National Book Award Winner to speak at W&J
National Book Award winner Ibram Kendi will speak at Washington & Jefferson College Monday.
Kendi’s free lecture, “Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,” is based on his award-winning book of the same title. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in Room 100 of the Dieter-Porter Life Science Building on the W&J campus.
David Kieran, Ph.D., a W&J assistant professor of history who orchestrated Kendi’s visit, said Kendi’s book is making such an impact in academic communitites that he thought it would resonate for both a W&J audience and the local community. The book provides a context for thinking and discussion of race issues, he said.
“Over the past few years we’ve seen increased attention to matters of race and questions of justice surrounding race, whether its issues of police violence, the rhetoric that accompanied the 2016 election, or discussion about inclusion on college campuses,” Kieran said. “One of the things our American Studies department can do is contribute to a productive dialog about matters of race and justice.”