Multimedia producer Victor Masayesva, Jr. (Hopi) is the featured speaker in the spring 2015 installment of the Simon Ortiz and Labriola Center Lecture on Indigenous Land, Culture, and Community. He will present "Indian Time," a talk, discussion and film screening at 7 p.m., March 19 at the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

Masayesva’s transdisciplinary work addresses the subject of calendars and time-keeping in modern and ancient eras. “Calendars are not only tools to measure time; they can also be magnificent instruments to connect cosmic time with human time,” he said. Download Full Image

“They are doors that allow men to access the mystery of the cosmos and, at the same time, to correlate the activities of men with the rhythm of the stars. Indigenous peoples from the Americas have been tracking time since their arrival.”

According to Masayesva, the term “Indian Time” has been used to denigrate native people’s way of being and to keep them from inclusion in the dominant culture. But, he says, the notion of being “part of a larger order” of cosmic time-keeping can instead help indigenous youth celebrate their place within society.

“Over seven thousand years, [indigenous] lunar calendars have accurately determined ecosystems and agricultural cycles,” said Masayesva. “Their precise recordings of Venus as morning and evening star affirmed their ever-cyclic relationship with the cosmos above them and the underworld beneath. By reinvigorating the sense of cosmic time, we can initiate the dialogue that our individual existences are a part of the larger planetary consciousness and reclaim ‘Indian Time.’”

A member of the Hopi Tribe from Hotevilla, Arizona, Masayesva has been a life-long advocate for the ascendancy of the indigenous aesthetic in multimedia productions. He has promoted this aesthetic by curating programs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and serving as artist-in-residence at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, Walker Art Center, and Banff Centre for the Arts, and featured director and jurist at the Yamagata International Film Festival and the CLACPI Festival in La Paz, Bolivia.

Honored with the American Film Institute’s Maya Deren Award, Masayesva has been at the forefront of independent, experimental filmmaking in the Native American media community. His publications include “Husk of Time” from the University of Arizona Press, and his media work is included in the permanent collections at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona; the Museum of Modern Art in New York City; the Houston Museum of Art in Houston, Texas; and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The Simon Ortiz and Labriola Center Lecture on Indigenous Land, Culture, and Community at Arizona State University addresses topics and issues across disciplines in the arts, humanities, sciences and politics. Underscoring indigenous American experiences and perspectives, this series seeks to create and celebrate knowledge that evolves from an inclusive indigenous worldview and that is applicable to all walks of life.

ASU sponsors include the American Indian Policy Institute; American Indian Studies Program; Department of English; School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies; Women and Gender Studies in the School of Social Transformation (all units in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences); Indian Legal Program in the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; School of Art in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts; and Labriola National American Indian Data Center. The Heard Museum is our community partner.

One of the most powerful and well-regarded African-American women in the United States, anthropologist and visionary Johnnetta Cole, has broken down barriers since age six. A decision made, she says, when she and her mother were let in a closed department store afterhours as a "favor."

She told her mother, “Never again! If I cannot walk into that store in the light of day, I will not walk in that store in the darkness of night.” Download Full Image

That favor and growing up in the racial segregation of the South launched her life toward service and bridging racial and gender divides.

Cole, the director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and former president of Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, brought 30 years of experience in education and pioneering thinking to Arizona State University on Feb. 5, as part of a series of talks hosted by ASU’s Faculty Women’s Association.

In three separate sessions, she spoke about “Leadership in Higher Education,” “Diversity in Arts and Humanities” and “Diversity and Inclusion in American Higher Education,” which focused on the current struggles for representation in higher education.

Cole’s message about inclusion resonated with the more than 300 ASU faculty, staff and students who attended, framing diversity as a social and moral value, but also as a pivotal strength in business and innovation.

“Few of us realized before Dr. Johnnetta Cole's magnificent visit the inspiration, energy and wisdom she would instill in those who heard her speak and interacted with her,” said Susanne Neuer, president of the Faculty Women’s Association.

Cole, in turn, seemed impressed by the number of faculty of color and students of color, and for the support at ASU for true diversity in inclusiveness. She spoke of “the special things happening at ASU” and of the impact of the day on her as she met with faculty leaders and representatives from the community, including the ASU Women of Color Caucus.

