October 2024

Greetings,

Happy Fall! October is packed with outstanding events. We will welcome many excellent speakers and have informative programs, workshops and forums planned. Our Constitution Day lecture featuring Sherrilyn Ifill was a huge success. Next, the Center will kick off the month of October with a Civil Rights panel discussion, commemorating the 60 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Some other exemplary programs that illustrate the diverse range of activities that the Center engages in will follow, so keep an eye on our website.

In this newsletter, you will find information regarding some of our upcoming events. For more information on our programs or for information regarding the Center for the Study of Democracy, please visit our newly redesigned website or send us an email.

I also encourage you to follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

Warm regards!

Antonio Ugues Jr., PhD

Director, Center for the Study of Democracy

UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct. 1

The Civil Rights Act

in Southern Maryland

Performing Arts Center Concert Hall

7:00-8:30 pm

Oct. 2

Asian Studies Series: Madeline Hsu

Blackistone Room

4:45-6:30 pm

Oct. 11

Voter Registration Drive

Upstairs Corridor, Campus Center

11:00 am - 2:00 pm

Oct. 16

CSIS Forum: U.S. Foreign

Policy in the Indo-Pacific

Cole Cinema, Campus Center

11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Oct. 21

Africa Series: Aaron Yates

Daugherty-Palmer Commons

7:30-9:00 pm

Oct. 22

MLCED Program: Memes Workshop

Glendening Annex

11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Oct. 23

Aməricas Dialogue Series: Screening of the film Richelieu

Cole Cinema, Campus Center

7:30-9:30 pm

The Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland:

Yesterday, Today, and for Tomorrow

To commemorate the 60 year anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and to coincide with Governor Wes Moore's proclamation of 2024 as Maryland's year of civil rights, the Center for the Study of Democracy, St. Mary's College of Maryland, Historic St. Mary's City, and Historic Sotterley will host a panel discussion titled "The Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland: Yesterday, Today, and for Tomorrow."

This program will feature distinguished members of the region from academia, law, activist and advocacy circles, and the museum studies community to explore the legacy of the Civil Rights Act in Southern Maryland. We hope to stimulate dialogue, enhance learning, forge partnerships, and promote civic engagement within the Southern Maryland community.

A pre-event reception with light refreshments will take place at 6pm in the Dodge PAC Lobby. All are invited.

For more information, click here.

THE ASIAN

STUDIES SERIES:

The Good Immigrants: How the Yellow Peril became the Model Minority

Madeline Hsu, Professor of History and Director of the Center for Global Migration Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park will give a historical overview of the Cold War origins of the Asian Model Minority Myth.

The U.S.'s history as a "nation of immigrants" places Asian Americans at the center of national discourses. The U.S.'s earliest enforced immigration regulations targeted Asians by race and laid out the foundations for our current immigration laws and administration which began as efforts to enforce "yellow peril' fears. These entwined agendas of racism, reduced rights for "aliens" and institutional inequalities based on migrant status and citizenship remain core aspects of contemporary U.S. society even though Asian Americans have been re-racialized as "model minorities."

Learn more her e.

U.S. Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific Presented by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

The Center for the Study of Democracy and The Patuxent Partnership are pleased to host experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) for an international policy forum titled "U.S. Foreign Policy in the Indo-Pacific."

The forum will feature CSIS experts Erin Murphy, Senior Fellow in the Asia Program, William Alan Reinsch, Senior Adviser and Scholl Chair in International Business, and Gregory Poling '07, Senior Fellow and Director of the Southeast Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. The forum is free and open to the public.

For more information, click here.

THE AFRICA SERIES PROGRAM:

To Give Your Life for Black Freedom: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Global Struggle for Freedom, Equality, and Independence

Aaron Yates will discuss major developments in Black intellectual approaches to emancipation.

His talk will examine the life of W.E.B. Du Bois and the contextual evolution of his perspectives on knowledge and social action.

Learn more here.

MLCED PROGRAM:

Election Memes: Understanding the Power of Memes

Learn the theory behind memes and create humorous and clever memes about the importance of voting and the next presidential election.

Bring your computer or tablet and eat free pizza!

Find out more here.

AMERICA DIALOGUE SERIES:

Richelieu: A tale of Central American Migration Workers in Quebec

Pier-Philippe Chevigny's film Richelieu (2023) will be screened, followed by a discussion with the director. This film delves into the brutal treatment of temporary foreign workers at a food processing plant in Richelieu, Quebec, and powerfully explores a pressing social issue.

Find out more here.