The Tallahassee Chan Center and the Social Justice and Innovation Lab at the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy continues its online series "Engaging Racism: Conversations for Change," educational programs focusing on racism from multiple perspectives, with a talk by Trent Tomengo, Professor of Humanities at Seminole State College of Florida.

Knowing the truth behind key historical moments has the ability to realign popular attitudes in our contemporary time.  This discussion-oriented presentation will focus on how the emancipation of Black people in America has been commemorated through visual art, literature and music created by Black people.  It will also address the lasting impression these artistic media leave on our collective memory and why remembering is vital to the quality of our lives. 

Tomengo teaches African American Humanities, Renaissance and Baroque Humanities and Medieval Humanities. He holds a Master of Fine Art degree in painting and a graduate certificate in museum studies from the University of South Florida. He has conducted public lectures and presentations on the Harlem Renaissance, Black cultural productivity, and the spirituality of the human condition in art. In his capacity as an arts and humanities consultant, he has served on various committees in the Central Florida arts community, including the Community Advisory Council for the University of Central Florida Public History Center and the Academic Committee for the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. 

Optional guided meditation led by Guo Gu (the founder and teacher of the Tallahassee Chan Center) starting at 7:00 pm.

A post-lecture discussion on this talk will be held on Tuesday, April 20, at 7:30 pm.