“It was a privilege to see so many students of color feel empowered to speak their minds at the evening keynote, for example, a very moving moment in the day,” said Cynthia Hogue, director of the creative writing program and the Maxine and Johnathan Marshall Chair in Modern and Contemporary Poetry in the Department of English.

Inclusion and excellence through diversity is a cornerstone of the New American University. ASU now champions the most diverse tenure-track faculty in its history, leading the nation in hiring of women and minority women, when compared to the 16 institutions designated as peer institutions by Arizona Board of Regents.

Supporting that growth since 1954, the Faculty Women’s Association has served as an key resource and source of support for faculty to succeed in their careers. According to Karen Engler, a senior coordinator with the Office of the Provost for the ASU Commission on the Status of Women and the Faculty Women’s Association, as part of the mission of the organization, each year the FWA provides a variety of programming in areas such as promotion and tenure success, grant writing and leadership.

This year, the association wanted to take its leadership programming one step further by bringing in a nationally-recognized leader for a series of university-wide events.

“Dr. Cole is an intellectual and a role model of unique stature," said Eduardo Obregón Pagán, vice provost and Bob Stump Endowed Professor of History. "She reinforced that the call for transformative change rests upon our willingness to engage others in a spirit of respectful dialogue. We were much edified by her observations and inspired to collective commitment on those issues that we are working to improve at ASU.”

Cole’s delivery was powerful, and her storytelling reflective of her stature and lived experiences as a prominent thought leader, noted many who attended the lectures.

Carol Sumner, senior associate dean of students, said she came away with these nuggets of wisdom: “You cannot care about diversity and inclusion without caring about leadership;” “Doing for others is the ultimate expression of leadership;” “Diversity brings ... different truths;” and “You can’t lead where you won’t go.”

Sumner said that Cole reaffirmed that the path to leadership and the celebration of diversity and inclusion requires the work of many.

“The lesson we take away is that we must learn to celebrate our differences and also acknowledge our similarities as we work toward meaningful inclusion within the institutions of our society,” said Rebecca Tsosie, associate vice provost and Regent’s Professor, who, along with Pagán, heads ASU’s Office of Academic Excellence and Inclusion. “There is still yet much work to be done.”

Mary Frances Berry says we live in a society where civil rights have advanced over the years, but many concerns still remain.

Berry will share her views about civil rights, the fight to obtain justice and opportunity for all, and the effect of economic and societal forces on social movements, as part of the 2015 John J. Rhodes Lecture in Public Policy & American Institutions presented by Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. Download Full Image

“We’ve made progress on LGBT rights and same sex-marriage, and we’re waiting to hear what the (United States) Supreme Court will say on the same sex-marriage issue this year,” said the former chairwoman of the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights, referring to the expectation that the high court will hear oral arguments in four consolidated same-sex marriage cases in April and issue a decision by late June.

The court will rule on the power of the states to ban same-sex marriages and to refuse to recognize such marriages performed in another state. Currently 36 states allow same-sex marriage, with bans remaining in the other 14, but all are under court challenge.

The fact that the issue has reached the ears of the High Court justices signifies progress on this significant civil rights issue, Berry said, but “we still have an awful lot of work to do in this and other areas.”

The lecture is scheduled for 7 p.m., Feb. 25, at the Galvin Playhouse on the ASU Tempe campus. Admission is free and open to the public. A book signing will immediate follow the lecture. Tickets are available here.

Berry spent nearly 25 years on the Civil Rights Commission, serving as chair from 1993 to 2004. She has written 10 books on racism, women’s rights and black history, and she co-founded the Free South Africa Movement, which worked to end apartheid in South Africa. She currently is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Berry said dissension within communities regarding relations with police – especially in cities where unarmed black men have been killed in confrontations with officers – is at the forefront of the civil rights debate. Women’s rights, access to quality education and income inequality also continue to be concerns, she said.

“Police are patrolling in communities where people are living in difficult circumstances, working with low skills and earning below the poverty level. A lot of clashes are with people who are stressed and marginalized. We need to ask what we can do about social ills that lead to these situations,” she said.

“My approach is there should be a middle ground. You need peaceful protest to point out what is wrong, but you also need discussion to advance ideas for solutions. Through dialogue we can gain understanding and move toward solutions,” she added.

