The election of President Trump has triggered outrage in some quarters that white nationalists/white supremacists have taken up residence in the White House. They fear these idealogues will enact laws and govern from a perspective that elevates white identity above all others. At a panel discussion on May 1, Cornell faculty will discuss how white supremacy was actually the norm in 20th century U.S. politics, as well as a consistent feature of colonialism in Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. “A History of Official White Supremacy in the Era of Trump,” at 4:30 pm at the Africana Studies and Research Center, 310 Triphammer Rd, will discuss the history of white supremacy and what it means for the future.
Panelists include Noliwe Rooks, associate professor in Africana studies and feminist, gender, sexuality studies; Kevin Gaines, W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Africana Studies and history; and Siba Grovogui, professor of Africana studies and government.
Rooks is the author of “White Money/Black Power: African American Studies and the Crises of Race in Higher Education” and “Ladies Pages: African American Women’s Magazines and the Culture that Made Them.” Her book, “Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture and African American Women was a Choice Outstanding Academic Title and received the Public Library Association's 1997 award for Outstanding University Press Book.
Gaines is the author of “Uplifting the Race: Black Leadership, Politics, and Culture During the Twentieth Century” which was awarded the John Hope Franklin Prize of the American Studies Association. His book, “American Africans in Ghana: Black Expatriates and the Civil Rights Era” was a Choice Outstanding Academic Title.
Grovogui, the author of numerous book chapters, is currently working on two book manuscripts, “Otherwise Human: Human and Humanitarian Rights Traditions,” and “Future Anterior: A Genealogy of International Relations and Society.”
The “History of White Supremacy” panel is sponsored by Africana as part of the year-long conversation, “Freedom Interrupted: Race, Gender, Nation and Policing.” Freedom Interrupted is an interdisciplinary effort that includes the Africana Studies and Research Center and the American Studies, Asian American Studies, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Latina/o Studies (LSP) and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program (AIIP) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In addition, the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability in the ILR School and faculty participating in the Crime, Prisons, Education and Justice minor are partners.
Linda B. Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences
