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Cornel West keynote at April 21-22 symposium dedicated to democracy today
March 29, 2006
The event marks the inaugural year for Connecticut College's Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity
NEW LONDON, Conn. - Cornel West, one of America's leading public intellectuals and the Class of 1943 University Professor of Religion at Princeton University, will present the keynote speech at a symposium at Connecticut College April 21-22.
In his talk, titled "Democracy Now and Always," West will assess where we are in terms of democratic life and practices. The address will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, in Evans Hall at Cummings Arts Center, and is free and open to the public. His speech will culminate the two-day symposium, which is dedicated to West's newest book, Democracy Matters (Penguin Books, 2004). The symposium is sponsored by the Connecticut College Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), and is also free and open to the public.
"Cornel West is one of our leading public intellectuals. Bringing together world-renowned scholars, community activists, and students in this symposium on Professor West's work is a wonderful capstone for the inaugural year of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity," said David Kyuman Kim, director of the CCSRE.
In addition to West's lecture, the symposium will include a student panel discussion, a major lecture by Ernesto Cortes Jr. of the Industrial Areas Foundation, a workshop by community activists and a panel discussion by leaders in the field of democratic practices. The full schedule of the symposium follows.
Friday, April 21
• 2:30 - 4 p.m. Student Panel Discussion: "How Democracy Matters to Young People." Moderated by senior Colleen White and featuring Connecticut College students Patrice Antoine, Priyanka Gupta, Elizabeth McBride and Joanna McClintick. Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center.
• 4:30 - 6 p.m. Lecture: "Creating an Institutional Strategy for a Democratic Culture" by Ernesto Cortes Jr., the southwest regional director of the Industrial Areas Foundation and MacArthur Fellow. Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center
Saturday, April 22
• 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Activism Workshop: "Democracy Matters and the Work of Community Activists." Featuring: • Chris Clouet, Connecticut College Trustee and Superintendent, New London Public Schools;
• Jane Glover, deputy mayor of New London, former New London mayor, president of the Board of Education, founder and principal of Kente Cultural Organization and a leader of arts as an engine for community development;
• Miriam Torres Thorburn, director of the Centro de la Comunidad; • Daniel Malec, director of The Global Call, peace activist and member of the Voluntown Peace Trust.
The panel will be held in Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center. • 1:30-3 p.m. Panel Discussion: "Cornel West and the Call For Radical Democracy." Moderated by Sandy Grande, associate professor of education at Connecticut College, and featuring:
• Stanley Aronowitz, professor of sociology at City University of New York; • Farrah Griffin, director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University;
• Candace Howes, Barbara Hogate Ferrin '43 Professor of Economics at Connecticut College;
• Mab Segrest, Fuller-Maathai Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at Connecticut College.
The panel will be held in Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center. A book signing and reception will follow.
• 3:30-5:30 p.m. Lecture: "Democracy Now and Always" by Cornel West, author of Democracy Matters. John C. Evans Hall, Cummings Arts Center. Book signing and reception will follow.
For more information, visit www.conncoll.edu/academics/centers/ccsre/events.html, or contact CCSRE director David Kyuman Kim at DavidKyuman.Kim@conncoll.edu.
Ranked among the most selective private liberal arts colleges in the nation, Connecticut College enrolls 1,900 men and women from 42 states and 41 countries. The college is known for putting the liberal arts into action through interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning. Founded in 1911, the college operates under an 84-year-old honor code. The college is located at 270 Mohegan Ave, New London, about two hours by car from Boston and New York. The 750-acre campus is an arboretum overlooking Long Island Sound. For more information, visit www.connecticutcollege.edu.
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For media inquiries contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu