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College to Host "Entangled Identities: Legacies of 1619"
Year-long series will explore race and other facets of contemporary American identity
News Release | October 7, 2015
In preparation for the 400th anniversary of 1619, which marked the arrival in Virginia of the first African slaves, Virginia Wesleyan College will host a year-long series of events exploring the impact of this occurrence and its significance in American history. The series, titled “Entangled Identities: Legacies of 1619,” will look at various ways our contemporary identity reflects a complicated historical legacy.
Between October 2015 and April 2016, the College will feature nationally and internationally renowned scholars and leaders in fields as diverse as ethnomusicology, English, history, political science, religious studies, and communication and theatre arts, in programs that will encourage participants to explore a variety of current struggles Americans face today.
Separate programs will trace historical influences on different musical traditions, from African-American spirituals and Appalachian fiddling to contemporary hip-hop and the blues, while another program will explore the role Native American musical artists play in a variety of musical genres. Later programs will look at the place of traditional film as well as digital and social media in our recent discussions about race. Finally, the program will culminate with a series of events investigating the complicated relationship American religion has had with our country’s slave past.
Part of a multi-year regional collaboration among Norfolk State University, Virginia Wesleyan College, Old Dominion University, Hampton University, and many other community and regional partners, the Virginia Wesleyan series is part of a build-up to culminating events that will take place in 2019. It was designed by an interdisciplinary working group of faculty in partnership with the College’s two premier academic centers, the Center for Sacred Music and the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom. The program has been funded in part by a grant from Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
"Entangled Identities: Legacies of 1619" events are free and open to the public. For a complete event schedule and additional information, visit www.vwu.edu/1619.