his is event is hosted and sponsored by the University of Calgary Faculty of Arts
Session Description:
What other words in the English language carry the power of the N-word? Just the mere utterance of this word brings the enormous weight of four hundred years of oppression and violence to our present life. Nevertheless, faculty in higher education embrace the freedom of speech edict to defend the use of this powerful racial epithet. Many professors say using the full word is unnecessary for students to understand the meaning and impact. Others loudly protest, saying that not using it in literary, legal, or other contexts is a form of censorship. The latter group sings the loudest.
The Black Lives Matter movement’s popularity allows a resurgence of the use of the N-word as tactically necessary for authenticate and transparent discussions. Many white allies climb aboard the N-word train as it is re-routed across the ivory walls of institutions with esteemed well-meaning faculty who innocently intend to use the word as an opportunity to understand further and perhaps acceptance of the word and its meaning. During this event, Dr. Hardy DeJesus will be discussing her article and recent research on “The N-Word in Academia: The Psychology of Employing an Epithet” by uncovering the historical, social, and psychological implications of this term.
About the Speaker:
Georgette Hardy DeJesus is the Executive Director of Pre-College Programs in Undergraduate Studies at the University of Maryland. She holds a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University and a bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Howard University.
Dr. Hardy DeJesus continues to perform innovative outreach in her specialty areas of clinical psychology, including urban trauma-related stress, self-esteem development in adolescents and adults, and career development of minority adolescents. Dr. Hardy DeJesus’s research interests are keenly focused on adolescent development and correlate between self-esteem, racial pride, and career choice.
Contact
Ginger Rodgers
Faculty Experience Coordinator
grodgers@ucalgary.ca; 403-614-3015