‘(Re)CLAIMING US’ QUICK TALK & BOOKSIGNING
Understanding the role of eugenics and scientific theories of race continue to inform
anti-black policies in medicine, education, housing, and pop culture.
Saturday, 8 February
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library
901 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
POP-EU - POPULAR EUGENICS IN TV & FILM
How Theories of 'Racial Fitness' Shape Our Views
Unlike the fronts of yesteryear, when eugenics, the "science of better breeding," relied most heavily on public health and public education platforms to disseminate information, it now thrives most virulently through popular television, film, music, advertising, and social media. Eugenic theories related to transmittable traits for crime, morality, intelligence, and poverty, continue to inform how we frame aspects of life such as masculinity, patriotism, womanhood/motherhood, beauty, and social fitness. This talk examines the shifts of eugenic theories from the laboratory to our living rooms and their presence in some of our favorite shows from “Orphan Black” and “Top Boy,” to “Coronation Street” and “Happy Valley.”
Saturday, 15 February - 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (EST)
901 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20001
REMEMBERING THE RELFS
Uncovering the Voices of Eugenic Sterilization Survivors
In 1974, Minnie and Mary Alice Relf -- aged 12 and 14, became the central figures in a legal battle
to hold the state of Alabama accountable for the involuntary sterilization of those they deemed "socially inept."
This included the poor, incarcerated, mentally or emotionally challenged, and those with "immoral" behaviors.
The laws and policies that governed eugenic sterilizations in Alabama continue unabated today, with its victims/survivors
seeking both understanding and compensation for the traumas they endured. This talk
examines some of those laws, social policies, and popular thoughts that inform ongoing
efforts to rid society of "weak" citizens.
Saturday, 22 February - 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (EST) 901 G Street NW Washington, D.C 20001