Berry is a proponent of civilian review boards that have the power to investigate and respond to complaints and advise governmental bodies on civil rights issues.

She also supports an increase in the federal minimum wage, believing that higher income for workers helps lead to financial and social stability. Immigration reform also is on her mind.

“With immigration, everyone talks about securing the border. You can secure the border, but people will still come. Unless something is done about the injustices and dangerous living conditions in the countries people come from, they will keep crossing borders,” she said.

In addition to the lecture, Barrett Honors College and the Justice and Social Inquiry program at the ASU School of Social Transformation present "Civil Leadership and What It Means To be A Catalyst for Change: A breakfast conversation with Dr. Mary Frances Berry and community leaders," from 9 to 10 a.m., Feb. 25, in room 135 at West Hall, located at 1000 S. Cady Mall on the ASU Tempe campus.

Community leaders invited to participate are Lorenzo Sierra, a member of the Avondale City Council and education advocate; Lawrence Robinson, senior policy adviser to Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton focusing on education and homeless policies; Andrei Cherny, founder of Aspiration Partners, LLC, a trust-based investment community focusing on the working poor and income inequality; and Anne Herbert, director for undergraduate law programs at ASU.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public, however reservations are requested. To RSVP, email barrettevents@gmail.com.

Boasting the most diverse tenure-track faculty in its history, Arizona State University now leads the nation in hires of women and minority women, when compared to the 16 institutions designated as peer institutions by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR).

The uptick in faculty diversity is a reflection of strategic shifts in targeted hires, training of faculty and staff involved in academic hiring and expanded efforts to broaden applications pools, said Barry Ritchie, vice provost for academic personnel at ASU. Download Full Image

“Excellence is blind to zip codes, gender, orientation, ethnicity or race,” said Ritchie. “We want the most qualified people. The only way you can hire the best is by encouraging and reviewing the broadest pool of applicants.”

The benefits of a more diverse and inclusive faculty can be profound, but are particularly significant to the New American University’s three core values of access, excellence and impact. In the classroom, students are able to see beyond ASU’s outstanding research and creative activities to how excellence is broadly spread, and that the most diverse perspectives are being offered to them.

“It is important for students to see faculty members in front of them that break traditional expectations, or shatter stereotypes about who can be at the top of the field,” Ritchie said. “Seeing women excelling in research and teaching physics, for example, underscores to those students taking physics classes that no pathway is closed to anyone who has the talent and strives.”

According to 2013 data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 610, or 36.7 percent, of ASU’s 1,664 tenure-track faculty were women. Minority women made up 25.6 percent of female faculty members and 9.4 percent of all faculty members, putting ASU at the top of its ABOR peers.

In terms of overall hiring for 2013, ASU also rose to the top three of that peer group for all minority hires, a few percentage points behind University of California-Los Angeles and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

According to Ritchie, gains for 2014 are expected to be even greater.

“The fraction of faculty members represented by women and minorities in the newly hired cohort for the 2014-2015 academic year is greater than the representation of those groups in the 2013-2014 faculty – half-again higher for women and a quarter higher for minority faculty members,” Ritchie said.



An increasingly diverse faculty is a major part of ASU’s mission to transform higher education.


“Faculty members are some of the largest human investments we make toward building the ASU of the future,” said Robert E. Page, Jr., university provost. “The fact that our hiring is in line with the ASU core values of access, excellence and impact speaks volumes. It underscores that emphasizing and seeking diversity supports these values and empowers our students and our communities.”



“We are No. 1 and not resting on our laurels,” Ritchie added. “We’ve got our foot on the gas.”

Want to see who’s new at ASU? Meet the 2014-2015 new faculty.

Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication this week kicks off its annual “Cronkite Global Conversations” speaker series, featuring international journalists’ firsthand accounts from some of journalism’s most dangerous frontiers.

The talks are led by participants in Cronkite School’s Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a U.S. State Department-funded initiative that brings 10 mid-career professionals to take classes, pursue leadership development and engage with professionals in their fields. Download Full Image

The series starts Feb. 4 with a discussion on the social and political realities in Eastern Europe, decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ends March 18 with a talk on success stories from developing nations. Other topics include an examination of media coverage in Africa involving the current Ebola crisis and beyond, as well as a comparison of media practices within a democracy and a dictatorship in former Soviet republics.

