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.

Remembering the 9/11 coup in Chile 50 years later with guest speaker Arturo Valenzuela

Perry World House |

Renowned professor, author, and diplomat, Arturo Valenzuela, will join CLALS, Perry World House, and the Penn community for a discussion about the legacy and impact of the coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973 in Chile.

Please join us for this important conversation on Monday, September 11, 1973 in Perry World House (3803 Locust Walk).

West Philadelphia Community Archaeology Project

Community Education Center | to

Heritage West is a community-informed archaeological project created with the goal of using archaeology to highlight the stories of individuals who lived in the Black Bottom neighborhood of West Philadelphia from the 19th century to the present.

We’ll be excavating at the CEC most Fridays during the Fall, please fill out this form if you’d like to participate.

https://clals.sas.upenn.edu/events/almuerzo-de-bienvenida-1

McNeil Building |

Please join us on Friday, September 8, 2023 at 12PM to learn more about the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies and its programming and opportunities for 2023-2024!

RSVP HERE

More information TBA

New Faces in Chinese Politics

CSCC Conference Room, PCPSE Room 418, 133 S. 36th St | to

Encourages young scholars conducting cutting-edge research by offering them an opportunity to workshop their research and job talk on Chinese politics with peers, conference co-organizers, and invited senior scholars.

Justice and the Judicial Role: The Quest for Empathy and Impartiality

Online event | to

The 2021 Higginbotham lecturer will be TomikoBrown-Nagin, Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard.

Judge A. Leon Higginbotham—often called the “conscience” of the judiciary—urged African American judges to be deeply concerned about, and speak out against, racial bias. He famously argued that Justice Clarence Thomas, indifferent to black suffering, missed the mark. But on other occasions Judge Higginbotham claimed that black judges had no “special role” to play on courts; the facts and the law must guide black jurists’ decisions, just the same as other judges. Moreover, Higginbotham lamented the identity-based scrutiny that African American jurists faced in cases alleging racial discrimination. Higginbotham’s worldview presents a conundrum: how to reconcile the professional norm of impartiality and his commitment to empathy for the marginalized. “Justice and the Judicial Role” will explore how Judge Higginbotham and other pioneering black jurists sought to reconcile competing norms and values.  

Lecture - Black Families Matter

Online event |

Black Families Matter: How the U.S. Family Regulation System Punishes Poor People of Color (Race & Regulation Lecture Series). 

A lecture by Dorothy E. Roberts, George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology and the Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Professor of Civil Rights, University of Pennsylvania.

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the publication of Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare, the groundbreaking study of family regulation by acclaimed scholar of race, gender, and the law, Professor Dorothy E. Roberts. Drawing on her forthcoming book, Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—And How Abolition Can Build a Safer World, Professor Roberts will examine in this lecture the fundamental racism of the child welfare system, which collaborates with law enforcement to police families in ways that disproportionately and negatively affect people of color, and she will discuss why this system of family regulation should be dismantled.

Borderless Penn Museum Second Sunday Culture Films

Online |

Empty Desert.  Dir. Silvia Boarini and Linda Paganelli, 2016, 56 min. Though the Bedouin are traditionally nomadic shepherds moving through territories to provide water for their flocks, they have gradually been forced to settle – but they are not necessarily allowed to settle permanently. Documentary to be followed by discussion with filmmakers Silvia Boarini and Linda Paganelli and Penn Middle East Center Assistant Director Ibrahim Bakri.

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week

Various | to

Join in celebrating the Asian Pacific-Islander American (APIA) community at Penn.

Big Asian "Talent Show" - Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week

Arch 208 |

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week - Join us for our signature closing event! Come out to support your friends at an amazing show and an even greater cause.  For those of you new to Big Asian, we'll run it "talent-show" style, except between every performer our MCs will ask for bids within the audience. Pair up with friends, groups, and clubs to support your friends - plus, we'll have free food!

ASAM Sharing Our Roots - Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week

Arch 108 |

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Week - In collaboration with Penn's ASAM Program, APAHW is proud to present our 2021 ASAM Sharing Our Roots!  Come learn from Professors of the Asian American Studies Program as they share Asian-American topics they’re passionate about. Thank you so much to Penn Asian American Studies (ASAM) for helping us to organize this wonderful event!