Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander, an educator focused on racial justice, will be the opening speaker in the College’s celebration of Black History Month on Thursday, Feb. 2, at 5:30 p.m. in Olin 115.
Her work centers on anti-racist pedagogy, critical consciousness building, and the liberation of Black people and other people of color. Her talk at Union will be a conversation about recognizing, challenging and changing biases.
Alexander, who is a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, curates “Anti-Racist Resource Guide,” which is designed to broaden understanding of the many forms of racism and how to combat it. She also is a regular guest on a number of podcasts.
On her website, she writes, “My goal is to empower and equip others to challenge myths regarding the historical and present-day distributions of power, investigate the role of racism and anti-racism in social, professional, and educational spaces, and empower people to analyze their own social identities and positions within systems of power.”
To learn more, visit Victoria Alexander’s website.
Her talk is sponsored by U Journey, the Office of Intercultural Affairs, First Year Experience and Black Student Union.
Other upcoming Black History Month events (to be updated regularly):
- Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m., Wold House -- African Student Association (ASA) presents traditional African arts and crafts.
- Feb. 13, 6:30 p.m., location TBA -- "Diaspora Wars," a conversation on the African and African American Diaspora. Sponsored by ASA and Black Student Union (BSU)
- Fri. Feb 17, Messa Rink -- ASA hosts Afrobeats and African Music, games on ice, and more.
- Week of Feb. 20, times to be announced, Reamer Campus Center Auditorium - screening of the film, "Woman King." Sponsored by ASA
- Sat. Feb. 25, 7 p.m., College Park Hall Ballroom -- BSU Seventh Annual Black Excellence Ball
- Tues. Feb 28, 4 to 7 p.m. -- BSU takeover in Upper Class Dining Hall in collaboration with Hospitality, which will re-create recipes from family and friends of students.
Information about events will be shared in the Union Daily Digest. To subscribe, contact Student Activities at getinvolved@union.edu. This information can also be found on UEngage.
To honor Black History Month in the greater community:
- Support Black-owned businesses in Schenectady including Ya’Ya’s House Southern Cuisine, and Whip My Buttah Organics.
- Attend virtual and in-person Black History Month events, including the Black History Month movie series at Proctors.
- Learn about Black figures, and their contributions such as Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman elected to congress.
- Purchase, read, and share books by Black authors such as The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin.
During Black History Month we recall the recent campus visit by Eric Dyson, the prominent scholar who spoke on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. To learn more and engage with Dr. Dyson, you may visit his social media channels: