Honors Salon Series continues race-related sessions after successful debut

The popular Honors Salon Series returns for spring semester 2021 with new topics and presenters exploring race from many different perspectives. 

The first virtual session of spring was held February 3 and attracted 40 participants as Sean Kim Butorac, assistant professor of political science, discussed “Race & The Politics of Resistance.” All sessions are held virtually on Zoom or Microsoft Teams and are open to the campus community. After the presentation of topics, participants are welcome to ask questions and discuss content further.  

The next session is scheduled for Thursday, February 18, at noon, when Will Barnett, associate professor of history, discusses “Environmental Racism and Justice in the United States.”  

Student organizer Nicholas Cheop ’22 said that the goal for the series is to continue to invite faculty members who have “a real passion for [diversity, equity and inclusion] issues and want to share more about their areas of expertise.” 

When the series began this past fall semester, Cheop explained, “It’s really important that we make sure we're being inclusive. We want to know more, to understand better … and we decided this was one way we could help.”

Participation numbers for the fall sessions ranged from 17 to 35. “Many of the students who joined in loved the topics and were so thankful for faculty members’ willingness to facilitate these conversations,” said Cheop. “Students continue to come back for each salon because they truly enjoy learning more about the issues surrounding racial justice.”

When student organizers from the Honors Program contacted faculty to participate in the series, the six speakers for spring “jumped at the chance to host a salon,” Cheop said. “They were all very excited and passionate about the ideas we had come up with together, proving that we had made the right choice with our spring lineup!” 

To learn more and register visit the Honors Salon Series web page.

In addition to the Salon series, the Honors Program will be co-hosting the Third Annual African American Read-In on Wednesday, February 17, at 5 p.m. Join the event on Microsoft Teams.

For more information, contact Nick Cheop at njcheop@noctrl.edu.