News & Notes

Cheick Hamala Diabate
From Mali to Mississippi: The History of the Kora Playing in Africa and Beyond...
November 22, 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m. | Katzen 123
Washington may be chock-a-block with lobbyists and consultants, but only one of them rocks the n’goni. He’s hobnobbed with American string and Blues legends—from Bela Fleck to Corey Harris—and along the way reunited his beloved instrument with its long-lost grandchild, America’s banjo. “The music we griots play is not just about making nice sounds for dancing, it’s about giving a lesson to people about their lives." crgc@american.edu

On November 7, CRGC professor Elizabeth Rule screened a rough cut of her forthcoming documentary, DC Is Indian Land, at Busboys & Poets in DC.

On October 30 the Arab World Studies Program presented “Jewish Arabness, Zionism, & the Politics of Elimination” with Massoud Hayoun, an award-winning author, journalist, and artist, in conversation with Arab World Studies Program Director, Irene Calis.

On October 8, CRGC hosted Prof. Jordache Ellapen (University of Rochester) in conversation with Prof. Suzanne C. Perard (American University) about Indenture Aesthetics, queer and feminist visual practices in post-apartheid South Africa.

Mary Ellen Curtin’s book, She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan’s Life and Legacy in Black Politics, a biography of the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in September 2024.

Lily Wong co-edited an anthology, Transpacific, Undisciplined (University of Washington Press 2024), with Christopher B. Patterson and Chien-ting Lin. Lily was also awarded the Solidarity Award at AAPI Women Lead’s Building New Worlds conference.

Quynh Vo published a chapter, "Transpacific Rupture: Neoliberal Relationalities and Economic Violence in the COVID Era," in Transpacific, Undisciplined (University of Washington Press 2024).

Anita Mannur’s historicization of Trump’s racist false accusations against Haitian immigrants in Ohio was quoted by various news outlets, including the Washington Post.

Suzanne Persard’s series of poems are included in the groundbreaking anthology of Indo-Caribbean translations I Will Not Go: Translations, Transformations, and Chutney Fractals, (Kaya Press, 2024), edited by Rajiv Mohabir. Suzanne read selections from the book launch in New York City, which was part of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Bob Connelly served as the dramaturg and co-producer for the St. Mark’s Players' production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, which was co-directed by AU alumna Heather Danskin.

Elizabeth Rule received the Outstanding Book Award from the Association for Ethnic Studies for her book, Indigenous DC: Native People and the Nation's Capital.

Dr. Tanja Aho and Dr. Mary Ellen Curtin have won the 2022-2023 Ann Ferren Curriculum Design Award for their creation of the “Disability, Health, and Bodies” undergraduate certificate. This award recognizes the collaborative work of two or more faculty who creatively integrate the values of a liberal education in the design of courses or curricula for majors or academic programs.

Professor Christina Riley, a specialist in feminist digital media, was quoted in the article, "The Unsettling Rise of the Anti-Pick Me Girl."

Read about Prof. Tanja Aho's work with the Disability+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group in "'Bare minimum of legality': Students, faculty and staff face ongoing challenges with campus accessibility".

Latinx Symposium featured Laura Pulido and a round-table discussion with Salvador Vidal-Ortiz, Perla Guerrero, Ricardo Ortiz, Kristie Dorr, Laura Pulido, and David Vazquez.