Oh Lewis & Clark College, you're so easy to forget about! And then you go and put together a program like the one you have for your 11th annual Ray Warren Symposium on Race and Ethnic Studies, which makes me want to fire up Google maps and find out where you're located!

It may be time to go back to school, at least for a few days. L&C are sharing a program of speakers and panels they've brought together with the public. All three days of programming are free, and on the topic of "race, beauty, and desire from a range of angles—the politics of black hair, hierarchies of skin color, cosmetic surgery practices to reduce characteristics associated with racial or ethnic groups, appropriation in the name of fashion, the interplay of racism and fatphobia, and the connections among race, beauty, and disability."

Yes! This sounds incredible. Speakers include feminist scholar, punk activist, and ThreadBared blogger Mimi Thi Nguyen; Afrobella founder Patrice Grell Yursik; ethnographer Dr. Yaba Blay; and Michaela Angela Davis, who "has served as executive editor for fashion, beauty, and culture at Essence, was the first fashion director at Vibe, and currently serves as editorial brand manager for BET." Panels will also address race issues specific to the Pacific Northwest, American Indian fashion design, and—presumably—a lot of feelings-sorting about your collection of Pendleton products.

Thanks to the riches of the private education world, all the events in the symposium, which runs Nov 12-14, are free and open to the public. Check out the full schedule here.

Mimi Thi Nguyen
  • Mimi Thi Nguyen