Black Feminisms across the Americas: A Tribute to Political Activist Marielle Franco will take place on March 14, 2019 (1:45-4:30 pm), at the 399 Julis Romo Rabinowitz Building. The symposium is being organized by the Brazil LAB, and will bring together Brazilian and U.S. critical thinkers and activists, culminating with a keynote address by Angela Davis at McCosh 10 (5:00-7:00 pm), and a follow-up discussion with students and faculty on March 15 (10:00am-2:00pm).

Program:

March 14:
Panel 1 | 1:45-3:15pm | 399 Julis R. Rabinowitz Building 
“I Am Because We Are”: Women, Race, Class & Rights in Brazil
Documentary Short Film: I Will Not Be Interrupted (10 min.) by Débora McDowell & Jamille P. Dias 
Mônica Benício (Architect and activist)
Debora Diniz (University of Brasília)
Giovana Xavier (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro)
Tianna Paschel (UC Berkeley)

Panel 2 | 3:15-4:30pm | 399 Julis R. Rabinowitz Building
The Horizons of Black Feminisms in the United States
Imani Perry (African American Studies)
Carolyn Rouse (Anthropology)
Aisha Beliso-De Jesús (Spanish and Portuguese & American Studies)
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (African American Studies)

Keynote | 5:00-7:00pm | McCosh 10 
Angela Davis 

March 15:
Panel | 10:00am-2:00pm | 144 Louis A. Simpson Building
Intersecting Feminisms
Discussion moderated by Fernanda Chaves (Brazilian journalist), Jamille P. Dias (USP), Mário Medeiros (Unicamp), Marília Librandi (Spanish and Portuguese), and Pedro Meira Monteiro (Spanish and Portuguese).

Why Marielle Franco?
Born and raised in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and a champion of human rights, Marielle Franco (1979-2018) was the most outspoken Brazilian activist and politician of her generation. She stood up for black women, youth, and LGBTIQ people and fiercely condemned police killings. Elected to the City Council of Rio de Janeiro in 2016, she chaired the Women’s Defense Commission and had a strong grassroots and social media mobilizing force, until her brutal assassination on March 14th, 2018, by para-military forces. Marked by impunity and public uproar, Marielle’s assassination made her an icon of democratic resistance and of the struggle for social justice in Brazil and beyond. 

Supported by PIIRS. Co-sponsored by the University Center for Human Values, the Program in Latin American Studies, the Department of African American Studies, the Humanities Council, the Pace Center for Civic Engagement, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and the Department of Anthropology.