Facing Race - A National Conference
Facing Race: A National Conference is presented by Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation. A unique collaborative space for racial justice movement making, Facing Race is the largest multiracial, inter-generational gathering for organizers, educators, creatives and other leaders.
ROXANE GAY - Keynote Speaker
Friday, Nov 11
Facing Race Keynote Speaker, Writer, Professor, Commentator, Editor, Author of “Bad Feminist” Roxanne Gay’s presence is unmatched in the world of words. With a deft eye on modern culture, she masterfully critiques its ebb and flow through our society and social media.
Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Her family moved frequently as her father took on new engineering projects. Eventually, this led her to Phillips Exeter Academy where she spent most of her high school years. She later started at Yale, but left early to experience life without the confines of classrooms. Having discovered a love of writing and Laura Ingalls Wilder at 5 years old, she eventually decided to hone her craft at The University of Nebraska where she received an MA in Creative Writing. In 2010, she received her PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication.
Friday, Nov 11
Facing Race Keynote Speaker, Writer, Professor, Commentator, Editor, Author of “Bad Feminist” Roxanne Gay’s presence is unmatched in the world of words. With a deft eye on modern culture, she masterfully critiques its ebb and flow through our society and social media.
Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. Her family moved frequently as her father took on new engineering projects. Eventually, this led her to Phillips Exeter Academy where she spent most of her high school years. She later started at Yale, but left early to experience life without the confines of classrooms. Having discovered a love of writing and Laura Ingalls Wilder at 5 years old, she eventually decided to hone her craft at The University of Nebraska where she received an MA in Creative Writing. In 2010, she received her PhD in Rhetoric and Technical Communication.
JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS - Keynote Speaker
Saturday, Nov 12
Facing Race Keynote Speaker, Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist, filmmaker, founder of Define American Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker whose work centers on the changing American identity. He is the founder of Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America. In February 2016 Jose launched #EmergingUS, a multimedia news platform he conceived focusing on race, immigration, and the complexities of multiculturalism. In 2015, MTV aired White People, a television special he directed on what it means to be young and white in America as part of its “Look Different” campaign.
Saturday, Nov 12
Facing Race Keynote Speaker, Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist, filmmaker, founder of Define American Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and filmmaker whose work centers on the changing American identity. He is the founder of Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America. In February 2016 Jose launched #EmergingUS, a multimedia news platform he conceived focusing on race, immigration, and the complexities of multiculturalism. In 2015, MTV aired White People, a television special he directed on what it means to be young and white in America as part of its “Look Different” campaign.