Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin Explores “The Radical Urgency of Now” in Anti-Racism Speaker Series

by Kaitlyn Justice

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA. - Starting this fall, The Department of Communications & Theatre Arts at Old Dominion University is hosting an Anti-Racism Speaker Series. This year-long event will present topics and discussions concerning anti-racism and how it ties into the arts and higher education practices. The first speaker featured in this series is Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin.

James Morrow, Assistant Professor in the Department's Dance Program, explained how Dr. Amin's perspectives and discussion will benefit students and faculty, "Dr. Amin is a brilliant dance scholar and the subject matter for this event is paramount. ... Anti-racism is a discussion that needs to happen across ODU's entire campus so whether you are a biology major or a dance major, Dr. Amin's presentation will speak to you."

Dr. Amin is a dance scholar, educator, and consultant, who has performed and published extensive research on 20th century American concert dance, African diaspora dance performance, and dance pedagogy.

"We are in a moment of dynamic upheaval and social change that requires a radical re-ordering of our priorities in order for everyone to thrive," Dr. Amin stated. Using her research and experiences, she will share how to make the most out of this current moment in our society. Her discussion in the series will feature key topics from anti-racism, anti-hegemony, to anti-oppressive, all tied into the art of dance performance.

Department Chair, Dr. Avi Santo, expressed "We are very excited to have Dr. Amin kick off these efforts. She is an outstanding and well-respected scholar of dance focused on critical race studies and her focus on needing to change dance curriculum helps us recognize where implicit bias and institutional lag intersect to reproduce racialized hierarchies even in places that are invested in dismantling them."

The Anti-Racism Speaker Series kicks off with Dr. Amin's presentation "On the Radical Urgency Of Now: Anti-racism and the Future of Dance Studies" this Thursday, October 8th, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The event will be hosted virtually via Zoom and is free and open to the public. To register, please click this link. After registering, a link to access the Zoom meeting will be sent to your email. A Q&A session will follow Dr. Amin's discussion.