Eckerd College is pleased to present lectures and presentations, as well as art exhibitions 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 through Spring 2025
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
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 7–9 p.m.
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, Cuban fishing ranchos, displaced African American communities and erased cemeteries. Each story reveals a layer of history and how they are connected by colonization. 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?
Prior to the event, there will be an Exploring Local Heritage Fair with cultural, social, and historical community resource information tables.
This event will premiere a new, expanded version of 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.
Moderator: Beverly Warren, Ph.D., Vice President for Inclusive Excellence at Eckerd College
Presenters:
- John W. Arthur, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE)
- Uzi Baram, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, New College
- Amanda Hagood, Ph.D., Animal Studies Instructor, Eckerd College and Co-Director, Eckerd Gulf Scholar Program
- Thomas Hallock, Professor English, Literature & Cultural Studies, USF St. Pete
- Gwendolyn Reese, President, African American Heritage Association
- Judith A. M. Scully, Professor Law, Stetson University/Co-chair, St. Petersburg Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center
Filmmakers:
- Polita Glynn, Producer/director
- Devin Rice ’86, Cinematographer/Editor/Graphics/ Music composer
Funding for this screening and discussion program is provided in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and in partnership with Merfolk Media Alliance. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Part of the College Program Series. Presented by the Eckerd College Gulf Scholars Program, Coalition of Students for Indigenous Action, Eckerd College Office of Inclusive Excellence, and St. Petersburg Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center in association with Merfolk Media Alliance.
