CelticMKE Symposium to Showcase the Connections Between African and Irish American Experiences

On January 16, CelticMKE will host a virtual symposium, presented by Associated Bank’s Cultural Awareness Colleague Resource Group. The symposium will feature four presentations, beginning at 12:00pm Central, discussing the similarities between Irish and African American experiences.

The Irish Consulate General of Chicago, Kevin Byrne, will kick off the symposium, along with a special message from Nettie Washington Douglass, a direct descendent of Frederick Douglass and the African American Irish Network Diaspora.

Schedule of presentations:

• Ten Abolitionists Who Visited Ireland, presented by Dr. Christine Kinealy
• Leaving Home in Search for a Better Life, presented by Gerard Moran and Robert Smith
• Equal Rights Heroes, presented by David Greenberg and Tim McMahon
• Two Roads Diverged: Irish and African American Common Grounds through Music, Dance and Humor, presented by Leni Sloan and Mick Moloney

Listeners will have the opportunity to engage with the presenting experts; each presentation will feature a live Q&A at the end of the lecture.

CelticMKE’s virtual symposium will be available to tune-in on the CelticMKE YouTube channel for free. The program begins at 12:00pm Central. Visit celticmke.com/symposium to read presenter bios and descriptions of each presentation.

In addition to the January 16 Virtual Symposium, CelticMKE and the UWM Center for Celtic Studies proudly present their annual Chuck Ward Memorial Lecture. The lecture will premiere on January 14 at 7:00 pm Central on CelticMKE’s YouTube channel and will also be available to watch for free. Dr. Christine Kinealy will present on the topic Frederick Douglass’s love for music. The topic is called Frederick Douglass and His Songs of Resistance.

This virtual program is hosted by CelticMKE, home of Milwaukee Irish Fest, and presented by Associated Bank. The program is also supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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