“Reorienting Ourselves to the Reality of Not Yet” Launches Second Phase of Anti-Racist Initiatives at United

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2023 — United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (United) and Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green, II—Director of Anti-Racist Initiatives—are thrilled to announce that on Monday, October 23, at 7:30 PM, we will cap off the first day of Symposium Week with a free, public event that officially launches the second wave of United’s Anti-Racist Initiatives.

Titled “Reorienting Ourselves to the Reality of Not Yet,” a curated panel conversation will highlight unique contributions from two outstanding scholar-activists who are engaging in anti-racism work through comedy and the arts: Dr. Danielle Fuentes Morgan and Terresa Moses.

To start the evening, we will present an original production that encapsulates United’s vision for anti-racism work, explains our unique approach, and features faculty speaking about their commitment to and creative engagements with anti-racism in their teaching and scholarship. The production and panel conversations will also kick off a programmatic reorientation focused on student formation and a series of public panel conversations that aim to creatively disrupt white supremacy and collectively envision life in its wake.

Our distinguished panelists:

• Dr. Danielle Fuentes Morgan is an associate professor in the English Department at Santa Clara University who specializes in African American literature and culture in the 20th and 21st centuries. She is especially interested in the ways in which literature, mass media, popular culture, and humor shape identity formation. A frequently published scholar and commentator, she is also the author of Laughing to Keep from Dying published in 2020 by the University of Illinois Press.
• Terresa Moses, MFA, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Director of Design Justice at University of Minnesota’s College of Design, is a proud queer Black woman dedicated to using art and design to liberate Black and brown communities. She is also the creative director at Blackbird Revolt, a social justice focused studio, and the author of two upcoming books, Racism Untaught and An Anthology of Blackness, forthcoming from MIT Press.

Rev. Dr. F. Green II, who will be participating in and moderating the panel discussion, is United’s assistant professor of pastoral theology and social transformation. His interests include raising consciousness about race, masculinity, and power, and contributing to theological perspectives that can more adequately undergird socio-political redress for the oppression of marginalized populations in the United States. Beyond his intellectual and ministerial endeavors, Gary has a personal passion for comedy, music, and film.

The panel discussion, as Rev. Dr. Green explains, will highlight an interchange between these highly creative and talented women. “Terresa’s focus on embodying anti-racism through art is brilliant, and I want to invite her to unpack how white supremacy lives in the very details of design. Danielle’s engagement with comedy and satire as a form of social justice makes her the perfect conversation partner for this event.”

Terresa’s forthcoming book, Racism Untaught: Revealing and Unlearning Racialized Design, and Danielle’s acclaimed Laughing to Keep from Dying: African American Satire in the Twenty-First Century, will also take center stage.

The evening with these remarkable cutting-edge researchers, scholars, and artists is free, but registration is requested. Click here to learn more and RSVP. >