Uncomfortable Conversations:
Race, the Humanities, and Inclusion
in Higher Education
presented by Howard University Office of Faculty Development
and the Dresher Center for the Humanities, UMBC
Friday, March 26, 2021
10:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
via Zoom
Click the link in each session to view the recorded program.
10:00 A.M. Opening Song
“Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamond Johnson
Opening Remarks
Okianer Christian Dark, J.D., Associate Provost of Faculty Development and Professor of Law, Howard University
Jessica Berman, Ph.D., Professor of English and Director, Dresher Center for the Humanities, UMBC
Kimberly R. Moffitt, Ph.D., Interim Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, UMBC
10:20 A.M. Keynote Address
Natalie Hopkinson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Culture & Media Studies, Cathy Hughes School of Communications, Howard University
10:50 A.M. Student Voice
Hydia Riley, Class of 2021, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University
11:00 A.M. Remarks
Anthony K. Wutoh, Ph.D., R.Ph., Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Howard University
11:15 A.M. Panel 1: How the Past Influences the Present
Moderator: Jacoby A. Carter, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University
Tamara Lizette Brown, Ph.D., Professor of History, History Coordinator and Director of Women’s Studies, Department of History & Government, Bowie State University
The Original Sin: The 1619/1776 Debate and African American History
Thomas A. Foster, Ph.D., Professor of History and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University
Cultural Legacies of Slavery: Lessons from the History of Sexual Violence Against Enslaved Men
11:45 A.M. Panel 2: Creating an Inclusive Higher Education Workforce
Moderator: Elka Stevens, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Fine Art, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University
Drew Holladay, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of English, UMBC, and members of the UMBC Disability Studies Faculty Working Group
Disability and Racial Justice: Critical Intersections and Dialogues
Horacio Sierra, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, Bowie State University
Looking in the Mirror: Increasing the Number of Faculty and Administrators from Underrepresented Communities
12:10 P.M. Lunch Break (30 minutes)
12:40 P.M. Student Voice
Alexis McCowan, Class of 2021, Cathy Hughes School of Communications, Howard University
12:45 P.M. Panel 3: Lightning Round Presentations: Challenging Inequities in Teaching and Learning
Moderator: Jessica Berman, Ph.D.
Marina del Sol, Ph.D., Master Instructor, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University
HOLDING SPACE: Affirming Linguistic Diversity with Authentic Assessment
Leigh C. Johnson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Literature and Languages, Coordinator, Gender Studies Minor, Marymount University
Little Movidas Go a Long Way: A Chicana Praxis for Cross-National Correspondence, Collaboration and Community-Engaged Research
Lindsay Johnson, Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Music, Affiliate Faculty, Department of Gender, Women’s + Sexuality Studies, UMBC
Tackling Issues of Equity and Inclusion in Western-European Course Content
Paula Maust, DMA, Adjunct Instructor, Department of Music, UMBC
Expanding the Music Theory Canon
1:15 P.M. Panel 4: Expanding Inclusive Practices in the Humanities Classroom and Curriculum
Moderator: Okianer Christian Dark, J.D.
Eliseo Jacob, Ph.D., Master Instructor, Department of World Languages & Culture, College of Arts & Sciences, Howard University
Designing an Online Foreign Language Curriculum with an Afro-Centric Focus
Sosanya Jones, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies, College of Education, Howard University
HBCU Diversity Professionals: Challenges & Opportunities for Dialogue
Elaine MacDougall, Director of the Writing Center/English Lecturer, Academic Success Center, UMBC, and
James Everett Wright, Associate Director, Multilingual Writing Specialist, Writing Center, Division of Student Affairs, University of Maryland, Baltimore
New Forms of Responsiveness: Reshaping Conversations with Peer Writing Consultants about Orientations to Anti-Oppression and Antiracist Practices in Baltimore University Writing Centers
Cathy Marie Ouellette, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of History, Director of Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Muhlenberg College
Decolonizing Colonial History
2:00 P.M. Stretch Break
2:10 P.M. Resource Interlude
Angelique Carson, MSLIS, Head of Access Services, Howard University Libraries, and
Amy Phillips, MSLS, MTS, Head of Technical Services, Howard University Libraries
Open Educational Resources: Inclusion and Equity in Action
2:20 P.M. Panel 5: The Necessity of Uncomfortable Conversations
Moderator: Jacoby Carter, Ph.D.
Kathryn Kawecki, MFA in Scene Design, Assistant Professor, Bowie State University, Theatre Arts
Uncomfortable Conversations in Community with Students through Their Eyes: BSU Executive Student Producers’ Perspectives on What Works & How it Feels
Lynn McKinley-Grant, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, Howard University
The Art of Medicine: Skin Colors Matter in Uncomfortable Conversations about Health Disparities in Medical Education
Jill Vasbinder Morrison, MFA , Senior Lecturer, Department of Dance, UMBC
Moving Dance Studies: Challenge, Decolonize, Engage
2:50 P.M. Student Voice
Dupree Walker, Class of 2021, College of Arts & Sciences, Howard University
Closing Remarks
Associate Provost Dark and Dr. Berman
3:00 P.M. Symposium Ends