Racism Series Season Four Opener to Highlight Activism Across Generations at LSU Reilly Center Event

January 13, 2022

BATON ROUGE—Season four of “Racism: Dismantling the System” premieres Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 3:30 p.m. CT. The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication will host the season opener, Activism Across Generations: The Fight for Civil Rights Then and Now, in partnership with Southern University and A&M College's Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences, Louisiana Budget Project, NAACP Louisiana State Conference and the LSU Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

The conversation will examine the varying faces of activism across the decades. More specifically, the discussion will look at the pivotal role that youth activists ​​play in progressing civil rights and the different avenues that past and present activists utilized to fight against systemic and societal racism.

"We've seen Gen Z really change the landscape of activism," said series organizing committee member and NAACP Louisiana State Conference President Michael McClanahan, Ph.D. "They have access to people in a way that previous generations haven't had and are using that access to build both digital and physical coalitions of young people seeking to make a difference in their communities and the world. While they may take different approaches to create change, this generation is definitely building on the legacy of activists before them and working to create a more just and equitable society."

A panel of activists and experts will speak on present and past campaigns for change, from the civil rights movement to Black Lives Matter to the fight for immigration rights, and the effect of the generational divide on these movements’ drive to accomplish their goals.

Panelists Include:

  • Kennedi Smith, Co-Founder of LSU Black Women Graduate Collective, Master’s Candidate, LSU Manship School of Mass Communication
  • Christin 'Cici' Battle, Activist, Speaker, Organizer and Former Executive Director of Young People For
  • Tristan Cabello, Ph.D., Associate Director of the Master of Liberal Arts Program, Johns Hopkins University
  • Zackory Kirk, Ed.D., Social Activist and Content Creator
  • Sara Mora, Storyteller, Speaker, Digital Strategist, Activist and Founder of Population MIC

Activism Across Generations: The Fight for Civil Rights Then and Now is the first of four episodes this season. The entire spring 2022 schedule is below:

  • January 18 | Activism Across Generations: The Fight for Civil Rights Then and Now
  • February 22 | Is the Customer Always Right? Discrimination Experienced by BIPOC Consumers
  • March 22 | Touring Torture: How Plantations Whitewash History
  • April 12 | The Fight for Environmental Equity

The episode will be hosted on Zoom and broadcast on Facebook Live. Admission is free, but you must register in advance on Eventbrite to receive the Zoom meeting access code. The episodes will also be recorded and uploaded to the Manship School’s YouTube channel. For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.

LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication ranks among the strongest collegiate communication programs in the country, with its robust emphasis on media and public affairs. It offers undergraduate degrees in public relations, journalism, political communication, digital advertising and pre-law, along with four graduate degree programs: master of mass communication, Ph.D. in media and public affairs, certificate of strategic communication and dual MMC/law degree.

The Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences at Southern University aims to educate students who will matriculate with the spirit of service, superb competence and employability skills needed in a global marketplace. The College is located on the campus of Southern University and A&M College, the flagship of the only HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) University System in the nation.

The Louisiana Budget Project (LBP) monitors and reports on state public policies and how they affect Louisiana’s low- to moderate-income families. Using research, outreach and advocacy, LBP educates policymakers, the nonprofit community and the public about the economic and racial barriers that Louisianans face each day, and looks for solutions that can create a more widely shared prosperity.

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.

The LSU Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion is a division of the Office of Academic Affairs and provides support, referral and information to students, faculty and staff on issues and concerns related to diversity, equity and inclusion. For more information, please visit lsu.edu/diversity.

 

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