GREENEVILLE – Tusculum University will hold three more lectures available via an online platform for the community as part of an exploration of the Afrofuturism movement.
Dr. Michell Temple
The lectures, held from 6-7 p.m., are free and are part of a class on Afrofuturism being taught by Kelsey Trom, an associate professor of English at the university. To join the lectures, participants simply log in to Zoom and enjoy these informative talks, which will include a period for questions and answers.
“We are delighted these three distinguished higher education professionals will present exceptional lectures on a wide spectrum of topics,” Trom said. “These lectures will greatly expand participants’ knowledge on these subjects, showcase our faculty and staff’s expertise and demonstrate the caliber of guest presenters we attract. We encourage the community to join us.”
Dr. Jeffrey Perry, an assistant professor of history at Tusculum, will discuss “The Middle Passage and Development of North American Slavery” Monday, July 6. He focuses his research on the United States from the American Revolution through the Civil War era. His book “Law in American Meetinghouses: Church Discipline and Civil Authority in Kentucky, 1780-1845” examines the role of churches in maintaining social order in post-Revolutionary society and is under contract with Johns Hopkins University Press.
Dr. Michell Temple, Tusculum’s counselor and Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator, will present a talk called “Epigenetics and the Stories We Tell” Monday, July 13. She earned a doctorate from the University of West Georgia in professional counseling and supervision in 2015 and a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling from Georgia State University in 2006. She holds certifications such as national certified counselor, rehabilitation counselor and certified clinical trauma specialist. She is working on another doctorate from Regent University in counselor education and supervision.
Maurice Walker
Dr. Jeffrey Perry
Maurice Walker, the University of Virginia’s program coordinator for the Virginia-North Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation, will lecture on “Black Comics, Writers, Artists and Characters” Wednesday, July 15. He served as program coordinator with the institution’s Upward Bound program for more than 10 years. He is a collector of comics and graphic art and was invited to become a co-host on a podcast series called “Geek Confidential.” He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a Master of Education from UVA.
The login process is the same for each lecture. The URL is https://bit.ly/37EBJrG, the meeting ID is 934 1565 7767 and the password is 935313.
Ytasha Womack, who wrote a book about Afrofuturism, defined the movement as “an intersection of imagination, technology, the future, and liberation. . . . Whether through literature, visual arts, music, or grassroots organizing, Afrofuturists redefine culture and notions of blackness for today and the future. . . . Afrofuturism combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magical realism with non-Western beliefs. In some cases, it’s a total re-envisioning of the past and speculation about the future rife with cultural critiques.”
For more information about the lectures, please email Trom at ktrom@tusculum.edu.