Join the Switzer Network Race & Equity Discussion Group for a lecture and conversation with author Carolyn Finney about her book Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Outdoors.

Christian Cooper. George Floyd. Renaming institutions. Reparations. What does the environment have to do with it? How do we meet this moment? Drawing from her book, Black Faces, White Spaces, her relationships “in the field”, her lived experience, and this moment of reckoning, Dr. Finney explores the complexities and contradictions of American history as it relates to green space, race and the power to shape the places we live in our own image. By engaging in “green” conversations with black people from around the country, Carolyn considers the power of resistance and resilience in the emergence of creative responses to environmental and social challenges in our cities and beyond. A fireside chat and extended Q&A with attendees will follow the presentation, facilitated by Switzer Fellow Lisa Stoddard.

We are offering everyone who attends the event a free copy of Carolyn Finney's book! You'll receive a book if you register and attend the live event on Thursday, May 19th.

About the Book: Why are African Americans so underrepresented when it comes to interest in nature, outdoor recreation, and environmentalism? In this thought-provoking study, Carolyn Finney looks beyond the discourse of the environmental justice movement to examine how the natural environment has been understood, commodified, and represented by both white and black Americans.

This event is open to Switzer Fellows and close colleagues.

The presentation portion will be recorded and sent out to registered attendees. The Q&A portion will not be recorded so attendees can engage freely.

Black Faces, White Spaces: Lecture and Conversation with Carolyn Finney