SU symposium will explore issues of equality, privilege, justice in Syracuse and South Africa – Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.

Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications  will be the setting of an evening symposium exploring issues of equality, privilege and justice in Syracuse and South Africa.

“No Innocence This Side of the Womb,” hosted by the Newhouse Center for Global Engagement , will bring together Syracuse and South African artists, academics, activists and journalists.

The event will be held Feb. 28 at 5 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium, Newhouse 3. The event is free and open to the public. Follow on Twitter at #SyracusetoSouthAfrica.

The afterlife of slavery, apartheid and colonialism runs deep. South Africa and the U.S. share the challenge of building a better future while being honest about the present and the past. The symposium will allow panelists and audience members to analyze the response to the shared struggles of racism, poverty and privilege confronting South Africa and Syracuse.

The event will consist of three panel discussions with a rotating open panel chair, allowing audience members to participate.

South Africa to Syracuse – A Common Struggle, 5 p.m.

How segregation and class affect us, regardless of geography. How we got here and where we are going.

Panelists:

Yusuf Abdul-Qadir   ’11, chapter director, New York Civil Liberties Union, Syracuse

Ellen Blalock   G’84, artist, Syracuse

Zuko Gqadavama  , resource development coordinator, Inkululeko, South Africa

Charisse L’Pree , assistant professor, Newhouse School, Syracuse University

Michelle Schenandoah , CEO and editor-in-chief, Rematriation Magazine, Oneida Nation

John Western , professor, Maxwell School, Syracuse University

The Arts – Ordinary Acts, Extraordinary Promise, 6:40 p.m. Art’s role in unpacking and pushing back against injustice.

Panelists:

Jaleel Campbell , artist, Syracuse

Gabrielle Goliath , artist, South Africa

Simon Gush  artist, South Africa

Neelika Jayawardane , associate professor, SUNY Oswego

Communication – No Easy Walk to Freedom, 8:10 p.m. 

The role of a free press in providing a reflection of our societies and a method of holding the powerful to account.

Panelists:

Paul Botes , photographer and picture editor, Mail & Guardian, South Africa

Ken Harper , associate professor and director, Newhouse Center for Global Engagement, Newhouse School, Syracuse University

Joe Lee  , general manager, WAER, Syracuse

Khadija Patel , editor-in-chief, Mail & Guardian, South Africa

Niren Tolsi , journalist, South Africa

Photo and art galleries featuring work from Syracuse and South African artists and journalists will be on display.

The event is co-sponsored by Hendricks Chapel  , the Department of Transmedia   in the College of Visual and Performing Arts  , the Syracuse University Humanities Center and Light Work .

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be available at the event.