A free virtual lecture series toward collective Black liberation and learning.

Open to everyone.

People are hungry for accessible conversations about race and racism. But despite the popularity of anti-racist reading lists and informative social media posts, many of these resources are designed primarily for White audiences, and presented in a way that assumes the reader is encountering the ideas for the first time.

Meanwhile, Black audiences or audiences of any background who are beyond “racism 101” can also benefit from opportunities for collective learning— but are sometimes left out of the conversation. And as universities have moved to remote learning models, there is a chance to bring necessary discussions beyond the walls of institutions and into communities. 

The Black Freedom Lectures is a series bringing together renowned Black scholars to share knowledge and spark discussion on topics with an explicit Black liberation lens. Inspired by Black-led grassroots education efforts going back over a century, these lectures will be free and open to all participants, but will center Black learners and the goal of Black freedom in their pedagogical design, with the understanding that—to quote historian Barbara Ransby—such a learning space “contextualizes the oppression, exploitation, and liberation of Black poor and working class people within the understanding, at least in the US context, that ‘once all Black people are free, all people will be free.’”

And we know that powerful learning happens with context and community. So each lecture will follow the following format:

·      Pre-reading: Participants will have access to a short reading to check out before the lecture.

·      Lecture: A free talk by an amazing scholar discussing an issue imperative to Black liberation.

·      Squads: Why process everything on your own? We encourage you to form a “squad” of people committed to learning alongside you. It can be your book club, a church group, some interested coworkers, or just a few of the homies. Squads can meet together, talk about the lecture and the readings, and prepare any questions you have for the speaker.

·      Q&A: The lecturer will have a live Q&A with curator Eve L. Ewing or a special guest, asking some of the follow-up questions submitted by participants.

·      More to read: The lecturer will recommend one to two books for those participants who want to read more about the topic. We will also hold a raffle for a lecture attendee to receive a copy of one of the recommended books, purchased from our friends at the Black woman-owned Semicolon Bookstore.

That’s it. It’s free. Come through.