The Monument Debate: Where We've Been, Where We Can Go

Please RSVP at monumentdebate.eventbrite.com for our lunch count!

Blair L. M. Kelley will present "Raced Monuments: Histories of Resistance, Contemporary Movements" -- a reflective look back at this past year as a scholar of the African American experience dealing with the residues of white supremacy in the communities where she has lived and worked her whole adult life (Charlottesville, Durham, and Raleigh). Kelley's talk will guide us to think more about what we know about the roots of this conversation, the ways that previous generations have resisted and contested monument-making of all sorts, who we are asking to do this work of resistance today, and what difference all of this might make in our present.

Robin Kirk will present "Activating History for Justice at Duke," a report resulting from a 2016-2017 Bass Connections research project ("Constructing Memory at Duke") that digitally mapped current history sites at Duke and archived its untold stories (including those of protests, notable alumni of color, and LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff). The findings of the report will be made available to the public at this event for the first time! Join us to hear the actions recommended by the "Constructing Memory at Duke" team to create new sites of memory on campus and to incorporate more inclusive versions of Duke's history into classes, campus tours, and orientations.