Ford School to host four MLK Symposium events

January 13, 2015

Policing black bodies. Race in America. American denial. Community health empowerment. The Ford School announces four timely events in conjunction with the University of Michigan’s 2015 Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium

Monday, January 19, 3:00 p.m. “Policing black bodies: A dialogue on poverty, police brutality, and the way out.” This dialogue on poverty and police brutality will feature Dr. Shaun Ossei Owusu, Bronx native, public intellectual, and writer for The Huffington Post, salon.com, and most recently, Jacobin magazine; Dr. Kamau Rashid, assistant professor of education at National Louis University, who writes on danger and blackness; and Finn Bell, PhD student in U-M’s joint doctoral program in social work and sociology and an activist and organizer for GLBTQ rights, homeless youth, human trafficking, and anti-racism. Location: School of Social Work, first floor Executive Conference Center. 

Wednesday, January 21, 4:00 p.m. “A deeper black: Race in America.” An Atlantic senior editor and writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates has penned many influential articles on race, masculinity, and politics. Last year, his lively Atlantic blog was named by TIME as one of the 25 Best in the World. The Ford School is co-sponsoring this event hosted by IRWG as part of the campus-wide MLK, Jr. Symposium. Location: Rackham Auditorium. 

Monday, January 26, 5:00 p.m. “American Denial.” As part of the 2015 MLK, Jr. Symposium, the Center for Public Policy in Diverse Societies presents a preview screening of the PBS documentary American Denial, followed by a discussion with producer/director Llewellyn Smith and Martha S. Jones, moderated by the Ford School's own Joy Rohde. Location: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Annenberg Auditorium.

Wednesday, January 28, 4:00 p.m. “Credible messengers, critical trust: Community health empowerment.” The Ford School welcomes back Dr. Ruth Browne (MPP/MPH ‘83), CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and 2015 Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence. This event is part of the University of Michigan's 29th Annual MLK, Jr. Symposium. Location: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Annenberg Auditorium. 

These events are scheduled in concert with the Ford School’s ongoing community dialogue on race relations in the United States. For more information about the dialogue, read “Michigan Daily interviews Susan Collins on the value of dialogue about race and police brutality.”