2020-21 Events
Spring 2021
March 24, 2021
Disabilities rights activist Rebecca Cokley, director of the Disability Justice Initiative at the Center for American Progress, was honored as the 2020 Richman Distinguished Fellow in Public Life and engaged with the Brandeis community in several online events. Cokley previously served as the executive director of the National Council on Disability, an independent agency charged with advising Congress and the White House on issues of national disability public policy.
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March 16, 2021
This event explored the OneShared.World model and, in particular, the role that youth are playing to advance initiatives that embrace the interconnectedness of people and the need to collaborate on the complex challenges confronting us all. Young people from diverse backgrounds and countries shared their experiences of activism on some of the most critical issues of our time. They discussed what spurred them into action, who inspired them, the kinds of obstacles they face and meaningful moments in their journeys.
Clockwise from top left: Angela Glover Blackwell, Jeffrey Brown, Beverly Tatum, Carina Ray
Photo Credit: BrandeisNOW
February 27, 2021
Past awardees of the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize and the Richman Distinguished Fellowship in Public Life shared their thoughts on the direction of the Black Lives Matter movement at this pivotal moment in our nation's history.
Panelists included Angela Glover Blackwell, founder in residence, PolicyLink, and 2014 Richman Fellow; Jeffrey L. Brown, founder, Rebuilding Every Community Around Peace, and 2017 Richman Fellow; and Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita, Spelman College, and 2018 Gittler Prize Recipient. Moderator is Carina E. Ray, associate professor of African and African American Studies and the Harry Coplan Chair of Social Sciences.
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September 2020-February 2021
The Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts (PBA) and IMPACT, in partnership with Acts of Listening Lab and Center for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University, invited participants to explore the contributions of arts, oral history, and culture to communities and societies in transition, based on the March 2020 special issue of the International Journal of Transitional Justice, edited by PBA Director Cindy Cohen. Examples were taken from many regions for transitional justice processes and possibilities - particularly in Colombia, in relation to the legacy of slavery in the United States, and in relation to the Rohingya people of Myanmar.
Fall 2020
November 18, 2020
Part performance, part lecture, part writing workshop, this event was unprocessed and gluten- and guilt-free. Followed by an open session of Tom King's Contemporary Theatre class (ENG 170b), with award-winning playwright Virginia Grise.
November 17, 2020
Sponsored by the Language, Culture and Justice Hub, this online “learning exchange” explored diverse language challenges facing migrants as they navigate legal and other critical contexts, work in academic/professional settings and respond to rhetoric that (mis)(re)presents them across three continents. Continued on Nov. 18.
November 14, 2020
An event, hosted by CAST undergraduate departmental respresentatives Anna Cass ’21 and Aviva Davis ’21, designed to amplify the voices of comedians who are often overlooked. Performers included Boston Comedy Chicks members Wendy Liebman, Xazmin Garza, Tooky Kavanagh and Kelly MacFarland. A Q&A followed the performances.
November 12, 2020
How can artistic processes strengthen the voices of women in societies in trasition? Part of the 2020-21 Acts of Listening Lab series.
September 24, 2020
What are the distinctive contributions of arts, oral history performance and other aspects of culture to transitional justice? Part of the 2020-21 Acts of Listening Lab series.
September 11, 2020
The CAST Undergraduate Departmental Representatives hosted a socially distanced notebook collage and button-making event outside on campus. Participants used provided buttons and notebooks to express visions for the future.