United Nations, Fordham University Partner to Discuss ‘Women and Slavery’ in Art
On Monday, 5 October, the Remember Slavery Programme and Fordham University will host a round-table discussion on “Truth: Women, Creativity and Memory of Slavery” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will be held in the Constantino Room at Fordham University School of Law in New York. Members of the general public, the United Nations diplomatic community, faculty and students are invited to attend.
This event is one in a series on “Women and Slavery”, a theme chosen by the United Nations to honour the struggle of enslaved women during the transatlantic slave trade and their heroic efforts to resist the institution of slavery and pass on their rich cultural heritage from Africa to their children.
In his message to mark this year’s commemoration, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “Women slaves played a key role in maintaining the dignity of their communities. Too often, their leadership and brave resistance have been underestimated or forgotten.” This event, and others held by the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme and Fordham University, help to raise awareness of the contribution made by these women. Over the years, various forms of art throughout the world have captured the essence of their experiences.
The “Truth: Women, Creativity and Memory of Slavery” panel will discuss the creative works of enslaved women throughout the African diaspora, and examine how their art was used to express, endure, survive and liberate — both themselves and their people. Through their presentations, the panel will also share various ways contemporary women artists of African descent have creatively represented the experience of enslaved women and explore what the world today can learn about the emancipating power of creativity. Kimberly Mann, Chief of the Education Outreach Section in the United Nations Department of Public Information, and Isabella Frank, Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Fordham University, will deliver opening remarks.
The discussion will be moderated by Aimee Meredith Cox, Cultural Anthropologist and Professor of African and African American Studies at Fordham University. The panel will comprise artists and scholars who will share a sample of their work with the audience. Participants include: Deborah Willis, Chair of the Department of Photography and Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University; Nicole R. Fleetwood, Associate Professor, Department of American Studies and Director of the Institute for Research on Women at Rutgers University, New Brunswick campus; Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, award-winning novelist, short-story writer and essayist; Gabriela Salgado, Independent Contemporary Art Curator and Consultant in Europe and Latin America; Iyunolu Osagie, Associate Professor of English at Pennsylvania State University; and Yuko Miki, Assistant Professor of Iberian Atlantic History at Fordham University.
In explaining the University’s purpose for hosting this event, Arnaldo Malave-Cruz, Director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute, said “Trauma — caused by inhumanity and injustice — has a long legacy which we cannot aspire to overcome if we do not confront it. But, so do the creative artistic practices and traditions with which women of African descent throughout the Americas have transformed their circumstances and their lives. It is this other legacy which enriches our present that we acknowledge and celebrate today as we remember the experience of enslaved women”. The Fordham University sponsors are the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute, the Department of African and African American Studies, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, and the Department of History.
Established by the General Assembly in 2007 to honour the memory of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, the Remember Slavery Programme aims to provide an understanding of the causes, consequences and lessons of the slave trade, as well as raise awareness of the dangers of racism and prejudice today with activities held and educational materials produced throughout the year.
For further information, please contact Omyma David of the Remember Slavery Programme, at e-mail: david17@un.org; or Sandra Arnold, at e-mail: arnold@fordham.edu.