Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies Dr. Carol Anderson provides historical context for contemporary practices of white supremacy and political violence in the U.S. through a new documentary, titled I, Too. The film, which premiered at the Carter Center in Atlanta on September 7, is a co-production of Humanity in Action, Emory University, the Bertelsmann Foundation, and the Donner Foundation. The film presents continuities between the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and earlier events, including the Hamburg Massacre in South Carolina in 1876 and the Wilmington, North Carolina, Coup d’Etat of 1898. Listen to a post-premiere interview between Dr. Anderson and WABE’s Rose Scott here: “‘History is uncomfortable’: Emory professor Carol Anderson live at the Carter Center.”
Category / Public Humanities
Rodriguez’s Class Inspires Pioneering, Undergraduate-Curated Exhibit on Latinx History
Emory Libraries has showcased a pioneering exhibit on Latinx histories in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month. Titled “Consciousness is Power: A Record of Emory Latinx History,” the exhibit was curated by Arturo Contreras, a fourth-year student majoring in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. In the Emory News Center piece about the exhibit, Contreras describes how History Department Assistant Professor Yami Rodriguez helped to inspire the project through her class “Migrants, borders and transnational communities in the U.S.” Read an excerpt from the Emory News Center Article below along with the full piece here: “Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an Emory Libraries pop-up exhibit.”
As a student, Contreras wanted to integrate his community work into his academic life. In spring of 2022, he enrolled in Yamileth “Yami” Rodriguez’s special topics history class to expand as a scholar in the field of Latinx studies. Rodriguez, an assistant professor of history at Emory, inspired and supported Contreras in proposing his exhibit project to the Emory Libraries Events and Exhibits team.
“Yami’s presence is what Emory needed, especially for students wanting to be involved with their respective communities,” Contreras says. “Her field of study and method of facilitating makes the classroom an environment of belonging and safety to explore intellectual curiosity.”
“Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with an Emory Libraries pop-up exhibit,” September 14, 2022.
Anti-Defamation League Hosts Lipstadt on “Fighting Hate from Home” Webinar
The Anti-Defamation League hosted Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies and the U.S. State Department’s special envoy to fight antisemitism, on their webinar “Fighting Hate from Home” in late July of 2022. In conversation with ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Lipdstadt discussed her work thus far in combating antisemitism around the world, including through trips to, and negotiations with officials in, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Watch the full webinar above or on the link to the ADL’s YouTube page.
Lowery Helps to Forge Relationships of Learning and Healing with Muscogee Nation
Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery, Cahoon Family Professor of American History and a member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina, was one of fifteen Emory community members to travel earlier this year to Okmulgee, Oklahoma, to meet with members of the Muscogee Nation. Before the founding of Emory, Michelle Hiskey of the Emory News Center writes, the Muscogee “lived, worked, produced knowledge on, and nurtured the land where Emory’s Oxford and Atlanta campuses are now located.” The journey to Oklahoma was part of a broader Emory initiative, commissioned by President Fenves and co-led by Lowery, to memorialize Indigenous peoples who previously lived on land now owned by Emory, including through the development of “physical reminders and remembrance rituals on campus, such as a Muscogee (Creek) Language Path that highlights Muscogee language and knowledge.” Learn more about this endeavor, the Indigenous Language Path Working Group, on their website here. Also see the Emory News Center’s piece “In Oklahoma, Emory builds relationships with the Muscogee Nation,” which includes the quote from Lowery below.
“At Emory, we want to embrace a spirit of accountability,” said Malinda Maynor Lowery (Lumbee), Emory College of Arts and Science’s Cahoon Family Professor of American History and co-chair of the Indigenous Language Path Working Group. “But frankly, we’re not sure how to do that without the direction of the Muscogee Nation.”
Klibanoff Discusses Civil Rights Era Cold Cases and Contemporary Hates Crimes
Professor Hank Klibanoff, James M. Cox Jr. Professor of Journalism and Associated Faculty in the History Department, recently spoke before the City Club of Cleveland about his work on racially-motivated killings in the U.S. South during the Civil Rights era and since. Klibanoff founded the Georgia Civil Rights Cold Cases Project and is the host of the Buried Truths podcast. He was also recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the Federal Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board. Klibanoff’s talk in Cleveland is available on The Sound of Ideas, Ideastream Public Media’s weekday morning news and information program focusing on Northeast Ohio: “Examining racial murders of the Civil Rights era, and drawing connections to hate crimes of today.”
