Eckerd College is pleased to present lectures and presentations, as well as art and athletic events, for the enjoyment and enlightenment of our community.
Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise specified.
If you require disability-related accommodations, please contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at news@eckerd.edu preferably two weeks in advance of the event. A good faith effort will be made to accommodate all requests, including late requests.
Featured events Fall 2024
An evening with Safiya Sinclair, author of How to Say Babylon
Thursday, September 12, 2024, 7–9 p.m.
Location: Fox Hall, Eckerd College campus
Join us for a powerful presentation and discussion with award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Safiya Sinclair as she relates how her childhood as the daughter of Rastafarians in Jamaica fueled her passion for poetry, the arts and freedom of self-determination.
Book signing to immediately follow the lecture and question & answer session.
Part of the College Program Series. Sponsored by The Class of 1968, the Office of the President, the Office of the Dean of Faculty, the Dr. Peter Meinke Endowment Fund and the Foundations Collegium.
Film screening: Dear Tampa Bay
Thursday, September 19, 2024, 7–9 p.m.
Location: Miller Auditorium, Eckerd College campus
The future of the Tampa Bay region will be shaped by global climate change—but this isn’t a problem we are facing alone. Dear Tampa Bay—Stories from the Gulf Coast is a 20-minute documentary film profiling community leaders from across the Gulf Coast who are working to address sea level rise, intensifying storms, and the many related challenges that climate change poses. The film not only connects these climate risks and solutions to our community, but also asks provocative questions about the power of storytelling for motivating action on the climate crisis.
Director Katie Bryden (director of video storytelling at Wildpath) and her collaborator Amanda Moore (senior director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Gulf Program) will introduce the film and discuss the study they conducted to better understand the impact of stories like those featured in the film on viewer’s understanding, beliefs, attitudes and motivation to make positive changes around climate change.
Speakers: Amanda Moore, Senior Director, Gulf Program, National Wildlife Federation; Katie Bryden, Filmmaker, Wildpath
Part of the College Program Series. Sponsored by Eckerd Gulf Scholars Program.
Film screening: Underground History
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 7–9 p.m. Postponed until spring 2025, date TBD
Location: Miller Auditorium, Eckerd College campus
Underground History explores the diverse histories of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg, from the archeological remnants of ancient Indigenous villages to settlements of freedom seeking people, displaced African American communities and erased cemeteries. Each story reveals a layer of history and how they are connected by colonization, displacement, segregation and social injustice. Join us as we explore the rich layers of history just below our feet.
Underground History poses the question, if a community fully acknowledge its past, can it develop a deeper sense of place and a more equitable future?
This event will screen Underground History, a documentary which explores the connections between St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay’s diverse cultural history and emerging community efforts to acknowledge that past. The community conversation will provide an opportunity for discussion with the filmmakers and project advisors, as well as an exploration of ideas for on-going engagement in community efforts around St. Petersburg’s history, archeology, cultural heritage and social justice.
Presenters:
- Robert Austin, Ph.D., Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education, (AWIARE)
- Amanda Hagood, Ph.D., Animal Studies Instructor, Eckerd College
- Antoinette Jackson, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology and Director, Heritage
Research Lab, University of South Florida - Gwendolyn Reese, President, African American Heritage Association
Filmmakers
- Polita Glynn, Producer/director
- Devin Rice ’86, Cinematographer/Editor/Graphics/ Music composer
Part of the College Program Series. Presented by the Eckerd Gulf Scholars Program, Coalition of Students for Indigenous Action, and the Inclusive Excellence in association with Merfolk Media Alliance.
