BRESI Events

January 2023

• January 25: Filming of “Black America” including Anthony Browne and Tsedale Melaku

February, 2023

• February 6: Plenary lecture and workshop focused on “archives” by Director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center for Prof. Benjamin Talton. Part of the Black and Latinx Practices of Freedom project led by Prof. Lima Lazaro from Hunter College.
• February 8: The Macaulay Diversity Initiative Supporting Excellence Conference at the Macaulay Honors College. Led by Prof. Melissa Schwartz
• February 8: Dr. Brenda M. Greene featured on CUNY TV’s “Black America.” Dr. Greene, Founder of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College joined host Carol Jenkins to discuss Black literature, its importance to exist, the history of National Black Writers Conference, where it is today and more. View the episode on YouTube
• February 9: “Lazaro and the Shark: Cube Under the Surface” (2022. Cuba) + filmmaker in conversation with Professor Ted Henken. Part of the Afrolatinidades project led by Prof. Shelly Eversley of Baruch College.
• February 16: Chancellor visit to Brooklyn College: The Flatbush African Burial Ground Student Internship Project
• February 15: A Gift That Keeps on Giving for BRESI at CUNY, on CUNY TV’s “Black America.” With Dr. Tsedale M. Melaku, assistant professor of Management at the Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College (CUNY), and Dr. Anthony Browne, chair of the Department of Africana and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies at Hunter College.
• February 16: Chancellor visits the Flatbush African Burial Ground with Brooklyn College interns. See photos on Twitter.
• February 16th: “Here is the Imagination of the Black Radical” (2020, Bahamas/London) + filmmaker in conversation with Prof. Keisha Allen. Part of the Afrolatinidades project led by Prof. Shelly Eversley of Baruch College.
• February 17th: Virtual “open house” to invite members of the CUNY community to learn more about AAFSA. Part of the Building Infrastructure for Asian American/Asian Studies at AAPI Communities across CUNY led by Prof. Soniya Munshi of Queens College.
• February 21: DEI Fridays at Baruch commence; series includes International Mother Language Day Fair
• February 21: Discussion about the archival practices in relation to the late playwright Lorraine Hansberry. Part of the Black and Latinx Practices of Freedom: Archives, Methods and Pedagogies project. Project led by Prof. Lima Lazaro of Hunter College.
• February 23: Implementing Racially-Just Public Policy: Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement. Part of the project From Racial Justice Activism to Policy Success: Lessons for Today from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s led by Prof. Tarun Banerjee of John Jay College.
• February 23: Film Screening and Q&A: Black Orpheus (1959, Brazil) with Professor Tshombe Miles. Part of the Afrolatinidades project led by Prof. Shelly Eversley of Baruch College.
• February 24: Asian American Faculty and Staff Associations (AAFSAs) at CUNY. Virtual discussion about efforts at LaGuardia Community College and Brooklyn College to organize AAPI communities.
• February 28th: Guest Lecture: “Political Power and Policy Priorities in the Latino Community”. Part of the Decolonization and Curriculum Expansion of the Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies Program at the College of Staten Island. Led by Prof. Valkiria Duran-Narucki.
• February 28: Fighting for Respect – They fought for Liberty in France and Equality at Home (United States/France, 2021). Virtual Screenings and Panel Discussion. Part of Baruch’s collaboration with the New York African Diaspora International Film Festival.

March 2023

• March 3, 10, 17, 29: DEI Fridays at Baruch; series includes LGBTQ+ Safe Zone Training, Navigating and Resisting White Institutional Spaces, Land Acknowledgements and Beyond, Celebrating and Advocating for Women’s Rights through Art
• March 9: Building a Sustainable Platform and Pipeline for AAPI Leadership in Higher Education. Panel discussion about the importance of creating a platform for collaboration and synergy among AAPI leaders who have reached the position of president/chancellor in higher education, and a sustainable pipeline to support ascending AAPI leaders.
• March 15: A Day at City Tech. Part of the project, Where My Girls At?: Bringing Black and Latinx Girlhood From the Margins to the Center. Led by Prof. Renata Ferdinand of New York City College of Technology.
• March 15: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) at CUNY. Virtual conversation to learn more about the current Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) projects at the City University of New York: QCAP (Queens College AANAPISI Project) and HCAP (Hunter College AANAPISI Project), which include the ABI (AANAPISI Bridge Initiative), in collaboration with Borough of Manhattan Community College.
• March 20: Writing and Pitching a TV Pilot led by Charly Evon Simpson. Part of the Perspective-Widening POC led Workshops and Masterclasses at Hunter College. Led by Prof. Christine Scarfuto of Hunter College.
• March 25: Gold Sphere Film Screening. What if gold hoop earrings could become a portal to an alternate universe created by Black Girls where they could study, research, and find connection through movement? – A universe where Black girls can discuss and escape the racial unrest in the United States of America. Gold Sphere [is] a mixed-media-virtual reality video research project and interactive exhibit by Professor Jade Robertson. It uses motion capture technology, to create a universe where Black girls can connect with ancestry, spirituality, and dance. View the trailer.
• March 29: 40 Years Apart and Imprisoned: Activism, Love, and Liberation with Debbie and Michael Davis. Part of the Prison to College: Creating Juvenile Justice Through Education at Horizons Juvenile Center. Led by Prof. Calvin John Smiley of Hunter College.
• March 30, 31: CUNY Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (C-IDEA) conference with a BRESI carve-out (CUNY HR)
• March 31: Launch of BRES Collaboration Hub (BRES Ph.D.) at CUNY C-IDEA conference

