JSU students traverse intersectionality, racial disparities during Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communications week

Courtesy of Jackson State University

Jackson State University’s Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communications (EFLSC) held its annual EFLSC Week titled “For THEE Culture ” March 27-March 31. The week hosted JSU students, faculty, staff and alums as they explored the JSU world of literature, including social injustices and more throughout Mississippi’s history and beyond.

Throughout the week, events promoted student-led discussions and various activities showcasing the students’ talents and academic discoveries for a spectrum of social, political, artistic and cultural experiences.

“EFLSC Week is a celebration of our department’s different disciplines and talents. It’s thrilling to witness students and colleagues participate in discussions, readings, performances, research, and more activities each day,” said Ebony Lumumba, Ph.D., chair of the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communications. “We aim to expose the campus and larger community to the excitement and innovation of English, Foreign Languages, & Speech Communication studies. We hope to inspire the next generation of creatives, thinkers, & professionals in our fields.”

“All Thee Stars” exposed guests to Mississippi writers, stories, and storytellers. Professor of English RaShell Smith-Spears, Ph.D., joined fellow Department of English colleagues in offering excerpts from self-published works inspired by the George Floyd tragedy and other renditions that displayed the perceived victimhood of Black mothers affected by police brutality and their eventual rise to empowerment inspired by loss and grief. The event also included a tear-jerking performance by JSU’s MADDRAMA Performance Troupe, who demonstrated a reenactment of the story and murder of Emmett Till.

Participants and guests could quickly find themselves in a room with passionate discussion about intersectionality, such as at the “Remember Who You Are: Identity and Intersectionality Student Panel” held Friday, March 31. The student-led panel featured seven JSU students who shared vital information about intersectionality with peers and even some ways they seek to combat intersectionality upon graduating from JSU.

“I’m going to become an oral surgeon. My dad’s already a successful dentist. So, being a Black man with a successful business since I was born is inspirational because, as a Black woman, I want to get to that level,” said freshman biology pre-dentistry major Kennedy Larkins. “You don’t see a lot of Black dentists where I’m from, so I want to grow our legacy and inspire people in that field and who want to get into that field as well.”

In addition to student-led panels, the week also featured several other events, including panels with Department of English alums, karaoke to movies soundtracks and literature on the Gibbs-Green Plaza, an international fashion parade and cultural presentation, as well as a poetry and spoken word opportunity for JSU students, faculty and staff.

“We love involving our students, and I am so proud of our undergraduate and graduate students who presented panels on hot topics like linguistic justice and intersectionality, moderated and shared their poetry, modeled international fashions, and made THEE I Believe statements on self-determination, college education, and business ownership,” said Shanna L. Smith, Ph.D., interim assistant chair for the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Speech Communications.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this event do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.