URI announces Black History Month events

URI hosts lectures, workshops, panel discussions, art exhibits, concert 

Dawn Bergantino

Dr. Trinitia Cannon, director of Head and Neck Surgical
Oncology and division chief at Duke University Health System,
will discuss her journey from teen mom to
surgeon, Feb. 3. (Photo courtesy Dr. Trinitia Cannon)

A respected surgeon discussing the road she took from Warren, Ohio, as a teen mom to nursing school, medical school and on to become the Director of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Division Chief at Duke University Health System is just one of the impressive individuals who is scheduled to speak during Black History Month at the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. Trinitia Cannon is a head and neck and microvascular surgeon at Duke University. She is also an associate professor of head and neck surgery and communication sciences. However, her true passion is for mentoring and for the medical education of her students and residents. 

She will share her story, “Teen Mom to Surgeon, #Grit, Motivation and Determination,” on Thursday, Feb. 3, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. 

Her talk will be held in the Hope Room of the URI Welcome Center, 45 Upper College Road, Kingston. This event is free and open to the public; however, due to space limitations, registration is required. The event will also be available virtually. For more information and registration information, visit: uri.edu/Africana/news-and-events.

On Thursday, Feb. 10, N.J. Unaka, an architect based in Providence who has worked and taught across the country and overseas, will hold a workshop from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Hope Room of the Welcome Center. Unaka, who has a degree in civil engineering as well as a Ph.D. in architecture, finds his research and development work at the intersection of ecologically sensitive solutions, community participation, design and implementation. 

He is also the co-founder of ReThink Factory, a think tank dedicated to ecologically sensitive design, social justice, and appropriate technology. His workshop is intended for all students interested in environmental justice, regardless of design background. For more information and registration information, visit: uri.edu/Africana/news-and-events.

Also on Feb. 10, Unaka will deliver a lecture, “Climate Justice through Design: Using Design Tools for Community Empowerment,” discussing the impacts of design through the ages. While it is not surprising that those who have caused the least damage to the environment are often those most negatively affected by design, Unaka also notes the ability to implement design ideas in the public realm is empowering. 

His discussion will cover the impact of design as well as tools and ideas that can be used by any interested citizen to gain a better understanding of the effects of climate on buildings and vice versa. The goal of this lecture is to better understand how design can have fewer negative impacts and more positive impacts on the environment and our communities.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Hope Room from 5 to 6:30 p.m. However, due to space limitations, registration is required. The event will also be available virtually. For more information and registration information, visit: uri.edu/Africana/news-and-events.

Black History Month Events

Numerous University departments and groups are planning events and contributing to the 2022 URI celebration of Black History Month – many  of which are detailed below. Check the University calendar for new events and speakers.

Except where noted, the following programs will be held on the Kingston Campus in the Multicultural Student Services Center, 74 Lower College Road, Hardge Forum:

Tuesday, Feb. 1
Nonviolence Training Workshop, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.  

The URI Multicultural Student Services Center will partner with the Nonviolence Institute to lead a nonviolence education workshop. Since its founding in 2001, the Nonviolence Institute has been a leader in the nonviolence movement, teaching the principles and practices of nonviolence and working to foster a community that addresses potentially violent situations with nonviolent solutions. The Nonviolence Institute’s Juan Carter, Sal Monteiro and Christine King, who is also involved with the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, will facilitate the session. This event is open to all members of the URI community.

Wednesday, Feb. 2
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Luncheon, 12 – 2 p.m.

Pilar McCloud, chief executive officer and founder of A Sweet Creation Youth Organization, will serve as keynote speaker for this year’s Unity Luncheon speaking about the reality and legacy of Dr. King, who was considered a radical for his time and whose ideas in the current political environment may still be considered radical by many. 

A longtime mentor and youth advocate, McCloud’s organization educates and empowers youth in middle school and up to become more involved in their communities. The Unity Luncheon is a sharing of food, song, and reflection in celebration of the legacy of ideas espoused by King, and the application of his legacy at the University of Rhode Island. 