April 2023

• April 1: BRESI faculty presentation at Organization of American Historians (OAH) 2023 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, CA. Part of the From Crisis to Coalition: LA Youth on the 1992 LA Uprising being led by Prof. Jean Park at Macaulay Honors College.
• April 4: Spring community-building and resilience workshop. Part of the Reset/Respite Promoting Resilience in Equity Workers project at Kingsborough Community College. Led by Lisa Paler-Holzman.
• April 17: Writing and Pitching a TV Pilot led by Charly Evon Simpson. Part of the Perspective-Widening POC-led Workshops and Masterclasses at Hunter College with Prof. Christine Scarfuto of Hunter College.
• April 18: Guest Lecture: Dr. Irma Cantu, Texas A&M International University, “Biri Biri Bam Bam: Selena as an Avatar”. Part of the Decolonization and Curriculum Expansion of the Latin American, Caribbean and Latina/o Studies Program at the College of Staten Island. Led by Prof. Valkiria Duran-Narucki.
• April 18, 25, 27:Film Screening: Denying Brazil. Part of the Baruch Workshop series, “Building Community Capacity for Conversations on Justice and the Meanings of Equality, led by Prof. Elliott Dawes. Please register for the April 25^th webinar here.
• April 19: La Casa Arts and Culture Series: Afro-descendant communities in Latin America. Part of the La Casa de las Americas series at LaGuardia Community College by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.
• April 20: “Addressing Racism on Campus with Restorative Practices” A conversation with Greer Ellis, an advocate for Human Justice and a Restorative Justice Practitioner. April 20, 6-8 PM, East Dining Room in the Music Building at Lehman College.
• April 21: The Courage to Teach: Womanism as a Decolonization Pedagogical Tool in the Public Speaking Course. Featuring guest speaker, Dr. Rondee Gaines, followed by an opportunity for questions. Register here for the event.
• April 21: DEI Fridays at Baruch; The Courage to Teach and Research Racism, from 12PM to 2PM. Register here.
• April 22, 23: Afro-Latinx-Queer-Korea-Asia in the Arts (ALQKAAS) Symposium, Brooklyn College
• April 24: Story Creation Workshop led by Mfoniso Udofia. Part of the Perspective Widening POC-Led Workshops and Masterclasses at Hunter College, led Prof. Christine Scarfuto of Hunter College.
• April 26: DEI Fridays at Baruch; Teach-In on Anti-Racism, from 4PM to 5:30PM. Register here.
• April 27, 28: “The Legacy and Future of Ethnic Studies at CUNY” Conference at BMCC. Register here.
• April 28: AAARI Reads Book Club Discussion – Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir. AAARI (Asian American/Asian Research) Reads fosters a communal reading experience for CUNY students, staff, and faculty of work by Asian American and Pacific Islander writers. Our inaugural selection is Rajiv Mohabir’s Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir, an experimental genre-blending exploration of the ways that race, sexuality, gender, and diasporic culture inform Mohabir’s experiences as a queer immigrant Indo-Guyanese poet. April 28^th Noon at Queens College.
• April 30: Black and Latinx Practices of Freedom: Archives, Methods, and Pedagogies at Hunter College, featuring Professor Lorgia Garcia Pena, Tufts University

