Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body - Exhibition

February 17 – May 21, 2024  Barbara Earl Thomas’ most recent series of portraits weave an exquisite tapestry of light and color to depict individuals illuminated in moments of creativity. Invoking the history of portraiture, Thomas’ nine large-scale cut paper pieces celebrate great Black cultural icons such as August Wilson, Seth Parker Woods, and Charles Johnson, alongside Thomas’ friends, family, and acquaintances. Set in contexts ranging from public performance to the quiet of daydreaming, they honor the creative spark in all its manifestations. Thomas describes her subjects with nuance and care, encouraging extended viewing of these vibrant and layered portraits. The portraits are presented with The Transformation Room, a luminous installation created from light and intricately cut Tyvek, which offers a moment of respite for reflection and inspiration.

Lecture Series: Jews and the University: Antisemitism, Admissions, Academic Freedom

January 23 - March 14, 2024  The integration of Jews into the university is one of the great success stories of modern American culture and Jewish life. But recent events at Penn and at other campuses have led to accusations that the university has been too tolerant of antisemitism and become less welcoming to Jews. This free lecture series is an effort to share insights from history, sociology, education studies, and other fields that can help put the present moment into context.

The series kicks off with Dara Horn's in-person appearance at Penn Hillel on January 23, and continues with online talks through February and March.

Jen Manion, Transgender Ways of Thinking, Pedagogy Seminar

Penn LGBT Center, 3907 Spruce St | to

Many gatherings in LGBTQ affirming spaces ask people to state their preferred pronouns when introducing themselves. This conversation will examine the underlying philosophy of gendered language as an organizing rubric and encourage those gathered to grapple with a broader transgender way of thinking and seeing beyond binaries and pronouns.

Harvey Finkle Reception and Panel Discussion

3601 Locust Walk, Ground Level, ARCH Way Art Gallery | to

Photographer Harvey Finkle - exhibition, reception and panel discission documenting the 13 year history of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia. The Exhibition will be on display as of early September.

Jen Manion, Language, Acts, and Identity in LGBT Histories

History Lounge, College Hall 209 | to

The talk explores how the language scholars use in crafting histories simultaneously reveals and constitutes an epistemology of the LGBTQ past. It will chiefly grapple with how a modern lexicon informed by transgender studies and community practice offers scholars an expansive new way of understanding the lives and histories of a group designated by gay and lesbian historians in the 1970s as “passing women.”

Becoming Who We Are: The Declaration, the Constitution, and the U.S.

The ARCH on Locust Walk, room 108 | to

Kermit Roosevelt, Professor – Penn School of Law speaks as part of the Diversity Lecture Series.

Poverty in the American South, Talk by Dr. Regina Baker

World Cafe Live Upstairs |

Although poverty and uneven development exists throughout the United States, the South has had a disproportionate share of the nation’s socioeconomic problems. For decades, poverty has been the highest and most persistent in that region, and the Great Recession has only worsened the problem.

In this talk, Dr. Regina Baker, assistant professor of sociology, School of Arts & Sciences, will address the reasons for this regional disparity and why, as a nation, Americans should care. Drawing on her research on the South, Dr. Baker will discuss the role of demographic, economic, political and racial factors in understanding poverty in the context of place. She will also touch on the uncertainty of future safety nets for America’s most vulnerable populations in the current political climate.

A Conversation about LGBT Rights: What Challenges Lie Ahead

Penn Bookstore, 2nd floor conference room | to

Guest Speaker: Amber Hikes, Director, Office of LGBT Affairs – City of Philadelphia

Identity & the 2016 U.S. Election

Stiteler Hall Forum | to

A panel of scholars who will engage the Penn community in conversation around: a) the role of identity in shaping the 2016 US presidential election and b) how we might expect issues of identity (e.g., race, immigration, gender, religion, citizenship, among others) to develop under the Trump Administration. Following the panel discussion, program attendees will have the opportunity to engage in a Q&A with the panelists.

Christopher Heaney Talk

Silverstein Forum Room of Stiteler Hall (208 S. 37th Street) | to

As part of LALSIS - Latin American and Latino Studies Speaker Series - a talk by Christopher Heaney, Barra Postdoctoral Fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.

6th Annual Dolores Huerta Lecture

ARCH 208, 3601 Locust Walk | to

As part of the Latinx Heritage Month, keynote address provided by a leader in the Latinx community that exemplifies the contributions to labor that Latinxs have made in the United States. Speaker: Gabby Rivera, creator of Marvel’s America series and author of "Juliet Takes a Breath."

Religious Freedom in Trouble? An Interfaith Discussion

National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street | to

A Panel discussion with Kristina Arriaga (US Commission of International Religious Freedom), Dan Barker (Freedom From Religion Foundation), Khalid Latif (NYU Islamic Center), and David Saperstein (Union for Reform Judaism).  Moderated by Jeffrey Rosen (National Constitution Center).