Race as Historical & Social Construct: Then and Now

Kevin Gannon, professor of history at Grand View University in Des Moines, will visit Grinnell College on Thursday, March 2, to give a lecture about "Race as a Historical and Social Construct: Then and Now."

The lecture will start at 11 a.m. in the Harris Center Cinema, 1114 10th Ave., Grinnell. The event is free and open to the public.

Gannon gained national recognition a few years ago when he launched his blog, The Tattooed Professor. His research areas include 19th-century history, largely focused on American history. He is especially interested in the American Civil War and Reconstruction period.

His lecture will be a raw and powerful illustration of race in America that brings the conversation toward current strategies for racial justice. He was featured in 13th, an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature by Ava DuVernay. In this thought-provoking documentary that takes its name from the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.

The Intercultural Affairs Office is the primary organizer of this event, which is co-sponsored by Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies, the Institute for Global Engagement, the Center for the Humanities, the Center for Religion, Spirituality and Social Justice, American Studies, and the Division of Student Affairs.

Grinnell College welcomes the participation of people with disabilities. The Harris Center Cinema is equipped with an induction hearing loop system, which enables individuals with hearing aids set to T-Coil to hear the program. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations.

The College also welcomes the presence of minors at all age-appropriate public events and for informal visits, with the understanding that a parent, legal guardian, or other responsible adult assumes full responsibility for their child’s safety and behavior during such visits or events. In these cases, the College expects that an adult responsible for the visiting child takes measures to ensure the child’s safety and sees that the child complies with directions of college personnel. Grinnell College is not responsible for supervision of minors on campus.