Anderson Speaks on Voter Disenfranchisement at Juneteenth Gala
Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African-American Studies, spoke on voter disenfranchisement at a Juneteenth gala in Dalton, Georgia. The Dalton Daily Citizen covered Anderson’s speech, which was organized by the Dalton-Whitfield NAACP. Anderson is the author of multiple influential books on racial inequality and politics in the U.S., including White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide (Bloomsbury, 2016) and One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy (Bloomsbury, 2018). Read an excerpt from the Dalton Daily Citizen’s coverage below along with the full article here: “Emory professor sounds alarm on voter disenfranchisement.”
“The thing about a lie is, if you say it enough and convincingly, it becomes the truth,” said Anderson, Charles Howard Candler professor and chair of African American Studies at Emory University. “We’re in a war for American democracy right now, and the only way it’ll be won is by fighting for democracy.”
Anderson Provides Historical Context on Second Amendment for ‘Oprah Daily’
Dr. Carol Anderson recently wrote a piece for Oprah Daily on the historical and contemporary relationships between the Second Amendment, anti-Blackness, and formal slavery. The article, “The Second Amendment Enshrines Anti-Blackness, Argues Writer and Legal Scholar Carol Anderson,” draws heavily from Anderson’s most recent book, The Second: Race and Guns in an Unequal America (Bloomsbury, 2021). Anderson is Charles Howard Candler Professor, Chair of African American Studies, and Associated Faculty in the History Department. Read an excerpt of the article below as well as the full piece here.
“We are, therefore, dealing with the consequences and horrific costs of embedding anti-Blackness into the Second Amendment of the Constitution. No one is safe. Not in our schools. Not in our neighborhood grocery stores. Not in our churches or synagogues or mosques. Not where we work. Not where we go to relax—at a nightclub, a concert, or a movie theater. Not even where we celebrate the founding of this nation.
“With 400 million guns in circulation, and no safety to be found, it is time to strip away the untouchable aura of the Second Amendment and recognize how sullied and dangerous it really is. America needs to give the Second Amendment a hard second look.“
Lipstadt Makes First Trip Abroad as Special Envoy
Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt, fresh from her confirmation as the U.S. State Department’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, recently completed her first official trip abroad in this role. Lipstadt travelled to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where she discussed how to combat anti-Jewish sentiment with leaders in government and civil society. Multiple news outlets covered Lipstadt’s trip. Find the articles below:
- “Antisemitism monitor lands in Saudi Arabia on first official trip” (Washington Post)
- “U.S. envoy discusses hostility towards Jews with Saudi officials” (Reuters)
- “Saudi Arabia open to interfaith dialogue to combat religious intolerance, says US Special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism” (Arab News)
- “Antisemitism monitor lands in Saudi Arabia on first official trip” (Religion News Service)
Lipstadt at ‘AJC’ Global Forum: ‘Can Governments Win the Fight Against Antisemitism?’
Fresh from her recent installation as the U.S. State Department’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, Dr. Deborah E. Lipstadt recently participated in the American Jewish Committee’s 2022 Global Forum. Lipstadt sat for a conversation with Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission’s Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism and Fostering Jewish Life, as well as Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, the Europe Managing Director for the American Jewish Committee. The discussion centered on how governments can effectively combat antisemitism. Lipstadt is Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies and Associated Faculty in the History Department. Read/watch the discussion via the AJC Global Voice.
Anderson Comments on Buffalo Massacre in ‘TIME’ and ‘Slate’
Dr. Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African-American Studies, was recently interviewed by journalists from TIME and Slate in the wake of the Buffalo massacre earlier this year. Carried out at a local grocery store, the racially-motivated shooting left 10 people dead. Anderson’s contributions in these interviews draw especially from insights in her most recent book, The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America (Bloomsbury, 2021). Read each of the conversations here: “What the Buffalo Shooting Says About Black America’s Fraught Relationship With Guns” (TIME) and “The Dangerous Idea That Links the Buffalo Shooting and the Insurrection” (Slate).