“Celebrating 100 Days of Black Excellence”: Cultural Heritage Series to Highlight History and Future

Beginning in February in honor of Black History Month through May, a series of events created by Natacha Cesar-Davis, new Assistant Dean of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will focus on “Celebrating 100 Days of Black Excellence.” 

Cesar-Davis says that she looks forward to how the series will, “provide a space to deepen our collective understanding of the Power of Blackness at ED&IS and beyond.” 

"In planning ‘Celebrating 100 Days of Black Excellence,’ I have often thought back to a quote from the late Haitian celebrated academic Michel-Rolph Trouillot: ‘History is the fruit of power, but power itself is never so transparent that its analysis becomes superfluous. The ultimate mark of power may be its invisibility; the ultimate challenge, the exposition of its roots,'" she says. 

“In these next 100 days, I hope that we get to grapple with questions of power,” says Cesar-Davis. “In particular, how power structures, including universities, have historically and systematically disenfranchised Black people in the U.S. and abroad. At the same time, I would like us to actively think and reflect on the power in each of us to change these realities and uplift Black excellence.”

The series begins on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 4 p.m., with the first of three Virtual Learning Communities.  A Critical Methodologies Workshop will be led by Damien Sojoyner, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology at UC Irvine and author of the forthcoming book, “Joy and Pain: A Story of Black Life and Liberation in Five Albums,” to be published this fall by the University of California Press. Professor Sojoyner’s research is centered on the public education system, prisons, and the construction of Black masculinity in Southern California. 

To attend this event, visit Eventbrite. - this event is for students only

A second Critical Methodologies workshop on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 4 p.m., will feature Sabina Vaught, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leading at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research considers carcerality and liberatory knowledge movements, as well as the race-gender labor and conquest relationships among schools, prisons, and communities. Professor Vaught will discuss her forthcoming co-authored book, “The School-Prison Trust,” which will be published by the University of Minnesota Press this June.

To attend this event, visit Eventbrite. - this event is for students only

The third Virtual Learning Communities event will feature Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, university archivist at the Hornbake Library, University of Maryland, and founder of Project STAND; date and time TBD. 

Other programming for “Celebrating 100 Days of Black Excellence” includes a variety of engagements that will promote scholarly discussions in addition to physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. These will include sessions on:

            •          Writing Your Diversity Statement 

            •          Liberate Yo’Self - Hiking in Los Angeles

            •          Prepping for Your Job Talk 

            •          Mindfulness 101 

            •          Getting to Know the Work in our Communities 
                        featuring, “100 Black Men of Los Angeles”

            •          The State of Black Affairs at ED&IS 

            •          Book Club: “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson

            •          Film Discussion: “I Am Not Your Negro”

The series will end with in-person events held from May 9-15, including social gatherings such as a gala and a family barbecue. 

“In my role, I have the privilege to organize different events that bring us together to uplift, celebrate, and inspire our everyday work,” says Cesar-Davis. “I look forward to the participation and collaboration of all the members of our community to make this cultural series a success.”

Visit this link for more information on upcoming events in the "Celebrating 100 Days of Black Excellence" series.

For a look at "Black Life at Ed&IS," visit this link.

Above: Natacha Cesar-Davis, UCLA Ed&IS Assistant Dean of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion