Race and Social Justice Initiative Lecture Series

As a part of the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), a program the College of Charleston launched in June 2015 in response to recent tragic events in Charleston, the College of Charleston will host a free, public lecture series featuring noted speakers: Marian Wright Edelman, Bryan Stevenson, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. South Carolina Humanities supported this project a Major Grant in February 2016.

The first lecture, by the President of the Children’s Defense Fund Marian Wright Edelman took place on March 1. The second, by Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative Bryan Stevenson, will be given on March 31. Finally, Ta-Nehisi Coates—author and journalist who won the National Book Award for Between the World and Me in 2015—will give a lecture on October 18. In addition to the lectures, the RSJI will also host book discussions and literacy programs connected to each speaker so that these initial events will have a lasting and wide-reaching public impact.

The RSJI is a meaningful effort that will shed light on difficult contemporary issues. Their mission is to promote public awareness and dialogue about race and social justice issues in Charleston and beyond.

For more information about the Race and Social Justice Initiative, visit their website at: http://avery.cofc.edu/programs/the-race-and-social-justice-initiative/.

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The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 22-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.

Image: Bryan Stevenson, credit Nina Subin