Calendar of Events

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It is widely known that data science technology, if used irresponsibly, can reinforce inequity, limit accountability, and infringe upon the privacy of individuals. Open and effective conversations around these issues of social (in)justice in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and beyond are pivotal in coalition-building and community engagement. And yet, in moments of opposing opinions, high stakes, and strong emotions, people often find themselves immobile and polarized.

How, then, do we choose between chaos or community? How do we move forward? In this webinar, co-director of the NYU Center for Responsible AI, Dr. Julia Stoyanovich, and Stern adjunct assistant professor, Jennifer Wynn, will discuss these central questions and their implications. Virtual attendees will acquire the knowledge, tools, and courage required to help them engage in challenging conversations, remain vigilant within their communities, and enact social change in our increasingly digital and tech-oriented spaces.

The NYU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award is sponsored by the Offices of the President and Provost, in partnership with the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding faculty who exemplify the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through teaching excellence, leadership, social justice activism, and community building. In addition, these faculty make a positive impact within the classroom and in the greater NYU community.

Join us for the 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award Ceremony where we will honor this year's faculty award recipients.

Join us as graduate students from across the University honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through visual and oratory performances. This year's theme centers around Dr. King's final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?

Check out a recording of this event!

Dr. King's legacy and teachings remind us that engaging in service is a powerful way to bring people together to advocate for change. In this workshop, NYU Service will facilitate a discussion on how to get involved and support causes you care about in a virtual world. In this hour-long workshop, we'll discuss ethical service, how positive change happens, and how you can get started. Resources, tools, and community will be shared!

Questions? Email nyu.service@nyu.edu.

For the 16th consecutive year, NYU will commemorate Dr. King’s visit to NYU in 1961 and honor his legacy by hosting a week-long (Feb. 1–6) schedule of special events.

The themes and questions presented in Dr. King's final book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, still resonate today, perhaps more than ever. This central question will drive our efforts throughout the week as we examine the current state of our society and imagine a more inclusive future.

The highlight of the week will be the NYU MLK Week University-Wide Event on Thursday, February 4th. Occurring as a virtual event for the first time in NYU MLK Week history, this year’s marquee will center around a conversation between Abby Phillip (Anchor, CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday & Senior Political Correspondent), Elaine Welteroth (Co-host of CBS’ The Talk, New York Times Bestselling Author, Award-Winning Journalist, and Former Editor-in-Chief of Teen Vogue), and Dr. Lisa Coleman.

Join us for a conversation with Black entrepreneurs as they discuss their journey, the impact of recent events (COVID-19, police brutality, protests across the US, etc.), and ways to better support Black-owned businesses. Panelists will also discuss the increased need to support Black-owned businesses during the pandemic.

Works by Helina Metaferia, The Gallatin Galleries

Metaferia’s multi-channel video installation, (Middle) Passage for Dreams, figures in various landscapes reflect on joy, the body, and the experience of being in the world in their skin.

More Information & Artist Details

Hosted by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study

Gain insight about legal career paths in social justice as civil rights attorneys share their stories and experiences. Whether you're sure a career in law is for you, or just curious about the field, join us for round-table conversations and networking!

Hosted by the Wasserman Center for Career Development

MLK/FBI. Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Join us for a moderated conversation about this film with filmmaker Sam Pollard and Professor Alrick Brown, Tisch School of the Arts.

This event is a part of the Kanbar Event Series.

Join this virtual session featuring employers from non-profit & government, including Teach for America, Peace Corps & NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, who will discuss what it is like in their field to be an underrepresented person. They will share their individual challenges and triumphs as well as insights on how to be successful in internships and the job search process. Students from marginalized identities especially encouraged to attend.

This event is open to current NYU students only. 

Hosted by the Wasserman Center for Career Development

Join us for a special MLK Week edition of our How I Got Here series, featuring Horace Small, the founder and executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods (UMN). Smalls strives to strengthen democracy and re-build communities of color through his skills training and organizing.

In his over 40 years as an organizer, Small has gained a reputation as one of the savviest organizers in the country and is called on to do trainings and workshops in a wide variety of settings, including: U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus, American Bar Association, AFL-CIO, Blackfoot Nation, Council of State Governments, State of California.

This event is open to NYU community members only. 

Hosted by the School of Professional Studies' Office of Student Life

English Culture and Conversation is a series hosted by Allen McFarlane, NYU's Assistant VP of Outreach and Engagement in collaboration with the International Student Center! Topics such as American academic culture and professional English conversation are covered in this interactive and informative series. Come ready to practice your English, learn important terms and idioms from the Civil Rights Movement, and gain other tips and tricks to help with your English speaking.

This event is open to current NYU students only.

