)

March 23 | 8-4pm | Annual Diversity Conference | Festival Ballroom Grand

Sponsored by the Office of Access and Inclusion and geared toward JMU Faculty and Staff, the Diversity Conference is an all-day event located in the Festival Conference and Student Center which allows you to participate in your choice of three informational or workshop sessions

March 24 | 7-9pm | D.E.E.P. Impact Cultural Series Women's History Month Speaker, TBA

Stay tuned for more information (https://www.jmu.edu/deepimpact/diversity-dialogues.shtml)