Wednesday, July 19
7:00 PM
Dr. Sekou Franklin
Dr. Franklin is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).  He is the author of After the Rebellion: Black Youth, Social Movement Activism, and the Post-Civil Rights Generation (NYU Press, 2014) and edited the State of Blacks in Middle Tennessee. He also has a forthcoming book (co-authored with Ray Block) called Losing Power: African Americans and Racial Polarization in Tennessee Politics (University of Georgia Press, 2020).

He served as President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists from 2019-2021. He resides in North Nashville with his wife and two daughters.

Thursday, July 20
7:00-8:30 PM
Dr. Michelle Stevens
Dr. Stevens, professor of Educational Leadership, serves as the director of the Center for Fairness, Justice, and Equity (FJE) in the College of Education at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Stevens served as professor in the Professional Counseling Program for 14 years and provided supervision for school counseling and clinical mental health counseling students throughout their programs.  Scholarly areas of interest include the study of the implications of unjust and inequitable practices connected to historical trauma on under resourced communities as well as mentoring throughout the pipeline. Prior to joining the clinical mental health faculty at MTSU, Dr. Stevens instructed at Youngstown State University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University and was a K-12 school-based therapist in Akron Ohio.  Dr. Stevens is a licensed professional counselor and has over 20 years of clinical experience working with clients of all ages who have experienced underlying issues related to trauma.