Virtual: The Intertwined Histories of Racism and Freedom

The era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. How were those conceptions impacted by the coinciding racism? History professor Tyler Stovall believes they are intricately intertwined, and argues that being free has long meant being white.

Tyler Stovall is professor of history and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and SCiences at Fordham University. HIs books include Transnational France: The Modern History of a Universal Nation; Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light; and The Rise of the Paris Red Belt.

ChrisTiana ObeySumner (they/them) is a Black/Indigenous, Queer, Non-Binary, and Multiply disabled person. They are a community organizer and activist, and CEO of Epiphanies of Equity LLC, a social equity consulting firm that particularly specializes in social change, intersectionality, antiracism, and disability justice.