JOHNSON CITY (Updated March 19, 2021) – “Be the Light: Listen, Learn, Love” is the theme of East Tennessee State University’s 2021 Civility Week, which is planned for March 22-26.
The week features a variety of events planned by ETSU’s Student Government Association to encourage civil dialogue to bridge the current political, cultural and religious divisions of society.
Civility Week activities include:
- “Race and Democracy: America is Always Changing, but America Never Changes,” a virtual discussion to kick off Civility Week with Dr. Eddie Glaude, the James S.
McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African
American Studies at Princeton University, on Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m. Glaude is
the bestselling author of numerous books, including his most recent, “Begin Again:
James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own.” He appears frequently
as an MSNBC contributor and is a columnist for TIME Magazine.
- “Generation Impact: How Youth Activism is Changing Our World” will be held Tuesday, March 23, from 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. In marking the 50th anniversary of the passage of the 26th Amendment granting the right to vote to American citizens age 18 or older, those in attendance will reflect on its impact in engaging young adults to become active participants in American democracy. What has been the impact of recent polarizing elections on youth activism and voting? What barriers exist and what more can be done to encourage political participation among young adults?
- “Reflections on a Multiracial Democracy in Northeast Tennessee and Beyond,” a virtual panel discussion examining critical issues related to race, democracy, class, privilege and media facing Northeast Tennessee and the United States. The discussion will take place Tuesday, March 23, at 4 p.m., moderated by Dr. Daryl Carter, ETSU professor of history and director of Africana Studies. Participants include Adam Dickson, ETSU instructor of political science, supervisor of Johnson City’s Langston Center and Jonesborough alderman; Dr. Mimi Perreault, ETSU assistant professor of media and communication; and Dr. Elwood Watson, ETSU professor of history.
- “A Higher Purpose: A Dialogue on Religious and Spiritual Identity and the College Experience,” an interfaith student panel discussion, on Thursday, March 25, at 11:15 a.m. Student panelists from a number of faith and belief practices will respond to questions, sharing their personal experiences and perspectives on faith, spirituality and the college environment.
- “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart,” an online moderated conversation with Alicia Garza on her book by the same title, on March 25 at 6 p.m. Garza is co-founder of Supermajority and co-creator of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Currently, Garza is the strategy and partnerships director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and her writing and work have been featured in Time, Marie Claire, The Guardian, Essence Magazine, the New York Times and more. Among her numerous honors are the 2017 Sydney Peace Prize, the 2016 Tribunal of the U.S. Black Women’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission held at the United Nations, and more.
- A “Listening for Action” Session on Friday, March 26, from 1-2:30 p.m. in the East Tennessee Room of the D.P. Culp Student Center. Hosted by the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center, this session with Dr. Joe Sherlin, ETSU vice president of Student Life and Enrollment (SLE), and other SLE senior leadership will give students an opportunity to participate in open dialogue and share their lived experiences as students at ETSU.
- “Disability Rights are Civil Rights,” a variety of programs and activities in observance of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, to be held throughout the week.
- "Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America," a virtual talk by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, originally planned for March 24, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. Dyson is the Centennial Chair at Vanderbilt University, where he is also University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies in the College of Arts and Science and University Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society in the Divinity School. The ordained Baptist minister is the author of 21 books, a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a contributing editor of The New Republic and ESPN's "The Undefeated" website. A two-time NAACP Image Award-winner, Dyson has been cited by Ebony Magazine as one of the 100 most influential African Americans and one of the 150 most powerful blacks in the nation.
Advance registration is required for all events, and ETSU COVID-19 guidelines must be followed for all activities that will be held in person. For registration or more information, visit etsu.edu/civility, or call the ETSU Carrier Center for Student Success and Engagement at 423-439-6633.