Defending the Freedom to Read – Utica University joins in Banned Books Week
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Award-winning author discusses memoir, themes of inequity in virtual presentation
Ford will read an excerpt from her memoir, followed by a fireside chat–style facilitated conversation and public Q&A with the audience where she will speak to questions of economic, social, and criminal justice, especially as relates to family life and the American prison system.
Community members are invited to join the Utica Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Community Partnership for a virtual presentation with acclaimed author Ashley C. Ford.
Ford is The New York Times best-selling author of the memoir Somebody’s Daughter, which chronicles her experience growing up as a poor Black girl in Indiana while navigating and overcoming isolating and complex issues such as familial incarceration, unwanted sexualization, and abusive relationships in order to “find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.”
Ford is also the former host of The Chronicles of Now podcast and co-host of the HBO companion podcast Lovecraft Country Radio. She has written or guest-edited for ELLE Magazine, Slate, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Domino, Cup of Jo, and various other web and print publications.
Various themes in Somebody’s Daughter are tragically relatable experiences in our own neighborhoods in the Mohawk Valley. Ford will read an excerpt from her memoir, followed by a fireside chat–style facilitated conversation and public Q&A with the audience where she will speak to questions of economic, social, and criminal justice, especially as relates to family life and the American prison system.
The virtual event will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 10 via Zoom. Interested participants can learn more and register for the event at utica.edu/AshleyFord. The event is free and open to the public.
The session marks the inaugural event for the Utica DEI Community Partnership. Established in September 2021, the partnership brings together area leaders passionate about uplifting the most silenced and marginalized among the community. It aims to lead from a proactive stance against the issues catalyzing racial and social unrest in its respective communities and society at large. By partnering together, the group has been able to support its members and look ahead to facilitate positive activities that promote awareness and unity.
Current members include representatives from the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce; the Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency, Inc.; Mohawk Valley Community College; SUNY Polytechnic Institute; and Utica College.
Those interested in joining or learning more about the partnership can email diversity@utica.edu
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