Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
Friday, February 10
*SPECIAL PRE-WEEK EVENT* Culture Karaoke: Expression Across the Diaspora | E&L Auditorium (4th Floor), Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Sq S) | 5:30–7:30 p.m. ET
Join us for an evening of karaoke featuring food, friendly competition, and Black music expression and art across the African diaspora.
Interested in performing? Teams of NYU students are welcome to sign up to perform five rounds of karaoke. Will your team be the winner? Win the grand prize (and bragging rights)!
Organized in collaboration with the African Student Union (ASU), Black Student Union (BSU), and Center for Multicultural Education and Programs (CMEP).
Monday, February 13
Evolving Images of Blackness in STEM | MakerSpace Event Space (1st Floor), 6 MetroTech Center | 5:00–6:30 p.m. ET
Analyzing culture through an Afrofuturistic lens involves the forward-thinking exploration of science, technology, and pop culture, in a manner that seeks to liberate us from popular portrayals and stereotypes associated with Black people and Black communities. Through this lens, our cultural understanding of Blackness can expand beyond what is traditionally presented to us in popular television, music, and art; and assist Black people—and the world—in reimagining how they perceive and understand Black history. Already at the forefront of researching and addressing STEM issues that impact communities all over the world, the Tandon community is uniquely positioned to unpack the role STEM has in revolutionizing our understanding of popular portrayals of Black people, as well as opportunities for Black advancement in the STEM field.
Join the MLK Week Planning Committee for an interactive discussion that explores what it means to advance Black liberation within STEM and the actions we must collectively take to begin this process. Light refreshments will be served.
Organized in collaboration with the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and open to all NYU community members.
Tuesday, February 14
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award Ceremony | Grand Hall (5th Floor), Center for Academic and Spiritual Life (238 Thompson St) | 4:00–6:00 p.m. ET
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award recognizes outstanding faculty who exemplify the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s scholarship, life, and justice work and who promote the principles and ethos of Dr. King’s extensive global contributions in their research, teaching, leadership, and/or community-building efforts. These awards are of particular significance as they are driven by students. Student participation includes, but is not limited to, award development, nomination, selection, and recognition of faculty honorees who have made a substantial impact within the classroom, in advancing student research and co-curricular projects, and in their work with students across the greater NYU community.
This event is by invitation only. Please reach out to globalinclusion@nyu.edu if you have any questions.
The 18th Annual Steinhardt Graduate Student Organization (GSO) MLK Oratorical Contest | Virtual event | 6:00–7:00 p.m. ET
This year’s MLK Oratorical Contest will feature spoken word pieces from graduate students from across the university. Performances will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and center around this year’s theme, Our Collective Liberation.
The grand prize winner will be awarded an Apple iPad and highlighted during the University-Wide Event on February 16. Runners-up will receive cash prizes.
All NYU graduate students are encouraged to apply to perform in this year's competition.
Presented by the NYU Steinhardt Graduate Student Organization (GSO).
Wednesday, February 15
NYU Service Fair | E&L Auditorium (4th Floor), Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Sq S) | 12:00–4:00 p.m. ET
Dr. King’s teachings remind us that service is a powerful way to bring people together to advocate for change. This year, in lieu of a Day of Service, we will be holding the NYU Service Fair during MLK Week. This event is a campus-wide service and volunteer fair to connect students with local non-profits and community-based organizations. All agencies attending the fair will have positions available for student interns or volunteers. A diverse range of organizations will be present, representing a wide variety of areas including education inequality, environmental sustainability, immigration, elder care, houselessness and poverty, prison reform, and youth mentoring.
Organized in collaboration with the Center for Student Life.
Silent Disco: Sights & Sounds of Afrofuturism | Third North Theatre (Tower C3, Basement Level), Third North Residence Hall (75 3rd Avenue) | 5:00–6:30 p.m. ET
From the musings of Sun Ra, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monáe to the empowering songs featured in the blockbuster hit Black Panther, experience Afrofuturistic music from Black artists past and present at this silent disco. Wear a pair of silent disco headphones and enter our prize raffle while surrounded by a creative exhibit that seeks to imagine what it means to achieve collective liberation.
Organized in collaboration with NYU Residential Life and Housing Services.
Thursday, February 16
University-Wide Event | E&L Auditorium (4th Floor), Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Sq S) | 7:00–9:00 p.m. ET
As a global community, our journey toward liberation continues to be an intergenerational effort requiring lessons learned from our ancestors and engagement across current generations as we prepare the world for the future. But what is collective liberation in practice? How can its actualization change society as we know it? And what kinds of futures might we reimagine for ourselves, our communities, and our succeeding generations as we move closer to this ideal? In the words of Dr. King, “...we are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” This collective responsibility to liberate ourselves—globally, cross-generationally, and beyond—drives this year’s MLK Week programming.
The highlight of the week is the University-Wide Event on Thursday, February 16, which will feature a conversation between playwright and composer-lyricist Michael R. Jackson (Tisch ’03, ’05); clinical assistant professor at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study Dr. Shatima Jones; author, activist, and speaker Maggie Anderson, JD, MBA; and moderated by senior associate vice president of global faculty engagement and innovation advancement Dr. Karen Jackson-Weaver. The event will also include the presentation of this year’s Humanitarian Award to Professor Michael Dinwiddie (Gallatin ’80, Tisch ’83) and performances by musician, author, and director AMYRA (Tisch ’14).
This event is free and open to the public.
The Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation invites the NYU community to join in celebrating the rich history and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Among the various programs organized by the NYU MLK Week Planning Committee, schools, offices, and student organizations across the University organize events occurring throughout and beyond NYU MLK Week 2023. These programs seek to educate and encourage community engagement with various social justice topics.