“Focused, cross-cultural understanding is so vital to finding viable solutions to the challenges facing our world – economically, ecologically and politically,” said associate professor B. William Silcock, director of Cronkite Global Initiatives. “The Cronkite Humphrey Fellows help to shed light on several of the most timely topics in current headlines and offer an inside perspective that truly humanizes the issues.”

This year’s cohort of Humphrey Fellows are from Afghanistan, Armenia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Nepal, Romania, Tanzania and Uganda. During their 10 months at Cronkite, the fellows offer a global perspective as they interact with students through “Cronkite Global Conversations” and informal talks.

The one-hour “Cronkite Global Conversations” are open to the public and begin at noon on select Wednesdays in room 444 at the Cronkite School on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus.

Spring 2014 “Cronkite Global Conversations” schedule

Feb. 4: “Understanding Post-Sovieticus: Moving Beyond the Reagan View of Eastern Europe”

Decades after the Soviet Union’s collapse, Eastern Europe still experiences an identity crisis perpetuated by Reagan-era perceptions. Evaldas Labanauskas, a reporter and editor from Lithuania, Vlad Odobescu, an investigative journalist from Romania, and Armen Sargsyan, a TV and film producer from Armenia, discuss the post-Soviet experiences from their countries.

Feb. 18: “In the Shadow of the Bear: Democracy and Dictatorship in Former Soviet Republics”

In 1991, Estonia and Kazakhstan emerged from the shadow of the Soviet Union as two distinct nations. Krista Kull, a public relations specialist from Estonia, and Sholpan Zhaksybaeva, executive director of the National Association of Broadcasters of Kazakhstan, compare how their countries’ governments impact journalism.

March 4: “Africa Rising: Examining the Media’s Coverage of Africa”

The Ebola virus has seized the attention of international journalists. Omar Mohammed, a political risk analyst for africapractice in Tanzania, and Priscilla Quiah, a journalist from Liberia, discuss the socio-economic impact of Ebola and other important untold stories from the world’s second-largest continent.

March 18: “Defying the Doomsayers: Untold Success Stories from Developing Nations”

Headlines about crisis and tragedy saturate news coverage of developing nations. Tabu Butagira, a journalist from Uganda, Lila Ojha Dhakal, an editor from Nepal, and Intizar Khadim, a former communications director from Afghanistan, explore a spectrum of stories involving survival and hope.

Cultural historian Eric Lott kicks off the Provost's Distinguished Lecture Series on Feb. 11. He’ll speak about "Hauntologies of Race in the Age of Obama" at 4 p.m. in the Devil's Oasis Room in College Avenue Commons on Arizona State University's Tempe campus.

Developed by ASU Provost Robert E. Page, Jr., with support from George Justice, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences dean of humanities, the provost’s series seeks to bring the most prominent thought leaders to ASU to provide more than talks. Download Full Image

A hallmark of the distinguished series, says Page, is the extensive activities that will partner with the public presentations. “The goal is to invigorate conversation with ASU scholars and students throughout the ASU campuses,” said Page.

In addition to his public presentation, Lott will visit the ASU West campus for a 20th anniversary discussion of his award-winning book, “Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class.” Faculty members and students in American studies will meet with Lott to talk about his book and its impact on scholars’ understanding and the public perception of race in America, notes Louis Mendoza, director of the School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies in the New College for Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

“Lott’s work transformed American studies in the 1990s and continues to shape both the academic field and the way we Americans understand ourselves in the context of our complicated cultural history. Lott engages with the most advanced literary and critical theory, but writes in ways that engage directly our lived reality,” says Justice.

Lott is a professor of English at the City University of New York. He is a central figure in the field of American studies. His career began with the publication of "Love and Theft," which garnered multiple awards, including the Modern Language Society’s Best First Book Award. This work analyzed and offered a provocative interpretation of the music, lyrics, burlesque skits and dance in minstrel shows before the Civil War. This work was also reported to be the inspiration for the title of songwriter Bob Dylan's album of the same name.

