Ericka Hart is a black queer femme activist, writer, & award-winning sexuality educator. Hart’s voice is rooted in leading edge thought around human sexual expression as inextricable to overall human health & its intersections with race, gender, chronic illness & disability. The theme for Claiming Williams 2021 is “From Racial Injustice to Restoration.”
In this panel, members from the Williams Record, Williamstown Racial Justice Police Reform (WRJPR), Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee (DIRE), & other community members discuss their role in furthering conversations about racial justice & police & governmental accountability. Be advised that there may be conversations about sexual violence, racism, and anti-Semitism.
Williams for Williamstown (W4W) is a student initiative created to support local businesses in the Berkshires while feeding individuals & communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. W4W will discuss how many factors such as COVID & racial injustice play a role in food insecure communities.
Until recently, many of us never thought much about what goes into making a vaccine. But now more than ever, it is important to understand the process that makes vaccines quickly and safely available to the public. From the initial research, to testing, to understanding vaccine ingredients and rollouts, this talk addresses many of the questions on people’s minds. Lois Banta, a Williams professor and chair of the Biology department, talks about the vaccination process. Professor Banta specializes in Microbiology, Genomics, and Molecular/Cell Biology. She currently teaches courses like Dangerous Exposures: Environment, Immunity, and Infectious Disease at Williams.
Kate Orringer ’21 & Morgan Dauk ’21 present their research on the racial history of Williamstown, investigating how race and socioeconomics have shaped the built environment, and, how these historical patterns could be redressed through zoning bylaws that promote diversity and equity. Their project was conducted for the Town of Williamstown DIRE Committee (Diversity, Inclusion, Racial Equity) members Bilal Ansari and Andrew Art, and was originally presented at the DIRE meeting on December 14, 2020.
