Symposium on Race and Representation Encourages University-Community Partnerships by Katie <strong>Fall</strong>on On Monday, April 24, <strong>2006</strong>, the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>’s new Center for the Study <strong>of</strong> Rhetoric in Society, in conjunction with the Office <strong>of</strong> Multicultural Affairs, sponsored a symposium focusing on “Representations <strong>of</strong> Race and the African-American Community.” The day-long event featured plenary and keynote addresses by nationally-known scholars; panels comprised <strong>of</strong> students, community leaders, and <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong> faculty; opportunities for small group discussions; and a reading by poet Nikki Giovanni. The symposium was attended by more than one hundred <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong> faculty, students, and staff, as well as members <strong>of</strong> the New River Valley communities. The Center for the Study <strong>of</strong> Rhetoric in Society (CSRS), directed by Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> Kelly Belanger, was created “to advance the study <strong>of</strong> rhetoric and writing through projects and partnerships that promote the public good.” According to Belanger, the purpose <strong>of</strong> this symposium was to “open lines <strong>of</strong> communication and expand understanding about issues <strong>of</strong> race and language while creating a foundation for community-university partnerships that extend beyond the event itself.” After the program was opened by remarks from Provost Mark McNamee, Barbara Pendergrass, retired Dean <strong>of</strong> Students, and <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> Chair Lucinda Roy, the morning session centered on Historical Representations <strong>of</strong> Race. The first plenary address, Panelists Tracey Patton and Jo Evans react to a question. Keith Gilyard delivers the keynote address at the Representations <strong>of</strong> Race and the African American Community symposium. “One Tall Order: Trust Production in the Face <strong>of</strong> History,” delivered by Catherine Prendergast, Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Writing Studies at the University <strong>of</strong> Illinois, analyzed the rhetoric <strong>of</strong> several Supreme Court decisions, including Brown vs. the Board <strong>of</strong> Education. The address was followed by a panel discussion that examined the ways trust can be produced or broken. In addition to Prendergast, the panel included Mary Bishop, a retired Roanoke Times reporter; Elaine Carter, Director <strong>of</strong> the Christiansburg Institute, Inc.; Fred D’Aguiar, Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> and Co-Director <strong>of</strong> Creative Writing at <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong>; Charles Johnson, owner <strong>of</strong> New Image Barber Shop and longtime Blacksburg resident; and Lisa Tabor, Center for Public Administration and Policy doctoral student. The panel was moderated by <strong>Virginia</strong> Fowler, <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> and Director <strong>of</strong> Literature, Language, and Culture. Following the panel, groups <strong>of</strong> audience members discussed issues raised throughout the morning, especially ways to rebuild broken trust and strengthen existing trust among people <strong>of</strong> different races. At the conclusion <strong>of</strong> the morning session, lunch was served and poet Nikki Giovanni read from her award-winning book Rosa. Following the reading, Ben Dixon, Vice President for Multicultural Affairs, presented the CSRS with a framed copy <strong>of</strong> <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong>’s Principles <strong>of</strong> Community for working towards making the campus environment more inclusive. The afternoon session focused on Representation <strong>of</strong> Race Today and began with the second plenary address, “Jim Crow on Fraternity Row: The Phenomenon <strong>of</strong> Blackface in the White Southern Fraternal Order,” by Tracey Patton, Associate Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> Communication and Journalism at the University <strong>of</strong> Wyoming. Patton’s presentation explored the ways that African Americans have been recently represented by members <strong>of</strong> Southern fraternities. She showed slides <strong>of</strong> images originally posted on fraternity websites <strong>of</strong> white members dressed in blackface. The panel discussion that followed, moderated by Kelly Belanger, included Muriel Best-Vinson, a tenth-grader at Christiansburg High School; Jo Evans, Chief <strong>of</strong> Staff for Delegate James M. Shuler; Penny Franklin, Chair <strong>of</strong> the Montgomery County School Board; Ellington Graves, Associate Director <strong>of</strong> <strong>Virginia</strong> <strong>Tech</strong>’s Race and Social Policy Research Center; and Giovanni Turner, a graduate student in the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong>. In the subsequent small group discussions, topics ranged from the Duke lacrosse rape case to symbols such as the Confederate flag. The keynote address, delivered by Keith Gilyard, Distinguished Pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong> <strong>English</strong> at the Pennsylvania State University, summarized the day’s events and <strong>of</strong>fered suggestions for further conversations. Gilyard commented that research centers, like the CSRS, can play an important role in shaping the way race is talked about in our country. We at the CSRS hope the conversations started at “Representations <strong>of</strong> Race and the African- American Community” will continue, and that the campus-community partnerships formed at the event will flourish. 10 A <strong>Feast</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Words</strong>
A Celebration <strong>of</strong> Students, March 30, <strong>2006</strong> Leon Kok and Emily Reisinger entertained the guests with violin music during the celebration. Fred D'Aguiar and MFA student Tim Lockridge engage in a lively discussion. Entries from the fi rst grauate student Poster Awards competition are on the wall behind them. The Distinguished Alumni Board honored Dean Jerry Niles for his support <strong>of</strong> the <strong>English</strong> department. Guest enjoy the hors d'oeuvres as Lucinda Roy, <strong>Virginia</strong> Fowler, and Nikki Giovanni share a laugh. <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 11
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