Today another installment of Culture Connections with Dr. Sheri Parks of the University of Maryland. Author D. Watkins joins as we continue to reflect on the 2015 Uprising sparked by the death of Freddie Gray. D. co-hosts Undisclosed, a podcast that re-examines Freddie Gray’s death.
Have any new details emerged? How did the Uprising change the way we talk about race and inequality in Baltimore? We may be more willing to listen to the experiences of others. Does listening lead to change? What about on the national level? The 2016 election upended people’s assumptions about class, culture and race in this country. Will that disruption lead to a deeper understanding of the issues we face and how to solve them?
Dr. Sheri Parksjoins us every month for Midday Culture Connections. She’s an Associate Dean at the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland College Park, where she is also an Associate Professor in the Department of American Studies. Her latest book is called Fierce Angels: Living with a Legacy from the Sacred Dark Feminine to the Strong Black Woman.
D. Watkins is the author of two books: The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in Americaand The Cook Up: A Crack Rock Memoir. He’s also an editor-at-large for Salon.com, a Lecturer in the Klein Family School of Communications Design at The University of Baltimore, and the founder of the BMore Writers Project.
The Fifth Annual Baltimore Thinkathon takes place Friday, May 5 from 9AM - 3PM at Westminster Hall, 519 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD. The event is sponsored by The University of Maryland Arts and Humanities Center for Synergy in partnership with the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the Greater Baltimore Culture Alliance.
