Indigenous Peoples Day with Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs
Monday, October 13, 7:00 p.m. | MGSC 128

In conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Rule, Assistant Professor, Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies Department

In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, join us for a compelling conversation with Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, award-winning Mohawk actor and filmmaker (Reservation Dogs, Rhymes for Young Ghouls). Drawing on her experiences in film, television, and advocacy, Jacobs will explore the power of storytelling, representation, and cultural expression in shaping public understanding of Indigenous communities. This event highlights the importance of visibility, voice, and creative leadership, offering insights into how art and activism intersect to advance Indigenous narratives and perspectives.
Register for Devery Jacobs
The event is open to all and participation is not limited based on any individual’s personal identity or characteristics, including but not limited to race, color, national origin (or shared ancestry), religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. For reasonable accommodations needs or requests, please contact Maura Fox at mfox@american.edu

Conversation on Congolese Women and Their Demand for Inclusion and Justice in the Washington Peace Agreement
Tuesday, October 21, 4:00 p.m. | Kay 112

For anyone interested in learning about the #FreeCongo movement and the inclusion of women in the peace process. This forum is a part of the global Congo Week awareness campaign spearheaded by Friends of the Congo. Co-sponsored by PHRCR and AFAM

News & Notes

Drs. Kaplan, Wong and Dorr just signed an advanced contract with University of Washington Press for our forthcoming anthology, Abolition Everywhere. Building from our national convening this past spring, this collaborative project convenes scholars and practitioners working to dismantle policing and the carceral state with those deploying abolitionist frameworks to stage critical interventions in other movements and areas–including militarism and war, land and climate justice, housing and property, im/migration and reproductive justice–to construct a new model and agenda for research and action. Together we examine the convergent formation of abolitionist theory and praxis across a range of social movements to productively complicate and/or expand how we understand the inner workings of carceral power across different sites and scales. Given the urgencies of our current political moment, our aim is to strengthen conversations and connections across these movements and traditions.

Mary Ellen Curtin's book She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan's Life and Legacy in Black Politics was named one of the Five Best Books on Black Women's Political Leadership in Ms. magazine. 

Katia Quintanilla (LTST 2025) has been working at Maggio Kattar, an immigration law firm in Washington, DC that specializes in employment immigration. After working as a legal assistant and partly as a translator for the firm's humanitarian cases, Katia has recently been promoted to Client Coordinator and will begin to take on a more administrative role within the firm.

Dr. David Vázquez, Director of the Latina/o/x Studies Minor, has been selected to be the President of the Latina/o Studies Association! Dr. Vázquez has also recently published a book titled Decolonial Environmentalisms: Climate Justice and Speculative Futures in Latinx Cultural Production (University of Texas Press, 2025). 

Eli Givens, CLEG major and WGSS minor, received the Youth Spirit Award for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Well Within Awards in Tennessee. In their work with these organizations, Eli has had a singular focus which is to ensure that every young person in Tennessee feels seen, valued, and fought for. As a non-binary young person, Eli is keenly aware of the challenges faced by young people in the midst of legislative hate. Over the course of their work, they have testified in front of the House Subcommittee defending transgender health care, they have worked to organize a queer prom for LGBTQ+ youth, and have connected with leaders, teachers, and healthcare providers across the state to help construct safe spaces.

Anita Mannur’s co-edited anthology anthology, Eating More Asian America: A Food Studies Reader, has been published by New York University Press.

Cheick Hamala Diabate appeared at AU in November 2024: From Mali to Mississippi: The History of the Kora Playing in Africa and Beyond...
“The music we griots play is not just about making nice sounds for dancing, it’s about giving a lesson to people about their lives."

On November 7, CRGC professor Elizabeth Rule screened a rough cut of her forthcoming documentary, DC Is Indian Land, at Busboys & Poets in DC.

On October 30 the Arab World Studies Program presented “Jewish Arabness, Zionism, & the Politics of Elimination” with Massoud Hayoun, an award-winning author, journalist, and artist, in conversation with Arab World Studies Program Director, Irene Calis.

On October 8, CRGC hosted Prof. Jordache Ellapen (University of Rochester) in conversation with Prof. Suzanne C. Perard (American University) about Indenture Aesthetics, queer and feminist visual practices in post-apartheid South Africa.

Mary Ellen Curtin’s book, She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan’s Life and Legacy in Black Politics, a biography of the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress, was published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in September 2024.

Lily Wong co-edited an anthology, Transpacific, Undisciplined (University of Washington Press 2024), with Christopher B. Patterson and Chien-ting Lin. Lily was also awarded the Solidarity Award at AAPI Women Lead’s Building New Worlds conference.

Robert Connelly spoke with The Washington Blade about the history of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric used by members of the Republican Party.

Quynh Vo spoke with Vox about the history of Vietnamese representation in Hollywood.

Quynh Vo published a chapter, "Transpacific Rupture: Neoliberal Relationalities and Economic Violence in the COVID Era," in Transpacific, Undisciplined (University of Washington Press 2024).

Anita Mannur’s historicization of Trump’s racist false accusations against Haitian immigrants in Ohio was quoted by various news outlets, including the Washington Post.

Suzanne Persard’s series of poems are included in the groundbreaking anthology of Indo-Caribbean translations I Will Not Go: Translations, Transformations, and Chutney Fractals, (Kaya Press, 2024), edited by Rajiv Mohabir. Suzanne read selections from the book launch in New York City, which was part of the Brooklyn Book Festival.

Bob Connelly served as the dramaturg and co-producer for the St. Mark’s Players' production of Rapture, Blister, Burn, which was co-directed by AU alumna Heather Danskin.

Elizabeth Rule received the Outstanding Book Award from the Association for Ethnic Studies for her book, Indigenous DC: Native People and the Nation's Capital.

Dr. Toby Aho and Dr. Mary Ellen Curtin have won the 2022-2023 Ann Ferren Curriculum Design Award for their creation of the “Disability, Health, and Bodies” undergraduate certificate. This award recognizes the collaborative work of two or more faculty who creatively integrate the values of a liberal education in the design of courses or curricula for majors or academic programs.