Upcoming events
1619 Project: The History of Black People in aMERICA
The University of Toledo is commemorating 400 years of the African-American experience
in the U.S. with a series of events and initiatives reflecting on the community’s
past, present and future.
Writers and the People: Rediscovering Richard Wright
Tuesday, October 8. 1:00PM-2:00PM
Memorial Field House, Auditorium Room 2100
Speakers: Ben Davis, professor at the College of Law, and Kim Mack, assistant professor
in the department of English language and literature.
Author of Native Son, Black Boy and other works Mississippi-born Richard Wright chose
exile in Paris. Who was Richard Wright and who were the other black expatriate writers?
Includes the world premier of the final commemorative ceremony of February 9, 1992
in Paris honoring Richard Wright at the Black Americans in Paris 1840-1990 Conference
of the University of Paris La Sorbonne.
Writers and the People: Toni Morrison
Thursday, October 24. 1:00PM-2:00PM
Office Of Multicultural Student Success (OMSS), Thompson Student Union
Speakers: Rachel Dudley, assistant professor, department of Women's and Gender Studies.
Sara Lundquist, associate professor and Chair, department of English Language and
literature Kim Mack, assistant professor, department of English language and literature.
Come celebrate the life of Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist, editor
and professor, Toni Morrison by sharing your "Morrison Moments".
Writers and the People: Ralph Ellison in the Twenty-First Century
Tuesday, October 29. 1:00PM-2:00PM
Memorial Field House, Auditorium Room 2100
Speaker: Kim Mack, assistant professor in the department of English language and literature.
Come learn about the enduring impact of Ralph Ellison’s fiction and non-fiction on
American arts and letters! Not only did Ellison win the 1953 National Book Award for
Fiction for his novel Invisible Man—the first African American to do so—but he also
made his mark as a formidable essayist with his 1964 collection, Shadow and Act. Ellison
was also a music fan who loved, and wrote about, jazz and blues. Dr. Kimberly Mack
will talk about Ellison’s work, and its importance in the twenty-first century.
The Fire This Time: Reflections on James Baldwin 1977– in Ohio–1979, A Message from a Region of his Mind
Thursday, November 7th. 1:00PM-2:00PM
Rocket Hall, Room 1530
Speaker: Dr. John Scott, A prolific playwright, poet, fiction writer and director,
John Scott teaches creative writing, theatre and ethnic studies. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University.
James Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, and activist. His work explored
intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western societies. From 1977-1979,
James Baldwin visited our area, and spent ample time with Dr. John Scott. Join us
as Dr. Scott shares some of the memories and anecdotes of James Baldwin, from that
time together.
Reparations and the People
Thursday, November 14. Noon-1:00PM
Law Center, Room 1013
Speaker: Teri McMurtry-Chubb, Visiting Distinguished Professor of Law at UIC John
Marshall Law School.
Who bears responsibility to the survivors of domestic terrorism, white supremacy,
and for the benefits that white privilege bestows? What if the responsibility for
redressing these wrongs was both individual and collective, a collaborative effort
that called us as a nation to reconciliation and investment in a joint vision for
our country moving forward? This talk is a call to disrupt the dangerous racial rhetoric
that renders our country brittle and prone shattering, threatening America with irreparable
brokenness.
Health & the People: A History of Black Health in the U.S. from 1619 to 2019
Tuesday, November 19. 1:00PM-2:00PM
HH Room 2302
Speaker: Rachel Dudley, Assistant Professor, Department of Women's and Gender Studies
Please come and join us as Dr. Rachel Dudley, Assistant Professor in Women’s & Gender
Studies, discusses the history of Black Health in America from a Medical Humanities
Perspective. Her research talk will touch upon major topics in Black health through
the ages and up to the present historical moment. The interactive multi-media presentation
will explore a number of questions relevant to health, history and the current state
of black wellness in the U.S. It will include audio, images, video clips and music.
Dr. Dudley will ask: “How might we tell a story of the Black experience in America,
if we tell it through the lens of Black physical, mental and spiritual health and
wellness?” Further, in the spirit of Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King’s speech in
Atlanta in 1967, Dr. Dudley will conclude by asking: “Where Do We Go From Here in
regards to Black health & wellbeing in America?
Listed by date:
LGBTQA+ PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
Thursday, Nov. 21 | 6-8 Pm | Center For Creative Education Atrium
2920 Transverse Dr., Toledo, OH 43614
Join the LGBTQA+ Advisory Board, LGBTQA+ Alumni Affiliate, and the Office of Diversity
and Inclusion for an evening of professional networking with LGBTQA+ graduate students,
faculty, staff, and alumni.
Register Here
Recurring events:
Heritage and History Months
For a full list of Heritage and History months, please click here. Planning committees are open to all UToledo students, faculty, and staff. If you are interested in serving on the planning committee for any heritage month, please email omss@utoledo.edu
Religious Holiday Calendar
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion adds religious holidays to the Diversity tab of the online University Calendar of Events. These dates include the holidays for the top five religions, as indicated by institutional data on student affiliations. These holidays are posted for appreciation of religious diversity, and do not represent employment holidays or class cancellations. Employees are still subject to all holiday, absence, and accommodation procedures per University policy, and in accordance with state law. If you have any questions about these dates or have suggestions for additional religious holidays to add, please contact the Office at diversity@utoledo.edu.