Racism: In Sickness and in Health: The 3rd Annual Parren Mitchell Symposium

On Wednesday, April 27, the Critical Race Initiative, Department of Sociology and College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland will host the 3rd Annual Parren Mitchell Symposium. The symposium was created to celebrate the legacy of the late  Congressman Parren Mitchell—the first African American to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland and an activist for political and social change. This event is included in the Maryland Dialogues on Diversity and Community initiative aimed at advancing discussions of identity, difference and commonality at UMD.  

To honor and celebrate Parren Mitchell’s legacy, the symposium titled Racism: in Sickness and in Health will include a full day of engaging activities focused on how race and racism shape health outcomes. It will also provide an opportunity to explore strategies that the university can employ to foster better health outcomes for UMD students and minority communities in the surrounding area.

The symposium will be hosted inside the Colony Ballroom in the Stamp Student Union and includes the following agenda items:

11:00 am: “Health Outcomes: for Better or Worse” panel featuring a keynote address by Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes from Northwestern University.

1:00–2:00 pm: Health Fair

2:00 pm: “Health Strategies: From this Day Forward” panel featuring a keynote address by Dr. Joe Richardson from the UMD Department of African American Studies.

5:00 pm: Reception featuring a short video on the impact and legacy of Congressman Parren Mitchell.

In 1952, Mitchell sued the University of Maryland to gain admission and eventually received a master’s degree in sociology. Congressman Mitchell stated later in his life that his sociology training shaped his activism in politics and social change. 

Click here for more information and to register for the symposium. Can’t make it? Watch it live on UMD Stamp TV: http://go.umd.edu/Parren16Livestream

Published on Wed, Apr 13, 2016 - 3:40PM