BDI hosted The Language of Racism and Intolerance at Sainer Hall, New College of Florida. The event brought together nationally recognized scholars, authors, and advocates to examine how the language of racism continues to shape—and often distort—progress toward equality in the United States and around the world.

Moderated by Chief Judge Charles E. Williams of Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit, the evening featured powerful reflections and scholarship from three distinguished academics: Ladee Hubbard, Michael Jeffries, and Timothy Patrick McCarthy.

Professor Ladee Hubbard, award-winning author of The Talented Ribkins and Professor of Africana Studies at Tulane University, explored the intersections of race, futurism, and narrative power. Her remarks drew from her course, Afro-Futurism: Science Fiction and Surrealism in African American Literature and Culture, offering attendees a lens into how speculative storytelling challenges racial assumptions and imagines liberated futures.

Returning by popular demand, Professor Michael Jeffries of Wellesley College delved into the concept of “meta language” in race relations. The author of Paint The White House Black and Thug Life, Jeffries dissected how public discourse often obscures deeper racial truths, particularly through coded language and cultural misdirection.

Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy, a Harvard faculty member and prominent human rights advocate, offered a stirring historical overview of protest literature and the narratives that have propelled social justice movements in America. Drawing from his extensive experience in both academia and activism, McCarthy highlighted the enduring role of language in both challenging and perpetuating systems of oppression.

Judge Williams, known for his commitment to youth empowerment and cultural programming in Sarasota, skillfully guided the discussion with insight and compassion. His moderation provided continuity and depth, ensuring each speaker’s contribution resonated with the audience.

The event marked another impactful evening for BDI, whose mission is to foster tolerance and understanding across all communities. A photo album and full podcast recording are available online, capturing the depth and urgency of a conversation that remains as vital as ever.

Speakers

Ladee Hubbard, PhD

Guest speaker, Professor Ladee Hubbard is the winner of the 2016 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award and the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for the Short Story.

Hubbard, Professor of Africana Studies program in the Tulane School of Liberal Arts, is currently teaching a course titled, Afro-Futurism: Science Fiction and Surrealism in African-American Literature and Culture.

In her debut novel, The Talented Ribkins, New Orleans author Ladee Hubbard takes readers on an imaginative road trip through Florida, as her characters grapple with rebuilding family bonds, self acceptance, and superpowers as extraordinary as they are impractical. The recent recipient of the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, Hubbard also uncovered the hidden talents of Ribkins when she appeared as a guest on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.”

Michael Jeffries, PhD

Professor Michael Jeffries, Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College, returned by popular demand. Michael P. Jeffries is Professor of American Studies at Wellesley College, where he teaches courses on American popular culture and the politics of race and ethnicity. His most recent book, Paint The White House Black: Barack Obama and the Meaning of Race in America (Stanford U Press, 2013), approaches President Barack Obama’s election and Administration as common cultural ground for thinking about race.

Jeffries’s first book, Thug Life: Race, Gender, and the Meaning of Hip-Hop (University of Chicago Press, 2011), features the voices of Black and white male hip-hop fans, who discuss what rap music means to them and how they use hip-hop in their everyday lives.

Dr. Jeffries participated in our program, last year, The Freedom Riders: Their Relevancy Today. His discussion of Meta language in race relations, was illuminating.

Timothy Patrick McCarthy, PhD

Timothy Patrick McCarthy is an award-winning scholar, educator, and public servant. He holds a joint faculty appointment in Harvard’s undergraduate honors program in History and Literature, the Graduate School of Education, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he is Core Faculty and Director of Culture Change amd Social Justice Initiatives at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. Dr. McCarthy is also founding Faculty Convener of the Carr Center’s Emerging Human Rights Leaders Program.

The adopted only son and grandson of public school teachers and factory workers, his courses—American Protest Literature, Stories of Slavery and Freedom, and Arts of Communication—are consistently among the most popular and highly-rated at Harvard. He is the recipient of many awards for his teaching and mentoring, including the Stephen Botein Prize for Excellence in Teaching, the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize for Outstanding Senior Thesis Advising, the John R. Marquand Award for Exceptional Advising and Counseling, the Derek Bok Center Award for Teaching Excellence, and the HKS Dean’s Award for Exceptional Leadership and Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. McCarthy is also the Stanley Paterson Professor of American History in the Boston Clemente Course in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a free college humanities course for low-income adults and co-recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal.

Dr. McCarthy was a member of the first-ever LGBTQ delegation from the US to Israel/Palestine and currently serves on the Board of Free the Slaves. From 1997 to 2012, Dr. McCarthy directed the Alternative Spring Break Church Rebuilding Program, where he brought hundreds of students down South to rebuild African American churches destroyed in arson attacks.

MODERATOR

The Honorable Charles E. Williams

Judge Charles E. Williams, Chief judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Sarasota County, Florida, returned as moderator.

Charles E. Williams is the Chief Judge of the 12th Circuit Court of the State of Florida. He graduated from Howard University and the University of Florida College of Law.

He has served on numerous committees and Boards but he is most proud of his work and partnerships with the Palmetto Youth Center, the Booker High School Law Academy, Florida Studio Theatre, and the Sarasota County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee. Judge Williams also writes, directs, and produces documentary films. His film Through The Tunnel won Best Historical Documentary at the DocMiami International Film Festival.

His most recent film, The Enduring Beauty of Memory won Best Documentary Film at the 2014 Movieville Film Festival.