The Center for Black Literature will mark Black History Month with a timely and thought-provoking public program on Feb. 5, at Medgar Evers College, CUNY.
The conversation, titled Black Literature: A Device for Equitable Change, brings together leading voices to examine how Black literature, lived experience and economic thought can be mobilized to challenge systemic inequities and strengthen communities.
The program will feature Majora Carter, author of Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One.
Carter is a MacArthur Fellow, real estate developer and urban revitalization strategist whose work has reshaped national conversations around sustainability, environmental justice, and community-centered development. Her approach emphasizes building opportunity from within neighborhoods rather than displacing the people who call them home.
Joining her is Dr. Rachel Laryea, author of Black Capitalists. A scholar whose research focuses on race, money and Black entrepreneurship, Laryea examines the historical and contemporary role of Black economic power in the ongoing struggle for civil and human rights. Her work highlights how financial systems both constrain and enable Black communities and how storytelling and scholarship can clarify those dynamics.
Together, Carter and Laryea will explore how literature functions not only as cultural expression, but also as a practical device for equitable change. Drawing on history, research and real-world experience, the discussion will consider how narratives shape policy, how ideas travel from page to practice and how communities can confront injustice while sustaining themselves during periods of social and economic uncertainty.
The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Shelagh Patterson, poet, scholar and professor of English and World Languages at Medgar Evers College.
Event Details
Thursday, Feb. 5
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Medgar Evers College, Edison O. Jackson Auditorium
1638 Bedford Ave.
The event will be held in person and is open to the public. Register here.