“For a generation of scholars studying race and performance in America, Eric Lott is a godfather of sorts. His ‘Love and Theft’ revolutionized the way we understand the appropriation and misrepresentation of black culture in the United States,” says Matt Garcia, director of the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies and professor of history and transborder studies. “Rather than seeing the phenomenon of blackface minstrelsy as simply a derogatory interpretation of African Americans, Lott recognized the not-so-secret admiration of blacks by white Americans who lived, worked and played in close proximity to them. His work has informed studies of race and performance ever since, from studies of hip hop to performance in stage, film and television.”

Lott received his doctorate from Columbia University and has spoken widely on American academic politics, literature, music, performance and intellectual life. He is also the co-director of the Dartmouth American Studies Institute. His most recent work is “Black Mirror: The Cultural Contradictions of American Racism,” forthcoming with Harvard University Press.

Upcoming speakers for 2015 include:

• Helga Nowotny, former president and founding member of the European Research Council and professor emerita of social studies of sciences with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology

• Maria Luisa Catoni, a professor of ancient art history and archeology with the Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy, and senior research associate with the J. Paul Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles

• Heinrich Meier, a political philosopher and director of the Carl Friedrich von Siemens Foundation, Germany, professor with the University of Munich and visiting professor with the Committee on Social Thought with the University of Chicago

Arizona State University's Project Humanities is launching “Cultural Appropriation: Exploiting or Paying Homage?”, a one-day symposium on Feb. 7. The event runs from from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Discovery Hall, room 250 on the Tempe campus.

Taking into account American history, current events and the realities of the social climate at ASU and across the country, this critical dialogue will explore notions of “political correctness” versus cultural (in)sensitivity, “blackface” and school spirit, indigenous stereotypes in sports, hip-hop culture, Day of the Dead and Cinco De Mayo, and other types of cultural appropriation and stereotyping. Using media, social media, music and visual imagery, participants will be challenged to address these issues by engaging in meaningful conversations and informed social discourse. Download Full Image

The program will also feature speakers and guests from various fields of expertise. Popular video blogger Kat Lazo and Latino spoken word artist David A. Romero will deliver the keynotes. Local experts will facilitate workshops on hip-hop, popular music, language and other dimensions of imagery and communication that lead to bias and stereotyping.

"Culture is not a costume to be put on when convenient and stripped off when it's not,” said Isabelle Murray, president of the Rainbow Coalition, which represents LGBTQA students. “Culture is identity, and identity is to be treasured and respected, not played with and discarded.”

Murray’s group is one of seven student coalitions at ASU partnering with Project Humanities to make this symposium happen.

"Current events reveal that cultural appropriation is an issue that affects us locally, nationally and globally,” said Project Humanities coordinator Sharon Torres. “We will explore this topic with a critical lens and walk away with strategies to address, resist and help prevent disparaging biases and stereotypes, and to promote social consciousness as the prevailing behavior. We hope to spark an ongoing dialogue in multiple communities.”

Project Humanities is planning a similar symposium designed specifically for high school audiences in the fall.

This symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Visit www.ph-symposium.eventbrite.com to reserve your spot. Lunch will be provided.

For more information about the Cultural Appropriation Symposium and Project Humanities, visit humanities.asu.edu.

Arizona State University will celebrate Black History Month beginning Feb. 1 with a schedule of events for students, staff, faculty, alumni and members of the public.

The month of remembrance honors the history and heritage of peoples of African descent. Events will include a keynote speech, concerts, poetry readings, roundtable discussions and various guest lectures. Download Full Image

A list of events at all university locations is as follows:

Opening Candlelight Vigil
6:30 p.m., Feb. 2, Old Main Fountain, Tempe campus
Celebrate Black African ancestors, honoring the road they paved at the official kick-off event.

Cultural Appropriation: Stealing or Paying Homage?
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Feb. 7, Discovery Hall, room 250, Tempe campus
This one-day symposium discusses critical dialogue on cultural appropriation, cultural (in)sensitivity and awareness and political correctness. Workshops will feature intergenerational-expert speakers to elaborate and engage attendees on various forms of cultural appropriation, stereotyping and buffoonery, while offering historical perspectives and exploring the sociopolitical and cultural ramifications of these acts and behaviors. Register at https://cultural-appropriation-symposium.eventbrite.com. This event is sponsored by Project Humanities and Student and Cultural Engagement.

