‘Names, Monuments, and Racism’ — An Online Seminar for High-Schoolers

Prof. Khatchig Mouradian will offer an online seminar in July for high schoolers on “Names, Monuments, and Racism.”

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, there has been increased scrutiny of names and statues that perpetuate racism and white supremacy.

Over the past weeks, sports teams, record labels, major food brands and other institutions have been pressed to change names with racist connotations. At the same time, protesters have toppled or called for the removal of confederate statues and monuments dedicated to slave-owners across the US. Similar dynamics are playing out in Belgium, the UK, and other countries around the world.

Organized by St. Leon Armenian Church, the four-week multimedia seminar will explore how rethinking the words we employ and the monuments we erect in public spaces constitute important steps on the path to confronting racism and injustice. The course will focus on case studies from the United States, alongside examples from Armenia, Turkey, Germany, Lebanon, Namibia and Japan.

Classes will be held via Zoom on Tuesdays starting July 14 at 7:00p.m. Eastern Time (US and Canada).

Tuition for four sessions (75-minute classes) is a $50 donation to St. Leon Armenian Church.

High schoolers, including 2020 graduates, can register on Zoom.

For questions, call Ara N. Araz at 917-837-1297 or email ara@edrcorp.net.

Khatchig Mouradian is a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, where he also heads the Armenian studies program. His book, The Resistance Network: The Armenian Genocide and Humanitarianism in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1918 is forthcoming in 2020.