Gwendolyn Everett,  Ph.D. , Associate Professor, Art History, Howard University, gave an invited virtual lecture on Elizabeth Catlett, renowned African American sculptor and printmaker, on Tuesday, October 27, 2020 

She discussed the life and art of one of the most significant sculptors and printmakers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Catlett was born in Washington, D.C., in 1915, and studied art at Howard University. She was an early pioneer of the rights of women, particularly for women artists in an art world dominated by men. Her art and life validate her motto: “If I am not anything else,” she insisted, “I prove that a black woman can be an artist.”The lecture was sponsored by the Washington Metropolitan Oasis in cooperation with the HBCU Speakers Bureau and Research Magazine.

Sandra Shannon, Ph.D. presented an invited virtual  lecture titled,  “August Wilson: The Makings of a Culture Bearer,” October 8, 2020. Pulitzer Prize Winner August Wilson’s plays depict the fullness of African American life in the 20th century. This lecture provided an introduction to Wilson’s life, art, politics and cultural resonance. Dr. Sandra G. Shannon is a leading scholar on the works of August Wilson.

Sandra Shannon is Professor Emerita, Department of English; Howard University; and President of the August Wilson Society, The lecture was sponsored  by the Washington Metropolitan Oasis in cooperation with the HBCU Speakers Bureau and Research Magazine.