Opening Celebration and Gumbo Challenge
6 p.m., Feb. 7, home of Duku Anokye (off-campus location)
Faculty, staff and students university-wide are invited to partake in the challenge. RSVP or request more information by calling (602) 543-5300 or emailing westevents@asu.edu.

Peace Luncheon
11 a.m.-1 p.m., Feb. 11, Student Union Ballrooms, Polytechnic campus
Join the Council of Religious Advisors and the rest of the Polytechnic campus for the 10th annual Peace Luncheon in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday and Black History Month. Various faith groups will talk about how faith and beliefs help achieve peace on local, national and global levels. Seating is limited, so RSVP to Wadell Blackwell at wdellb@asu.edu. For more information, call 480-727-1165.

The moving account of Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for violating Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage. Their struggle culminated in a landmark Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia (1967) which overturned anti-miscegenation laws in the United States. Sponsored by The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

#NoFilter: Conversations Amongst the ASU Black Community
7 p.m., Feb. 11, Student Center, Downtown Phoenix campus
#NoFilter is an opportunity for all students to engage in facilitated dialogue on current events pertaining to ASU and throughout the nation.

From PHD (Po Ho on Dope) to PhD: How Education Saved My Life – presented by Elaine Richardson
7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, Kiva, West campus
Elaine Richardson shares her story of sexual exploitation and other forms of bondage to promote healing and empowerment through education. Faculty, staff and students university-wide are invited to attend this personal lecture.

How Crowded is Your Bed
7 p.m., Feb. 12, Coor Hall, room 120, Tempe campus
The event features a dialogue to promote health and wellness in the bedroom and serve as a way for students to discuss appropriate romantic relationships. This event is sponsored by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and African American Men of Arizona State University.

Masquerade Ball
7 p.m., Feb. 13, Memorial Union, room 241, Ventana, Tempe campus
The Masquerade Ball welcomes the African and African American and larger community to engage in a positive atmosphere and connect socially. Originating from West African culture, masquerades are festive events that involve wearing masks. For ticket information, contact Kyle Denman at kldenman@asu.edu.

SafeZONE Workshop – Black History Month Edition
9 a.m.-noon, Feb. 17, Student Union, Polytechnic campus
SafeZONE is a workshop designed to increase the overall campus community's understanding and awareness of issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/ally (LGBTQIA) and other marginalized persons. SafeZONE was created to provide a more inclusive and accepting campus climate. To sign up for the training, visit https://eoss.asu.edu/safezone/workshops.

Even as slavery ended in the south after the Civil War, new forms of forced labor kept thousands of African Americans in bondage until the onset of World War II. Based on the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same title by Douglas Blackmon. Sponsored by The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

Straight Talk about the N-word
5-7 p.m, Feb. 19, Cooley Ballroom, Student Union, Polytechnic campus
ASU professor Neal Lester will hold under a critical microscope this single word, described as “the most inflammatory, shocking and historic word in the English language.” The presentation considers the word’s “continually shifting use” through the complex discourse of American race relations. This event is organized in conjunction with Project Humanities.

14th Annual Pioneer Award Dinner
6 p.m., Feb. 19, La Sala B and C, West campus
Festivities will honor Pioneer Award Recipient and Foundation Professor Matthew Whitaker. The event will also include an awards ceremony, oral history, entertainment and reception/dinner. African attire is suggested. RSVP or request more information by calling (602) 543-5300 or emailing westevents@asu.edu.

Film screening: The Abolitionists
4:30 p.m., Feb. 26, Memorial Union, Pima Room 230, Tempe campus
A small group of moral reformers in the 1830s launched one of the most ambitious social movements imaginable: the immediate emancipation of millions of African Americans held in bondage, at a time when slavery was one of the most powerful economic and political forces in the United States. Sponsored by The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

Film screening: Freedom Riders
4:30 p.m., March 5, Memorial Union, Pima Room 230, Tempe campus
The Freedom Rides of 1961 were a pivotal moment in the long Civil Rights struggle that redefined America. Based on Raymond Arsenault’s recent book, this documentary film offers an inside look at the brave band of activists who challenged segregation in the Deep South. Sponsored by The School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies.

For event updates, visit the Black History Month event calendar. 

In September 1962, the National Farm Workers Association convened its first convention in Fresno, California, initiating a multiracial movement that would result in the creation of United Farm Workers and the first contracts for farm workers in the state of California.

