February is Black Heritage Month
(From left) IBL director Dr. Fenda A. Akiwumi, keynote speaker Dr. Gloria Browne-Marshall, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息CAS dean Dr. Magali Michael, and guest speaker Ms. Wanda Battle. (Photo by Jarvis Walker, JWS Photography)
The 新澳门六合彩内幕信息Institute on Black Life (IBL) hosted its annual conference for the first time on the Sarasota-Manatee campus on Feb. 2. The conference, co-hosted by the and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, centered on the theme of 鈥淎rts, Health, and Healing for African American Community Empowerment.鈥�
The one-day event featured panels, presentations, and artistic performances by both 新澳门六合彩内幕信息and community partners. Presenters came from an interdisciplinary mix of backgrounds, including Africana studies, public health, education, business, and art among many others.
The IBL at the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) was founded in 1986.
鈥淭he IBL continues its important mission of serving as a resource center on the history
and culture of the black experience in Africa and the African diaspora in the U.S.,
Caribbean and Latin America,鈥� said Dr. Fenda A. Akiwumi, director of IBL and professor in the School of Geosciences.
Dr. Gloria Browne-Marshall, a renowned legal scholar, author, playwright and professor
at John Jay College CUNY, served as the keynote speaker and Wanda Battle, griot and
storyteller, joined as a guest speaker.
鈥淥ur IBL conference is a forum for 新澳门六合彩内幕信息researchers and their community research partners and colleagues from other institutions to present and discuss their collaborative work on issues relevant to the IBL mission,鈥� Akiwumi said. 鈥淭he diverse fields represented in our conferences over the years show the importance of taking a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to understanding and addressing the triumphs and challenges of black life.鈥�
鈥淲e facilitate and promote scholarly exchange and knowledge production through community-engaged research on a broad range of topics relevant to the lives of African Americans, contemporary Africans, and people of African descent in Latin America and the Caribbean,鈥� Akiwumi said. 鈥淚n line with USF鈥橲 goal to support student retention and academic success, we provide scholarships and study abroad opportunities and support mentoring programs for students. Our overall mission aligns with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息鈥檚 Strategic Plan as a Research I and Carnegie Classified Community Engaged university with a global perspective.鈥�
Dr. Kyaien Conner, special assistant to the dean on diversity and inclusion and associate professor in the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, led an audience engagement session at this year鈥檚 IBL conference. (Photo by Jarvis Walker, JWS Photography)
Guest speaker Wanda Battle engaged the audience with song and invited all up to sing 鈥淭his Little Light of Mine.鈥� (Photo by Jarvis Walker, JWS Photography).
Dr. Tangela Serls, special advisor to the CAS dean on diversity, equity, and inclusion and associate professor of instruction in the Department of Women鈥檚 and Gender Studies, served as a panelist at the conference.
鈥淗istorically, the conference has taken place within the first couple of days of February. I think the timing of the conference is an excellent way for the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息and Tampa Bay community to kick off the month-long celebration of black heritage, black history, and black futures,鈥� Serls said. 鈥�
Dr. Gloria Browne-Marshall speaks with attendees at the close of the event. (Photo by Jarvis Walker, JWS Photography)
One of the goals of the conference was to 鈥渆xplore the transformative power of the arts as a driver for healing during times of social strife,鈥� according to Serls.
鈥淭he entire day was inspiring. The interactive components during the second half of the conference were inspiring because they reminded me of the importance of movement on an individual and collective level,鈥� Serls said. "I enjoyed getting to know griot and storyteller, Ms. Wanda Battle, at the conference reception. And鈥疘 was also really inspired by the keynote speaker, Dr. Gloria Browne-Marshall. She鈥檚 a powerhouse!鈥�
To learn more about the IBL and future events, please visit the IBL website.