Angela Davis to Open Blackboard Jungle Symposium
Release Date: 03-03-2010
Author: Lee Ann Cox
Email: LeeAnn.Cox@uvm.edu
Phone: 802/656-1107 Fax: (802) 656-3203
UVM's third annual symposium addressing diversity and equality issues in education, the Blackboard Jungle, is March 25 to 27. This year's theme is "Multicultural Learning Across the Disciplines: A Mosaic of Perspectives" and for the first time will be open to all higher education and K-12 teachers, administrators and pre-service professionals in Vermont. With the exception of the keynote address, registration is required and there is a $25 fee.
On Thursday, March 25, Angela Davis, social justice activist and Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness and Feminist Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, will speak from 7 to 8 p.m. in Ira Allen Chapel. The talk is free and open to the public.
Davis, the author of eight books, focuses much of her work on social problems associated with the incarceration and generalized criminalization of people most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. She draws upon her own experiences in the early seventies as an activist who spent eighteen months in jail and on trial, after being placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List."
Blackboard Jungle, an initiative of the provost's office, is designed to help educators address the complexities of the 21st century classroom with emerging approaches to equality, social justice and cultural competence. A wide range of preeminent speakers, workshops and panel discussions will address issues from immigration, race and religion; healthcare disparities; dealing with privilege; and marginalization of LGBTQ students.
"Besides leaving Blackboard Jungle with ideas about best practices -- what works and what doesn't work," says Wanda Heading-Grant, associate provost for multicultural affairs and academic initiatives, "I believe dedicating some time and energy to sitting and talking about these issues demonstrates a full commitment to multicultural education. It's a chance both to share with peers and to learn from national scholars who research and teach on these topics."