Led by Cesar Chavez, the union contributed a number of innovations to the art of social protest, including the most successful consumer boycott in the history of the United States. Chavez often referred to the boycott as “capitalism in reverse,” for its power to turn ordinary shoppers into union allies. Download Full Image

In a presentation titled “Capitalism in Reverse: The United Farm Worker’s Grape Boycott and the Power of Inter-racial Organizing,” Matt Garcia, director of the Center for Comparative Border Studies at Arizona State University, will discuss the accomplishments of the movement, including benefits gained through the formation of a diverse organization that welcomed contributions from numerous ethnic and racial groups, men and women, young and old.

The presentation, which is part of the Honors Lecture Series presented by Barrett, the Honors College at ASU is slated for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Jan. 27, in room 101/103 of the Cottonwood Building at Barrett, on ASU's Tempe campus. The lecture is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required.

Garcia, author of the new book "From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement" (University of California Press, 2012), discusses the accomplishments of the movement, including the benefits gained through the formation of a diverse organization that welcomed contributions from numerous ethnic and racial groups, men and women, young and old.

For a time, the United Farm Workers was the realization of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s beloved community. Garcia demonstrates that the community became increasingly difficult to maintain for Chavez as the state of California became more involved in adjudicating labor disputes in the mid-1970s. Although Chavez and the United Farm Workers ultimately failed to establish a permanent union, the boycott offers important lessons to those wishing to build a new food justice movement today.

Garcia is the director of the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at ASU. He also directs the Comparative Border Studies Program. He previously taught at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the University of Oregon and Brown University. His book, "A World of Its Own: Race, Labor and Citrus in the Making of Greater Los Angeles, 1900-1970," won the award for the best book in oral history from the Oral History Association in 2003. His most recent book, "From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement," won the Philip Taft Award for the Best Book in Labor History, 2013.

Garcia was also the outreach director and co-primary investigator for the Bracero Archive Project, which was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant in 2008, and the recipient of the Best Public History Award by the National Council for Public History in 2009-2010. He completed his doctorate in history at the Claremont Graduate University in 1997.

This spring, the award-winning university initiative Project Humanities continues its mission to bring people together to talk, listen and connect.

From film screenings to stage plays to critical dialogues about hot topics, Project Humanities is advancing the Humanity 101 movement across disciplines, cultures, communities and generations. Download Full Image

Launched in spring 2014, Humanity 101 promotes social consciousness and personal responsibility. As such, deeply embedded in the spring kickoff series are programs centering around these seven values: compassion, empathy, forgiveness, integrity, kindness, respect and self-reflection.

Humanity 101 is not a course of study. Instead, it is a campaign, a credo, a reminder, a pledge, a challenge that, as the Dalai Lama describes it, “[has] the capacity to make our lives happier.”

“I am excited to see the momentum that the Humanity 101 movement is generating, particularly with new collaborators, partners, activities and diverse programs,” said Neal A. Lester, founding director of Project Humanities.

Since its inception, Project Humanities has continued to connect diverse audiences by asking the question “Are we losing our humanity?” and answering with a collective pledge and strategies to create a better world.

"Project Humanities is continuing our mission of talking, listening and connecting throughout the spring 2015 semester with awesome people from around the world,” said John T. Sutton, ASU graduate student in graphic design.

An example of the project’s global reach is “Beyond to Hijab: Pakistani Women’s Perspectives,” an event featuring Pakistani faculty members and Lester, who is participating in the faculty exchange between ASU and Kinnaird College for Women in Lahore, Pakistan.

“This is quite possibly the most robust and diverse programming roster Project Humanities has offered to date,” said Sharon Torres, Project Humanities coordinator. “We are riding the momentum of the Humanity 101 movement and expanding our repertoire by daring to tackle provocative issues and ask difficult questions. We hope that our audiences will take advantage of these opportunities for education and discovery and help us advance our cause.”

During the semester-long kickoff, Project Humanities will host events and activities across all four ASU campuses and at different community venues around the Phoenix-area, bringing together students, staff, faculty, alumni, emeriti and members of the surrounding communities.

View the Humanity 101 calendar for a full list of events. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

For more information about ASU Project Humanities and Humanity 101, visit humanities.asu.edu.