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2020-21 Friars Leaders Speakers & Events

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Spring 2021 Community Read Author

"Antiracism" is a concept that many people are talking about these days, but what exactly does it mean? What is racism, and how does it manifest in our personal lives, relationships, institutions, politics, and legal systems? And how can we move from simply talking about racism towards committed action against racism?

Students, faculty, staff, alumnae/i, and friends of Simmons are invited to consider these questions and more in the Spring 2021 Community Read at Simmons: "How to be an Antiracist" by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, who will be speaking virtually at Simmons on Monday, March 1 from 4-5 PM EST.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is one of the world's leading historians and scholars in antiracism. He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of "How to be an Antiracist" and "Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America," which made him the youngest-ever winner of the National Book Award for Nonfiction, as well as the author of numerous other books and publications. Dr. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the Founding Director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. In 2020, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Visit Dr. Kendi's website to learn more about his work.

The Spring Community Read is funded by the Katie McGrath & J.J. Abrams Family Foundation and co-sponsored by the following offices: Office of the Provost, Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, Office of Advancement, Center for Global Education, and the Office of Organizational Culture, Inclusion, and Equity.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

Fall 2020 Community Read Author

Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, an innovative and model public health program in Flint, Michigan. A pediatrician, scientist, activist and author, Dr. Hanna-Attisha has testified three times before the United States Congress and was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America. In addition, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, and most recently recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. Dr. Hanna-Attisha is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Human Development and a C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the author of "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City," which was selected as the Simmons Fall 2020 Community Read. "What the Eyes Don't See" is a powerful first-hand account of the Flint water crisis, the signature environmental disaster of our time, and one pediatrician's mission to expose the truth and advocate for families and children in Flint and beyond. For more information about the book, visit the author's website.

The Fall Community Read is co-hosted by the Office of Advancement and the Office of the Provost, and is brought to us in appreciation for the philanthropic generosity of Eileen Friars '72, TE and Barbara Cohen '68, TS.