FEB 8 | Black Lives Matter at School - National Week of Action - Curriculum & Resources Sharing Event | Pless Hall, 1st Floor (82 Washington Sq E) | 5:00–7:00 p.m. ET
Join NYU Metro Center and the Department of Teaching and Learning for a Black Lives Matter at School curriculum and resource-sharing event for the National Week of Action. NYU Metro Center, student groups, academic programs, NYC preK-12 schools, and community organizations will share materials and strategies that reflect and support Black Lives Matter at School with ongoing opportunities for attendees to explore, learn, and dialogue.
All are welcome! RSVP required. Learn more at www.blacklivesmatteratschool.com
More Info & RSVP | Event Flyer
Organized by the Department of Teaching & Learning (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development) and NYU Metro Center.
FEB 9 (HYBRID EVENT) | Leadership in Changing Times w/ Summit Health Executive Natalie Thigpen | SPS Midtown Center, Rm 1027 (20 West 43rd Street) | 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
Join us for our returning series “Leadership in Changing Times” with host Tariq Khan, NYU SPS adjunct assistant professor and founder & CEO of Global Diversity Marketing. In this session, we are delighted to have Natalie Thigpen, senior vice president of Employee Experience, Culture & DEI at Summit Health. This fireside chat will delve into the leadership journeys, challenges, and accomplishments of Black leaders, as well as share perspectives on leaders' need for adaptability.
In person attendance for this event is restricted to NYU community members; virtual attendance is open to the public.
RSVP to Attend In Person | Register to Virtually Attend
Organized and presented by the Department of Integrated Marketing & Communications at the NYU School of Professional Studies.
FEB 10 (HYBRID EVENT) | NYU BeTogether Alumni Conference: Say the Right Thing Talk Back | Rosenthal Pavilion (10th Floor), Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Square S) | 6:00–9:00 p.m. ET
Join us for a conversation between Professor Kenji Yoshino and Dr. Lisa Coleman about Professor Yoshino’s forthcoming book Say the Right Thing, and how it connects to current conversations about affirmative action, critical race theory, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and other topics in education.
Participants may register to attend virtually or in person.
This event is open to the public.
Organized and presented by NYU Alumni Relations.
FEB 11–19 | Classical Theatre of Harlem: Twelfth Night | Skirball Center for the Performing Arts (566 LaGuardia Pl) | Performances at 2:30 & 7:00 p.m. ET
The Classical Theatre of Harlem’s acclaimed, award-winning production of Shakespeare’s raucous comedy returns for a limited two-week engagement. Hailed as “fizzy and fun” (NY Times), CTH’s Twelfth Night abounds with hilarity, mistaken identities, dance, and the intoxicating madness of love.
The recipient of two 2022 AUDELCO awards, CTH’s celebrated mounting stars Tony Award-nominee Kara Young (The Cost of Living, Clyde), whose performance as Viola was cited as a “Best of 2022” by The New York Times. The production is directed by 2022 AUDELCO Award-winner Carl Cofield.
This event is organized by NYU Skirball.
**NYU Students receive a special discount of $15 off when purchasing with their NYU ID at the NYU Box Office or through the NYU Skirball events calendar.**
FEB 17 | The Student Affairs Conference @ NYU | Kimmel Center for University Life (60 Washington Sq S) | 9:00–6:00 p.m. ET
In its 21st year, The Student Affairs Conference @ NYU will offer innovative programs that break the mold and help the field to grow, reflect, assess, connect, and empower. Register to attend and participate in the conference's dynamic sessions (including a Global Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Access programming track) today!
More Info | Conference Programs | Registration
The Student Affairs Conference is a collaborative effort between the Division of Student Affairs and the graduate student Association of Student Affairs Professionals (ASAP) within the Higher Education and Student Affairs program at NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.
FEB 17 | MLK Week Leadership Luncheon w/Maggie Anderson | NYU Abu Dhabi House (19 Washington Square N) | 11:30 a.m. ET
Join us for a special invitation-only MLK Week Leadership Luncheon with activist, speaker, and author of Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy, Maggie Anderson!
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. ET. Space is limited, and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
FEB 28 (HYBRID EVENT) | The Politics of Futurity w/ Dr. Deva Woodly | Hemmerdinger Hall (1st Floor), Silver Center (100 Washington Sq E) | 5:30–7:00 p.m. ET
Politics scholar, Dr. Deva R. Woodly, and Liberal Studies professor Dr. Kaia Shivers will discuss the politics of futurity. Drawing on popular discourse, topics will include the potential for change within the structural relations of race, coloniality, and Indigeneity.
This event is open to the public.
More Info | RSVP to Attend In person | Register to Virtually Attend
This is an NYU Women Lead and Liberal Studies Global Lecture Series event, hosted by Liberal Studies and the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation.
MARCH 23 | “Reimagining Queen Nanny of the Maroons” Screening and Panel | Virtual Event | 12:30–1:45 p.m. ET
In celebration of Women's History Month and its theme of "Women Who Tell Our Stories," Liberal Studies invites you to join Dr. Leo Douglas for a screening and panel discussion of his documentary short, "Reimagining Queen Nanny of the Maroons." This event features Liberal Studies professors Jacqueline Bishop, Dr. Marcia Douglas, Dr. Tao Leigh Goffe, and Dr. Thera Edwards.
The documentary celebrates the self-determination, eco-spirituality, and Afro-Indigenous retentions of the formerly enslaved peoples of Jamaica and the diaspora.
This event is open to the public.
More Info & Register to Virtually Attend
This event is co-sponsored by the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), Institute of Jamaica, The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at NYU (CLACS), and the Liberal Studies CSI Concentration.