ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SIX YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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ACADEMICS
LSA courses focus on ‘U’ history for bicentennial ARNOLD ZHOU/Daily
Author Junot Diaz speaks about his writing an work as an activist at Rackham Auditorium on Wednesday.
Diaz promotes solidarity against racism through activism, writing
300 attendees gather for MLK symposium lecture by best-selling author in Rackham COLIN BERESFORD Daily Staff Reporter
Author and activist Junot Díaz delivered a speech Wednesday afternoon on white supremacy, racialized immigrants and solidarity to about 300 people in Rackham Auditorium as a part
of the University of Michigan’s annual symposium in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Díaz began by discussing racial neoliberalism and its function in derailing how people talk about race. Racial neoliberalism, he argued, prevents people from addressing problems of racism and
questioning if anyone can racist. “One of the things that has become very clear to me is … the evolving derangement of race and racial politics in this country has been exceptionally problematic,” Díaz said. “Racial neoliberalism (is) perhaps best understood as an almost global racial gaslight, derailing
our ability to speak about the way white supremacy works at a political and global level while permitting hegemony to practice white supremacy full blast.” Díaz further explored how the United States is organized along white supremacist lines, See AUTHOR, Page 3A
Over 20 classes across departments centered around “Making Michigan” MAYA GOLDMAN Daily Staff Reporter
This semester, in honor of the University of Michigan’s bicentennial, LSA is carrying on its tradition of a themed semester by offering over 20 classes centered around the 200th anniversary of the University. The classes, offered in several different LSA departments with an overarching theme of Making Michigan, focus on the school’s place in important events of the past 200 years and where it lies in the current social landscape. Many also emphasize the
future of higher education and the issues it faces today. Terrence McDonald, the former dean of LSA and now a history professor as well as director of the Bentley Historical Library, is teaching a class called “22 Ways to Think About the History of the University of Michigan.” The class will offer many different perspectives on the school’s past. It is also cross-listed with the Applied Liberal Arts department, which houses classes that have extensive extracurricular opportunities and a multi-disciplinary focus. “(In the class) we think of the University as a place, as a See BICENTENNIAL, Page 3A
Panelists advocate recognition of MPowered Schafer hosts 2-day Black women’s history and narratives promises
CAMPUS LIFE
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
music, film contest
University professors discuss recent publications, highlight minority hardships
Art, entrepreneurship projects from all ‘U’ disciplines rewarded
About 50 professors, students, faculty members and members of the Ann Arbor community gathered Wednesday afternoon in the Hatcher Graduate Library to listen to three University of Michigan faculty members discuss the recent publication of “Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women,” a collection of essays on the experiences and roles of Black women in the history of intellectuals. Law Prof. Martha Jones, English Prof. Megan Sweeney and Tiya Miles professor of African Studies all spoke on the panel, who used the book as a platform to address the importance of uncovering the stories of Black women, and women in general, that often go untold. “We want to unearth lies, ideas, narratives and analyze and interpret them,” Miles said to the audience. Jones, one of the editors of the book, further encouraged the audience to strive for uncovering unknown narratives. “Recovery is at the core of what we do, and there is still so much more we need to do,” she said. Jones also recognized the importance of making the history more accessible to people outside of academia. “I think many of the challenges that are attuned to doing Black women history will
MATT HARMON Daily Staff Reporter
Celebrating the art of student music and film, 50 students and faculty attended the first Spotlight music and filmmaking competition closing ceremony Wednesday night at Stamps Auditorium. Sponsored by MPowered, a student entrepreneurship organization on campus, awards were given to teams of up to four producers for their projects. The 50-hour competition featured student works from every school at the University of Michigan. Participants filmed all footage on smartphones, and winners of the competition were awarded Cakewalk’s Sonar Platinum audio software. The two winning projects will be shown Thursday night at the competition’s showcase at Necto Nightclub featuring Quinn XCII and Ayokay. Matthew Altruda, an Ann Arbor radio host, delivered the keynote address at the ceremony, emphasizing the See SPOTLIGHT, Page 3A
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ERIN DOHERTY Daily Staff Reporter
continue, and the burden will be on many of us, including those of us who are intellectuals, to take the work out of the academy and into the public sphere to be sure that the histories, as well as the perspectives that come, are available to everybody,” she said. Miles provided evidence of the success of the book in expanding people’s views, despite occasional negative comments on the work. “These are little steps forward,” she said. Rackham student Michelle May-Curry, a member of the predominantly graduate student audience, said she admired every
woman on the panel for their surprising conclusions. “It’s astonishing how Black women’s history has been relegated to the cracks,” MayCurry said. “If we’re going to talk about Black women, we have to piece it together and we have to know that many people will not take us seriously in starting those conversations.” May-Curry also echoed panelists’ sentiments regarding the importance of uncovering and highlighting the history of Black women in academic settings. “Our histories are being devalued in the classrooms and
the archives, and this work is essential to uncovering that,” she said. Jones mentioned after the event that she will be attending a Women’s March in Baltimore this Saturday. “When I go to a women’s march on the 21st, wouldn’t it be cool to carry a sack of these books and books like it?” Jones said. “It feels like there are going to be thousands of women and fellow travelers for whom this kind of knowledge and understanding is more pertinent perhaps than ever … maybe I will take a stack of books to the march.”
EMMA RICHTER/Daily
LSA professors Tiya Miles and Martha S. Jones discuss the book Toward an Intellectual History of Black Women at the Gender: New Works New Questions series at Hatcher Gallery on Wednesday.
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INDEX
Vol. CXXVII, No. 11 ©2016 The Michigan Daily
to partner with ESG
ESG requests more representation, discusses new minor program ALEXIS RANKIN Daily Staff Reporter
Engineering Student Government started its meeting Wednesday night with community input from David Schafer, president of Central Student Government and an LSA senior, regarding the potential for a more collaborative future between the two respective student governments. Schafer addressed concerns regarding CSG representation of Engineering students and reaffirmed his commitment to more effectively representing students’ interests. Schafer cited CSG’s role on North Campus — including a condom distribution event and improvement in access to mental health resources — but recognized that there may be questions about what else CSG is doing to benefit students there. Schafer also promised to encourage the 11 Engineering representatives who sit on the CSG Assembly to start attending the ESG meetings in order to do better and more See ESG, Page 3A
NEWS.........................2 OPINION.....................4 ART S . . . . . . . . . . . . B -SEC T I O N
SUDOKU.....................2 CLASSIFIEDS...............6 SPORTS....................7