Ibram X. Kendi, author of the New York Times bestseller How to Be an Antiracist and a former Africana Studies and History professor at UAlbany, will headline the University’s virtual Spring 2021 Speaker Series on at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 7.
The event is free and open to current UAlbany students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public. It will be broadcast via Zoom. Pre-registration is required.
Alfredo Medina Jr., associate director of UAlbany’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and executive director of the Office for Public Engagement, is moderating the event. It will include a Q&A with attendees.
Antiracism Scholar
Kendi is an American author, professor, anti-racist activist and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America. Last year, he was named the recipient of Boston University’s Andrew W. Mellon Professorship in the Humanities and is the founding director of BU’s Center for Antiracist Research. He is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a CBS News racial justice contribution, and the 2020-21 Frances B. Cashin Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
A UAlbany assistant professor from 2012 to 2015, Kendi has authored many books, including three New York Times bestsellers and was named the youngest winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction. Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
The Speaker Series
In 2008, the UAlbany Student Association conceived the Speaker Series to bring world leaders and thinkers to campus. Since its inception, the event has featured a variety of nationally-recognized icons such as President Bill Clinton (Spring 2011), Earvin 'Magic' Johnson (Fall 2011), Bill Nye (Spring 2015), Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (Spring 2017), two-time Olympian Aly Raisman (Fall 2018) and Dan Rather (Fall 2019).
In recent years, the Speaker Series has evolved into a university-wide collaborative initiative overseen by an Advisory Committee with the events produced by the Office of University Events. Its goal, however, remains unchanged – to bring renowned guest speakers from across the globe to campus in order to engage the University and Capital Region communities in compelling and purposeful discussions addressing contemporary issues and events. Visit the University at Albany Speakers Series website at https://www.albany.edu/speakerseries.
The series is sponsored by the UAlbany Student Association, Division of Student Affairs, Alumni Association, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office for Public Engagement, Office of University Events, and University Auxiliary Services, in partnership with the NYS Writers Institute. For more information, email events@albany.edu