Activist Rachel Cargle will challenge the Mercer University community to explore how race plays into the everyday lives, structures and experiences of those living in the United States during this year’s Women’s History Month event.
Cargle, a public academic, writer and lecturer who explores the intersection of race and womanhood, is the keynote speaker for the free, virtual event planned for 7 p.m. March 2 on Zoom. Her talk, “For Your Consideration,” will re-examine the country’s history and its impact today, said Dr. Virginia Young, chair of women’s and gender studies and associate professor of biology.
A student who followed Cargle on social media first suggested her as a speaker for the annual campus event. After some research, Dr. Young said she found herself interested in Cargle’s work “educating people about our inherent bias and the biased history that we learn in our society today.”
The topic is especially timely, coming on the heels of a year of protests for racial justice and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement as the country grappled with several police killings of unarmed Black people.
“Given the events of last year, I think a lot of people really had their eyes opened and started to say, ‘Yeah, this is a problem,’” Dr. Young said.
People are starting to think about how they are treated because of how they look versus how others are treated because of how they look, she said.
“We have to stop and consider bias, and we also have to stop and consider how we’re viewed,” she said.
The online event is open to the Mercer and Wesleyan College campus communities. Those interested in attending should register on EventBrite using their campus email address.
The event is sponsored by QuadWorks; the Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives; the Departments of Africana Studies, Biology, Integrative Studies, International and Global Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology; and Wesleyan.
