April 12
Middlebury College professor Kemi Fuentes-George traces the development of pan-African political theory in the early 20th century and discusses how Afro Caribbean “rebel music” helped these ideas challenge established assumptions about nonwhite people and global relations.
April 12
Disability, as part of the human condition, has always been with us. But considering disability to be negative is a new concept, shaped by recent history. Professor of philosophy, author, and disability activist Patrick Standen unravels the complicated, fascinating, and controversial history of the concept of disability.
April 13
Come join in an interesting and informative community book discussion of The Most Costly Journey, a Vermont Reads book drawn by New England cartoonists.
April 15
In this interactive speaking event Vermont’s leading non-profit group fighting for farmworkers rights, Migrant Justice, will discuss the Milk With Dignity campaign. Migrant Justice will be giving an informational talk about the campaign while providing attendees functional tools and call to actions for supporting the rights of Vermont’s migrant farmworker population.
April 17
Voices of Inclusion in Essex and Westford (VIEW), Migrant Justice, Phoenix Books, and Essex Free Library present this opportunity to gather in community and discuss The Most Costly Journey. We will discuss the book and receive a presentation from members of Migrant Justice as part of their Milk with Dignity Campaign to learn more about the rampant abuses that workers face on dairy farms and the powerful organizing they are doing to improve conditions and protect their rights.
April 18
“Finding Jesse: A Fugitive from Slavery in Vermont” traces Jesse’s life from enslavement in North Carolina to freedom in Vermont. His story is told through letters in the collection at Rokeby Museum and documents at the North Carolina State Archives. The illustrated talk brings the narrative of one slave out of anonymity and explores his life and pursuit of freedom.
May 3
Labor historian Annelise Orleck provides a close look at globalization and its costs from the perspective of low-wage workers themselves—berry pickers, fast food servers, garment workers, cashiers, hotel housekeepers, home health care aides, and even adjunct professors—who are fighting for respect, safety, and a living wage.
May 3
Central Park and Yosemite Valley became public parks during the tumultuous years before and during the Civil War. UVM historian and former National Park Service superintendent Rolf Diamant explains how anti-slavery activism, war, and the remaking of the federal government gave rise to the American public park and the very concept of national parks.
May 3
UVM professor Luis Vivanco explores the fascinating early history of the bicycle in Vermont, an invention that generated widespread curiosity when it arrived here in the 1880s. Over the next decade, enthusiasm exploded statewide as bicycles became safer, women took to the wheel, roads improved, and retailers developed novel advertising techniques to draw in buyers.
May 3
“Bird Diva” Bridget Butler believes that there’s a bit of bias in the birding world when it comes to females. In this presentation, she examines new scientific studies on female birds, shares stories of the “Mothers of Ornithology,” and reflects on current research about gender and birding.
May 3
Michael Bosia, a leading scholar on global trans- and homophobia, argues that manufactured “LGBTQI+ peril” helps obscure growing social inequality and the policy failures of politicians who have turned their backs on democratic accountability. In this talk, Bosia focuses on laws and rhetoric that target LGBTQI+ youth, teachers, and allies as part of a global anti-democratic effort.
May 3
The graphic novel Berlin by Jason Lutes depicts life during the rise of fascism in post-WWI Germany. Lutes discusses his development as a cartoonist—with inspiration from William Faulkner to Dungeons & Dragons, Wim Wenders to Star Wars—that culminated in the creation of a book The Guardian called “a modern classic.”