It is presented by the Multicultural Student Services Center with co-sponsors the Africana Studies Department and the University of Rhode Island Chaplains Association. This event is open to all members of the URI community; however, as space is limited, advance registration is required. The event will also be available virtually. For more information and registration information, visit: uri.edu/mcc/events

Tuesday, Feb. 3
“In the Spirit” a concert of spirituals by bass-baritone Frank Ward Jr., pianist Mark Greer, and danced by Melody Ruffin Ward, 7 p.m.

Presented by the URI Providence Campus Urban Arts and Culture Program, the concert will feature a moving program of traditional spirituals interpreted by noted music professor and nationally recognized bass-baritone Frank Ward Jr. with original choreographic interpretations by noted dancer, choreographer, professor, and healing artist Rev. Melody Ruffin Ward. This event will take place at the URI Feinstein Providence Campus Paff Auditorium, 80 Washington Street, Providence. This event is free and open to the public; however, reservations are recommended at: https://inthespiritconcert.eventbrite.com.

Tuesday, Feb. 8
Civil Rights: Past, Present & Future, 5:15 – 6:45 p.m.  

The URI Multicultural Student Services Center will host a panel discussion focused on the history of the struggle for civil rights as well as where we go from here. The panel will feature those who have worked to advance civil rights from different perspectives and have taken different approaches. 

Panelists include: Providence NAACP President Jim Vincent, Providence City Councilman John Goncalves, community activist and Executive Director of Rhode Island’s Black Lives Matter Political Action Committee Harrison Tuttle and Shawndell Burney-Speaks, who serves as a senior advisor to Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza as well as executive director of the African American Ambassador Group with the City of Providence.This event is open to all members of the URI community. The event will also be available virtually. For more information, visit: uri.edu/mcc/events.

Tuesday, Feb. 15
The History of Student Protest at URI, 5 – 6:30 p.m.

The URI Multicultural Student Services Center will host a panel discussion detailing important moments in URI history where students engaged in activism and exercised their right to protest in order to make change. The panel will feature members of the African American Society; the Black Student Leadership Group; Brothers United for Action; and more. This event is open to all members of the URI community. The event will also be available virtually. For more information, visit: uri.edu/mcc/events.

Feb. 21 – Feb. 24
QTPOC Art Exhibition, noon – 4 p.m.

The URI Gender and Sexuality Center will host an art exhibition featuring the work of artists and covering topics from within the Africana and/or queer diasporas. This event is free and open to the public and will take place in the Hardge Forum. Submissions from potential artists are being accepted through Feb. 10. For more information, visit the URI Gender and Sexuality Center’s facebook page @URILGBTQCenter.  

Thursday, Feb. 24
QTPOC Black History Month Gala, 7 – 9 p.m.

The URI Gender and Sexuality Center will host its Inaugural QTPOC Black History Month Gala featuring remarks from the renowned Black trans scholar D-L Stewart, professor and chair of the Higher Education Department in the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. This event is open to all members of the URI community and will take place in the Memorial Union Ballroom, 50 Lower College Road. For more information on registration or Prof. Stewart’s schedule during their visit, check out the URI Gender and Sexuality Center’s facebook page @URILGBTQCenter.  

Jan. 18-Feb. 24

“Celebrating Nixon Leger! 25 years of art from Haiti to Rhode Island,” a solo exhibitGallery hours: Mon. – Thurs. 9 a.m. – 9 p.m., Fri. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Presented by the URI Providence Campus Urban Arts and Culture Program, the exhibit celebrates Nixon Leger’s work over the last 25 years as a notable professional artist.  Nixon developed a passion for art from an early age in his native Haiti.  There he studied with master artists and earned a degree in painting.  Upon his arrival in the USA and his integration into the art scene in Providence, Rhode Island, Nixon has continued to create an amazing body of work in watercolor, acrylic, oil, charcoal, and collage on burlap, canvas, board and found objects. This event is free and open to the public and will be held at the URI Feinstein Providence Campus 1^st and 2^nd floor lobby gallery, 80 Washington Street, Providence.