Upcoming Events
All events at the HRC are free and open to all.
The Rappahannock Peoples: An Analysis of Modern Tribal History and Social Issues
October 24, 2024
Join us for an afternoon of Native Virginia history, art and poetry with Sequoyah Fortune, Rappahannock artist and writer, and Karenne Wood Native Artist-in-Residence at the HRC.
Tales of Koehler Hollow: An African American Family in Rural Appalachia
October 28, 2024
Christopher Brooks is Professor of Anthropology in the School of World Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and author of Tales of Koehler Holler: An African American Family in Rural Appalachia.
"A Thousand Pines" Film Screening and Director Q&A
October 30, 2024
A Thousand Pines is an intimate look at the lives of migrants who depend on the controversial guest worker visa program, following a crew of workers from Oaxaca, Mexico over the course of a season planting trees throughout the United States.
Cyborgs, Ethics, and the Matrix: Simulations of Sex and Gender
November 4, 2024
Rebecca Gibson is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Anthropology in the School of World Studies at VCU. Dr. Gibson's research spans a multitude of topics, from historical biological anthropology, to whether or not zombies have gender, to cyborgs and robotic technology.
Humanities and AI: Large Language Models and the Returns of Critical Theory
November 7, 2024
Wendy Hui Kyong Chun is Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, Professor in the School of Communication, and Director of the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University. At the Institute, she leads the Mellon-funded Data Fluencies Project, which combines the interpretative traditions of the arts and humanities with critical work in the data sciences to express, imagine, and create innovative engagements with (and resistances to) our data-filled world.
Denying Blackness: The Enduring Legacy of the "Science" of Racial Purity in the Federal Recognition Process
November 14, 2024
Dr. Arica L. Coleman is an award-winning, nationally recognized American historian and independent scholar whose research focuses on comparative ethnic studies and racial formation and identity issues. Her additional research interests include indigeneity, immigration/migration, interracial relations, mixed-race identity, race and gender intersections, sexuality, the politics of race and science, and popular culture.
Empowering the Self through Indigenous Frameworks
November 20, 2024
The speaker for this event is Ray John Jr., a member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, and experienced educator, counselor, and advisor.
What Now? The Future of Immigrant Students and DACA
November 19, 2024
Join the HRC Migration Studies Lab for a talk and discussion on the future of immigration and DACA, with David Morales, Managing attorney of Farmworkers unit at the Northwest Justice Project and a Trustee of Yakima Valley College.
'1666: A Novel' Reading and Discussion
November 21, 2024
A member of the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia, Lora Chilton tells the story of her people and their unlikely survival due to the courage of three Patawomeck women. As a part of the process, she interviewed tribal elders, researched colonial documents and studied the Patawomeck language. Chilton graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She has worked as a Registered Nurse, a small business owner, an elected official, a non-profit executive and a writer. Memphis is her home. 1666: A Novel is her second work of historical fiction.
Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival 2024
November 22, 2024
Graphic Narratives Lab Student Showcase
December 3, 2024
Join the Graphic Narratives Lab for a showcase of the comics and zines their undergraduate student fellows are working on!
Dual Pandemics: HIV and the Coronavirus in Several Communities
February 10, 2025
Christopher Brooks is Professor of Anthropology in the School of World Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and author of Dual Pandemics: HIV and the Coronavirus in Several Communities.
Beyond "Always On" Culture
February 13, 2025
Damien Smith Pfister, PhD, is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland, College Park, Director of the Design Cultures + Creativity program, and co-editor of the University of Alabama book series “Rhetoric + Digitality.” Caddie Alford, PhD is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Between Here and There: Creating the Political Economy of Mexican Migration
March 3, 2025
Daniel Morales is an Assistant Professor of History at Virginia Commonwealth University specializing in Latino, immigration, and public history. He is from Azusa California and earned his Ph.D. in history from Columbia University in 2016, and B.A. at the University of Chicago in 2008. His research focuses on the social and economic history of migration between Latin America and the United States.
Women, Faith, and Family: Reclaiming Gender Justice through Religious Activism
March 24, 2025
Samaneh Olad Ghadikolaei, Ph.D is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, and the author of Women, Faith, and Family: Reclaiming Gender Justice through Religious Activism.
Plotting Bigamy: Marital Surplus in the Eighteenth-Century Novel
February 28, 2025
Rachel Gevlin is a Teaching Assistant Professor of English as well as Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. She specializes in the literature and culture of England’s long eighteenth century, with a particular focus on the history of the novel, women writers, and legal histories of marriage and divorce.
The Clap Back: A Look into Digital Misogynoir and Online Harm Reduction Practices
March 21, 2025
Dr. KáLyn Coghill (they/them) is a Black, fat, neurodivergent, non-binary femme. They are an award-winning educator, practitioner, and activist with expertise spanning abortion doula work, community organizing, poetry, and interdisciplinary scholarship. They serve as the Director of Digital Engagement at me too. International and as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Interested in our offerings from prior years?
Each of the following pages offers a section at the bottom that lists topics and speakers from the past: