Framingham State 'Voices Of Color' Lectures Begin Next Week

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A lecture series at Framingham State University focusing on voices of color kicks off on Feb. 19 and will feature talks from poets, immigrants, and one of the Central Park 5 exonerees.

The Olivia A. Davison Voices of Color lecture series was named after an FSU student who graduated in 1881 and went on to work as a teacher with Booker T. Washington and at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

The lecture series is free and open to the public. Here are the speakers with descriptions provided by Framingham State University.

Clint Smith, “History Reconsidered”
Feb. 19, 4:30 p.m., Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center

"The United States is a country of great opportunity, but we must wrestle with how certain opportunities are contingent on different facets of one’s identity. The United States has provided economic mobility for millions of people, but we must wrestle with the history of violence and exploitation that helped to generate its economic foundation. The United States has freed millions around the world from despots and genocide, and we must wrestle with this same country’s pervasive history of barbarous imperialism. These are all parts of what make this country what it is. In this talk, combining poetry and history, Clint Smith pushes the audience to wrestle with the complicated truths about the country we live in and helps crystallize how this history has shaped the contemporary social, political, and cultural landscape of our world today."

Reyna Grande, U.S.-Mexico Border Crossing Story
April 2, 4:30 p.m., Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center

"Born in Mexico, Reyna was 2 when her father left for the U.S. to find work. Her mother followed her father north two years later, leaving Reyna and her siblings behind in Mexico. When Reyna was nine, she made her own journey north, entering the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, and later becoming the first person in her family to graduate from college. Join us as critically acclaimed author Reyna Grande shares her powerful story."

Raymond Santana: From Central Park 5 to Exonerated 5
April 7, 4:30 p.m., Dwight Hall Performing Arts Center

"Wrongfully accused and convicted of a heinous crime as a teenager, exonerated years later. Join
Raymond Santana and a guest interviewer on stage to share his thoughts and insights on the U.S. justice system and a first-hand account of being betrayed by it."