2108 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

Thursday, September 26, 2024

1914 - The Federal Trade Commission is formed to regulate interstate commerce. 

1949 - The groundbreaking ceremony for the “Hollywood” sign in Los Angeles is held, with the old “Hollywoodland” sign being torn down. 

1957 - “West Side Story”, created by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins, opens at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City.

1964 - The TV Sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” debuts on CBS.

Hurricane Live Updates: Florida Bracing for ‘Nasty’ Day as Helene Intensifies. The New York Times.

Free covid tests by mail program revived by Biden administration. The Washington Post.

Good Taste: Chef Seng’s Baan Mae Celebrates Southeast Asian Mom-Style Cooking. Washington City Paper.

Photo credit: Prof. Akae Wright

This newsletter edition we spotlight our newest faculty member Professor Akae Wright (they/them), a Jamaican first-generation healer-scholar and storyteller! Wright is an assistant professor of Black Feminist Studies at GW and has appointments in both Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and American Studies. Their forthcoming book project, Embodying Abolition: Healing Justice, Black Feminism, and Ending Carcerality, delves into the communal and intimate experiences of Black individuals amid carceral forces, while also exploring communal healing justice approaches to carceral abolition. Professor Wright's work, firmly situated in Black feminist thought, queer and trans studies, and carceral studies, seeks to highlight physical and affective practices of liberation across historical and contemporary spaces, literature, and digital landscapes.

Professor Wright is a recipient of the 2020 Leadership in Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Fellowship and the 2021 Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship. They earned their PhD in Feminist Studies at the University of Minnesota and subsequently held a postdoctoral fellowship in Black Feminist Thought at Northeastern University.

In addition to their academic pursuits, Professor Wright is engaged in research on topics such as Black healing centers, backlash to Black feminist content creators, and queer and trans Caribbean spaces of belonging and community. Their work has been published in journals including the Review of Communication, Abolition: A Journal of Insurgent Politics, QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking, and American Studies.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Professor Wright enjoys nurturing plants, biking, practicing yoga, baking, and engaging in needlework such as embroidery and crochet. Their dedication to transformative scholarship and advocacy for healing justice and Black feminist thought is inspiring, and their contributions are shaping important dialogues within academia and beyond.

Overview of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
Critical Junctures, Past and Present

Professor Mark Tessler, Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan, will provide a selective historical overview of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focusing on “watershed” events that have impacted the trajectory and evolution of the conflict. This will include attention to challenges and opportunities, including missed opportunities, over the course of the conflict. He will also offer some preliminary thoughts about the present situation and what may lie ahead for Israelis and Palestinians. This lecture was organized by the Lecture Series Faculty Working Group, part of GW’s Strengthening our Community Initiative.

When: Monday, Sept. 30, 2024; 5:00 PM EDT
Where: University Student Center, Amphitheater, 3rd Fl

Register here!

DC Monday Series
The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

Join Alan Hantman, the 10th Architect of the Capitol, as he discusses his new book, Under the Dome: Politics, Crisis, and Architecture at the United States Capitol.

When: Monday, Oct. 7, 2024; 12:00 PM EDT
Where: Zoom

Register here!

Albert H. Small D.C. History Symposium
The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum

Engage with the next generation of D.C. scholarship at the Albert H. Small D.C. History Symposium. Emerging scholars will continue the city’s story by sharing their research, receiving feedback from a guest scholar, and answering audience questions. Topics include: D.C. Black Pride and the controversial history of Washington's first monument. All are welcome, and a light reception will follow.

When: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024; 5:30 PM
Where: GW/Textile Museum

Register here!

Register via email at imes@gwu.edu

Current PhD candidate Cam Cannon was recently awarded the 2024 Graduate Student Essay Prize by the Forum for the History of Health, Medicine, and the Life Sciences.

Prof. Dara Orenstein has been invited to present a paper at a workshop in November at the Leibniz Center for Contemporary History in Potsdam, Germany, on histories of global infrastructure.

Prof. Libby Anker was featured on CNN discussing patriotism on July 4.

Prof. Vanessa Northington Gamble spoke to NPR in the segment “Peter Buxtun, the Tuskegee syphilis study whistleblower, has died at 86.”

Call for Papers: The American & New England Studies Graduate Students at Boston University invite graduate students and emerging scholars to contribute to Ampersand: An American Studies Journal. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Sept. 30, 2024

Call for Applications: The University of Minnesota's Department of American Studies is accepting applications for their President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024

Call for Papers: Heidelberg Center for American Studies 22nd Annual Spring Academy Conference is currently accepting papers for their upcoming conference in 2025. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 1, 2024

Call for Applications: The Department of History at Creighton University invites applications for a full-time, tenure track Assistant Professor specializing in African and African Diaspora history, with preference given to those who have a special interest (in research and/or teaching) in science, medicine, or legal studies. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024

Call for Applications: The Huntington Library will begin accepting Research Fellowship Applications for the 2025-2026 fellowship year for Long-Term Fellowships, Short-Term Fellowships, and Travel Grants/Exchange Fellowships. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024

Call for Applications: The Newberry Library is currently accepting applications for their 25-26 long-term and short-term fellowships. Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024 (long); Jan. 3, 2025 (short)

Call for Papers: Southeast Conference for Languages, Literatures, and Film welcomes papers on all aspects of literature, linguistics, culture, philosophy, cultural history, film, applied linguistics, second language acquisition, and pedagogy pertaining to non-English languages (ancient and modern). Click here to learn more // Deadline: Nov. 15, 2024

Call for Papers: UVA's English Department Graduate Symposium is currently seeking abstracts for their upcoming symposium themed "Space and Place." Click here to learn more // Deadline: Jan. 3, 2025

Call for Applications: The Albert H. Small Center for National Capital Area Studies is currently hiring two student positions to support the exhibition, care, and interpretation of the Washingtoniana collection. Click here and here to learn more // Deadline: rolling basis

Call for Applications: The Cosmos Scholars Prize will support postdoctoral scholars from local universities. The program selects a few outstanding recent scholars who may receive a prize of up to $25,000. Click here to learn more // Deadline: rolling basis

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What We're Listening To:
"Mamma Mia" - ABBA
"Pink + White" - Frank Ocean

Like what you see? Have spotlights, kudos, events, or opportunities that you would like to share? We want to hear from you! Navigate to our feedback form using the link below, or more simply, forward your tip to amst@gwu.edu.