Linfield University has planned several events throughout February to celebrate Black Brilliance during Black History Month. All events start at noon via Zoom, unless otherwise noted, and are open to the public. Zoom meeting links are available at linfield.edu/black-brilliance.
Events highlight nonprofit advocacy groups, Black winemakers, music and literary events, and discussions about social justice issues.
A complete schedule of the 2021 Black Brilliance celebration is as follows:
- Friday, Feb. 5: WildX: A Black woman’s rise to top leadership: Drawing from her life story, Dr. Jennifer Madden, Linfield’s University inaugural dean for the School of Business, talks about her professional journey and the barriers she has had to overcome as a Black woman.
- Monday, Feb. 8: MacReads: Becoming an antiracist, 6 p.m., Linfield YouTube channel: In partnership with the McMinnville Public Library, Linfield’s Nicholson Library presents a series of events surrounding the topic of becoming an antiracist. February 8 kicks off the series with a discussion panel led by Professor Natalie Welch and the film series, Race the Power of an Illusion. Pre-registration required at linfield.edu/black-brilliance.
- Wednesday, Feb. 10: Linfield Then, Linfield Now: Black Alumni share their Linfield Stories: Linfield Black alumni across the decades reflect on their Linfield days, examining what it means to be Black in a predominately white institution.
- Friday, Feb. 12: WildX: Celebrating the BLAQ athlete: Jonathan Riley, Dorian Smith and Ralen Jones share their experiences as Black men in sports and their corresponding organizations and initiatives – better, BLAQ Athlete, Sneaker Week, Black Student Access and Success @ Oregon State University, and PDX Black Excellence.
- Tuesday, Feb 16: Eliminating race-based violence and discrimination with NAACP Salem-Keizer Chapter: Committed to eliminating violence against Black people and racial discrimination, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Salem-Keizer is one of the largest and most active units of Oregon. Dr. Reginald C. Richardson, Sr., president of the branch talks about the ongoing fight for civil rights and social justice today focusing on issues of discrimination and inequality in employment and labor market, education, healthcare and the criminal justice system in Oregon and beyond.
- Tuesday, Feb. 16: Readings from the Nick: Ross Gay, 4:30 p.m. Linfield YouTube channel: Acclaimed poet and essayist Ross Gay will read excerpts from “The Book of Delights” and “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” followed by a discussion.
- Wednesday, Feb. 17: Ending Police Violence with Campaign Zero: Campaign Zero is a nonprofit organization that encourages policy makers to focus on solutions to reduce police violence. Co-founder DeRay McKesson, a civil rights activist, will join the Linfield community in a conversation on how the organization finds solutions to end police violence nationwide. Co-sponsored by Linfield’s Jereld R. Nicholson Library.
- Friday, Feb. 19: WildX: Black athletes at Linfield: A look at past decades: Join a panel of former Black Linfield athletes who discuss their experience as a Linfield student-athlete.
- Tuesday, Feb. 23: Women & Wine: A Black woman’s story: Linfield’s Wine Lecture Series features Chevonne Ball of Dirty Radish wine tours and Justin Trabue, assistant winemaker at Lumen Wines. Moderated by Dr. Jennifer R. Madden, the panel will discuss topics surrounding Black women wine professions and the wine industry in light of the events of 2020. Pre-registration is required.
- Thursday, Feb. 25: A Black man’s journey to winemaking: Linfield’s Wine Lecture Series presents a panel of Black male winemakers including Bertony Faustin of Abbey Creek Vineyard and Marcus Johnson of FLO Wines, moderated by Dr. Jennifer R. Madden. The panel will discuss the wine industry in light of the events of 2020, their individual winery projects and how they came to the world of wine through the winemaking process. Pre-registration is required.
- Friday, Feb. 26: WildX: Black women in #SportsBiz: WildX will be joined by an all-star panel of Black women working in the world of sports to discuss their career paths and offer advice to the Linfield community on how to better support women and people of color in the sport industry. The panel will consist of Kara Adams, LaVera Morris, Cori Pinkett and Taunita Stephenson.
Detailed event information can be found at linfield.edu/black-brilliance. Questions may be directed to the Office of Inclusion, Access and Diversity at inclusion@linfield.edu.
