This event will consist in a screening of Mr. Derek Burrows' 2016 documentary film, Before the Trees Was Strange, which tells a complex story of how his family experienced race and racism in the Bahamas and the United States.  The screening will be followed by a talk-back session, in which audience members are invited to share experiences and discuss meanings with a panel, including, Mr. Burrows, law professor Dr. Melynda Price, and philosophers Dr. Gregory Fried, & Dr. Arnold Farr. The keynote event is made possible by the co-sponsorships of the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies, Peace Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, Geography, Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Culture, &  International Studies Program at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Fried and Mr. Burrows lead the Mirror of Race project, housed at Boston College.  It is an online archive of early American photography with interpretation that "serve[s] as an opportunity to reflect on what race means in the United States today—and what it can, should, and should not mean in the future." This screening and talk-back are part of the project's outreach efforts.

Dr. Karida L. Brown, Professor of Sociology at Emory University, will visit the University of Kentucky campus to discuss her book, Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia, on Thursday, March 30^th at 5:00 pm in Kincaid Auditorium, Gatton College of Business and Economics. 

Dr. Brown’s visit is made possible through the Miriam Jane Van Dyke Barager Endowment for Diversity and Inclusion at the UK Martin School of Public Policy and Administration, and through co-sponsors the Appalachian Center and Appalachian Studies Program; the Commonwealth Institute for Black Studies; the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment Office of Diversity; the College of Arts & Sciences Department of Sociology; and the Graduate School Office of Diversity and Inclusion. 

The event is free and open to the public.  

Also join us for a book discussion series discussing Dr. Brown's Gone Home: Race and Roots Through Appalachia leading up to her visit to campus! The book club kickoff events will be held Monday, February 20^th at 6:00 pm (Zoom) and Thursday, February 23^rd at 3:30 pm (at the Appalachian Center).

Discussion 1 | Week of February 27^th (Zoom and in-person options)

Discussion 2 | Week of March 20^th (Zoom and in-person options)

TO SIGN UP | Please complete this form by Friday, Feb. 3^rd - contact Dr. Jeongyoon Lee at Jeongyoon.Lee@uky.edu with any questions.