Hosted by the International Student Center

Take action to be better. Join the Office of Sustainability for a session on the intersection of sustainability and social justice. Participants in this virtual training will:

• Develop an understanding of key concepts and terminology related to sustainability to meaningfully participate in conversations about climate change and environmental justice.
• Discuss and reflect on attitudes and behaviors around environmental and social impact and how these are shaped by systemic and personal factors.
• Create a personal action plan.

Please note that the Green Zone training is in its pilot phase. Participants will be asked to stay for the entire 2 hour session and to provide feedback on their experience after the event.

This event is open to NYU community members only.

Hosted by the Office of Sustainability

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is known for social justice activism and leadership during the civil rights movement. But few realize that in the last years of his life, Dr. King was entirely consumed by creating economic justice. Sadly, today the black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968, when Dr. King died.

Join us for an interactive discussion covering four topics:

1. How and why we got here
2. Why home ownership matters to the Black community
3. What we do now; and
4. Steps we can take to achieve financial freedom in the spirit of MLK.

Join us as we speak with CEO of My Home Pathway, Castleigh Johnson, MBA (STERN ’08), and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Gary Fraser, MBA (STERN ’92), about closing the economic divide via home ownership.

Hosted by the Black Alumni Network

When we think about the soundtrack to our lives, how has Black music so eloquently captured our joy and our pain? How has Black cinema mirrored our struggle for liberation and called us to action? In this edition of Conversations of Color, Dr. David Kirkland, Vice Dean of Equity, Belonging and Community Action; and Maria Ramirez, Director of Equity Initiatives will highlight the cinema and songs that inspired their commitment to racial justice and critically engage attendees with the question—how do we finally get free?

This event is open to NYU community members only.

Hosted by the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

An exclusive conversation with Matthew A Cherry, the 2019 Oscar winner for the highly acclaimed short film "Hair Love.". This man of many disciplines will lead us on a journey through his career from professional football to Oscar winning filmmaker. By talking to Matthew about the creation of "Hair Love" and the impact it’s had, we want to devote this night to celebrating black animation and its creators with a goal of bringing awareness to the lack representation in animation for black people and people of color across the board.

Join us via Zoom for a conversation with the academy award winning filmmaker!

Hosted by NYU Tisch, The Collective Film & TV Chapter, and the Student Animation League

Join us for an interactive cooking class with chef, author, and social activist Pierre Thiam. Best known for bringing West African cuisine to the global fine-dining world, Thiam is Executive Chef of the award-winning restaurant Nok by Alara in Lagos, Nigeria, as is also the Signature Chef of the five-star Pullman Hotel in Dakar, Senegal. He is also the executive chef and co-owner of Teranga, a fast-casual food chain from New York City. His company Yolélé Foods advocates for smallholder farmers in the Sahel by opening new markets for crops grown in Africa; its signature product, Yolélé Fonio, is found in Whole Foods, Amazon, and other retailers across America.

Hosted by the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

The Office of the Vice Chancellor and the Office of Inclusion and Equity, present the Race, Diversity and the Learning Community series Blackness Without Borders. This speaker series will bring international scholars, writers and practitioners that focus on the multiple dimensions of the Black experience globally.

Join Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., Chair of Princeton’s Department of African American Studies in conversation with Awam Amkpa, NYUAD Interim Dean of Arts and Humanities as they discuss the multiple dimensions of the Black experience in the US and beyond. The inaugural Blackness Without Borders series will be introduced by Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann and followed by opening remarks from Fatiah Touray, Esq., Senior Director of the Office of Inclusion and Equity at NYUAD.

Hosted by the NYU Abu Dhabi Office of the Vice Chancellor and the Office of Inclusion and Equity, in collaboration with the NYUAD Institute, the Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World, the History and Literature & Creative Writing Programs, and the Office of Alumni Relations.

Though Black History Month originated in the US, in recent decades several countries, including the UK, Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands, have instituted their own commemorations of the contributions of Black people in their respective societies. While emerging in differing contexts, the recent global protests against anti-blackness sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, prompts us to ask what these contexts share. Our panel of activists, public historians, and scholars will explore what public memorializations of “Black history” are intended to do in different places. We'll explore the possibilities and limits of memorializing a Black history across and outside national borders.

Hosted by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study

Bringing your whole self into the workplace and thriving in an inclusive environment is a very important factor for career satisfaction (especially for marginalized identities). Learn how to assess companies’ inclusive practices and commitment to equity and belonging in the workplace while you search for a job. Through an interactive conversation with a professional, you’ll get inspired to find your voice, and navigate your own identities in the workplace.

Hosted by the Wasserman Center for Career Development

Do you wonder what the secret is that makes NYC bagels crispy on the outside and soft on the inside? Join us for a behind the scenes peek into the bagel making experience at NYC’s iconic Tompkins Square Bagel in the East Village. Grab your coffee, tea, and breakfast, and watch how a hand-rolled, kettle boiled, and oven-baked crispy NYC bagel is made.