May, 2023

• May 3: Madan Sara Film Screening. A discussion with director Etant Dupain will be taking place Wednesday May 3^rd in E-501. Part of La Casa de las Americas initiative at LaGuardia Community College being led by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.
• May 3: Afro-Latinidades Series & Latinx Visions Podcast: Entrevista con Helen Ceballos. This podcast episode is part of the BLS Afro-Latinidades Series. It’s a conversation (in Spanish) with Helen Ceballos, a multi-trans-interdisciplinary artist from the Dominican Republic. In her work, she explores Caribbean identity, diaspora experiences, and the erotic.
• May 5: DEI Fridays at Baruch; What Does It Mean to Be Asian? from 12PM to 1PM. Register Here
• May 5: Data Democratization in Higher Education Workshop. The hands-on workshop, funded by the Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative at CUNY, was designed to equip staff and faculty members with the tools to analyze data that promotes equity within the institution. Participants discovered how to identify biases and barriers in collecting equitable data and learned why making information accessible and transparent is crucial.
• May 5: Asian American Faculty and Staff Associations (AAFSAs) at CUNY, in-person follow-up discussion about efforts at LaGuardia Community College and across the City University of New York to organize AAPI communities. Bring questions, stories, and strategies from experiences on your own campus! Register Here
• May 9: I am Africana Conference at Brooklyn College. Keynote Speaker Ja’Tovia Gary shares her work and approach to art and society. She is a BC Aluma 2012 (BA Africana/Film) and Guggenheim Fellow 2022. BC Library on Tuesday May 9^th 3:40PM to 4:45PM.
• May 10: Certificate in Latino Studies at Lehman College Presentation
• May 10: Latinxs in STEM. A panel discussion followed by a meet and greet with four Latinx Engineers, Computer Scientists and Mathematicians. May 10^th 3PM – 5PM in E-111. Part of La Casa de las Americas initiative at LaGuardia Community College being led by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.
• May 12:  Brown Girls. Queens author, Daphne Palasi Andreades talks about their novel “Brown Girls,” her career, and the importance of centering Queens stories. Friday May 12, 12PM to 2PM at the Poolside Café. Part of La Casa de las Americas initiative at LaGuardia Community College being led by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.
• May 12: Day-long symposium hosted by AAARI to reflect upon the histories of this work, build connection and community, and collectively vision the future possibilities and directions for Asian American studies at CUNY. Register online.
• May 16: Lunch Celebration for Publishing Students. With the support of a BRESI grant, the Baruch English Department created a course aimed at creating career opportunities for English majors while supporting efforts to diversify the publishing industry. The twelve students in the class were all given internships in publishing houses and magazines ranging from HarperCollins to New York Magazine to Archipelago Books. This event brought together the students and the editors they worked with to celebrate their accomplishments.
• May 17: The Flatbush Avenue Burial Ground Interns showcase information on the Flatbush African Burial Ground on the Brooklyn College Campus May 17th 11-2 pm, in front of the library.
• May 18: Colombia and Afro Latin American Studies: Perspectives from Alari. Talk by Alejandro da la Fuentes, founding director of the Afro-Latin American Research Institute at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Thursday May 18^th at the Little Theater from 2PM – 3PM. Part of La Casa de las Americas initiative at LaGuardia Community College being led by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.
• May 25: Black Graduation Commencement Ceremony from 12PM to 2PM at Brooklyn College. This collaborative graduation event brought together eight different student, staff and faculty groups to host the annual Black graduation event focused on the theme of resilience. Students walked across the stage to be recognized before family and friends, their salutatorian, local officials, and artists. Keynote speaker Kevin Lamonte Jones (alumnus and 2017 Valedictorian) addressed the graduating class. Check out link here: https://www.brooklyn.edu/event/black-graduation-commencement-ceremony/
• May 30, 31: Film Screening: Sugar Cane Malice is part of the Building Community Capacity for Conversations on Justice and the Meaning of Equality. Led by Prof. Elliott Dawes.
• May 31:University-wide undergraduate research celebration, BMCC – (Office of Research). The Office of Research hosted the first CUNY-wide Celebration of Undergraduate Research at BMCC. Over 220 students, from all 20 colleges and schools with undergraduate programs, presented their research on 169 posters.  Representatives from each college nominated student presentations and the Office of Research selected the final presenters. FOUR BRESI presentations were nominated.
• May 31: Final Arts and Culture series event: Indigenous communities in the Americas. Workshop on Indigenous cosmologies organized by the Tampu Project. 1PM to 4PM at the Pool Side Café. Part of La Casa de las Americas initiative at LaGuardia Community College being led by Prof. Ryan Mann-Hamilton.

June, 2023

• June 1- 30: Ayiti in the City is a month-long immersive global education experience hosted by CUNY Haitian Studies Institute at Brooklyn College in Brooklyn’s Little Haiti. This cross-cultural exchange program is providing students to learn about Haiti, its people, culture, language, history and the Haitian immigrant experience. Dr. Cerat is the director of the CUNY Haitian Institute. Find out more about their events on Twitter (@CUNYHSI) and Instagram (@CUNY_HSI)