Following the bagel demonstration, have a bagel ready to eat and join us for a lively discussion with Charlton McIlwain, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication and author of the book, Remember When the Internet Was Black?

The Internet turned 50 years old last year but what you might not know is that in the 1990s, Black entrepreneurs, engineers, cultural producers, community organizers, and policymakers birthed the internet we are so closely connected to today. Unfortunately, these folks, already marginalized in our histories of technology, largely faded from view by the early 2000s. Can we return to a moment when Black people, Black culture, and Black interests shape and profit from our digital environment? If so, what must we do to make this possible?

Register on Zoom to attend!

Hosted by the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development

Explore facets of abolition, including its philosophical dimensions, political ambitions, and its organizing challenges with panelists Jasmine Syedullah (Vassar College), Alex Vitale (Brooklyn College), Jawanza Williams (Voices of Community Activists and Leaders; VOCAL-NY), and Omar Padilla (PEP). Moderator: Gallatin faculty member George Shulman.

Learn More & RSVP to Attend!

Hosted by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study

Gallatin faculty member Delio Vásquez will speak about how the BPP sought to chart a method for decolonial liberation for the Black community, introduced by UDL Director, Gianpaolo Baiocchi.

Learn More & RSVP to Attend!

Hosted by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study

Hear from a diverse panel of Morgan Stanley professionals from a variety of backgrounds and departments. Learn about their experiences navigating their career at Morgan Stanley and in business and finance.

Students from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to attend.

Register on Handshake to attend!

Hosted by the Wasserman Center for Career Development

In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified existing violence, precarity, and insecurity in the US, with disproportionate repercussions for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander (NHPI) peoples. As part of the A/P/A Voices: A COVID-19 Public Memory Project, NHPI roundtable participants from Tongva territory (Southern California), Hawaiʻi, and Osage territory (Arkansas) share their experiences organizing with and responding to the needs of their communities during this time of intensifying crisis. Roundtable participants include community leaders and A/P/A Voices narrators Albious Latior (labor organizer), Tavae Samuelu (Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities), and Kaina Quenga (Founder, Nā ‘Ōiwi NYC). Project volunteer Crystal Mun-hye Baik (University of California, Riverside) moderates.

More Info & Registration Details

Presented by the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU. Co-sponsored by Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC), Nā ‘Ōiwi NYC, NYU Native Studies Forum, and NYU Tamiment & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives.

Accessibility Note: This event will be hosted virtually on Zoom. A Zoom account, internet access, and a smartphone or computer is required. Closed captioning will be provided for all audio. If you have any access needs, please email apa.rsvp@nyu.edu as soon as possible.

This Blackness Without Borders event will discuss the intersection of the Black experience as it pertains to the Middle East & North Africa, as well as the Muslim world. Experts and scholars in Middle Eastern, African, and Diaspora studies, our panelists will explore the nuanced and complex Black experiences in Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, and the Gulf. Drs. Michael Gomez, Eve Troutt Powell, Chouki El Hamel, and Rogaia Mustafa Abusharaf will delve into the colonial history of the Middle East & North Africa and trace its impact on the development of how the Black experience is framed and understood today.

Register to attend!

Hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor, the Office of Inclusion and Equity at NYUAD, and the Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora (CSAAD) at NYU New York; in collaboration with the NYUAD Institute, the Humanities Research Fellowship for the Study of the Arab World, the History Program, the Literature & Creative Writing Program, the African Studies Program, the Arab Crossroads Studies Program, and the Office of Alumni Relations.

As part of our 2021 Black History Month Series, Gallatin’s Office of Student Life presents Say It Loud!: A Showcase on the Arts and Black Activism, a virtual event featuring new works by student and alumni performers. Say it Loud! focuses on expressions of black culture and activism through music, spoken word, dance, drama and visual arts. Special guest: MC Jayshawn Lee (BA’ 21).

RSVP to attend!

Hosted by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study's Office of Student Life

Racial injustice has been embedded and codified across many levels of our society: in economic policies, access to education and jobs; in organizational/management decisions, HR programs, and personal biases every individual holds. The depth of these structural inequities came to the foreground during 2020, revealing the disproportionate health, economic, and political impact on people of color. Join this discussion to explore ways in which every single one of us can create sustainable change in our organizations, communities and personal lives.

Register on Zoom to attend!

Hosted by NYU SPS Human Capital Management

Since its inception, NYU Steinhardt has been the academic home to Black women who have made a difference in our society. They have excelled in areas of activism/education (Dorothy Height & Pearl Primus), politics (Velmanette Montgomery & Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika), health care (Cernice Ferguson), and more. To pay homage to the excellence of Black women in our community, join us for a panel discussion with community members who identify as Black women to discuss their journey at NYU Steinhardt,

Register on Zoom to attend!

Hosted by the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development