Join The Driskell Center on February 6th, 2026 for the opening of its spring exhibition, America Will Be! All Driskell Center events are free and open to the public.
On view at The Driskell Center gallery from February 9 through May 8, the exhibition will open with a public reception on February 6, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Join us for a symposium on Black Theatre and Dance where artists, scholars, students, and community members gather to share in the vitality of Black performance traditions. Through dynamic performances and thoughtful conversations, we will explore the richness of Black storytelling across the diaspora. Come witness the power of community and celebrate how we sustain one another through creativity, dialogue, and shared purpose.
Learn more and register here.
American Studies | Art History and Archaeology | College of Arts and Humanities | David C. Driskell Center for the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora | Douglass Center | English | History
Monday, April 20, 2026 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm David C. Driskell Center
The Douglass Dialogues is a new event series that brings together scholars and public intellectuals from distinct and varied points of view for a public conversation around a timely theme. Grounded in the spirit of Frederick Douglass’s commitment to critical inquiry, moral clarity and democratic exchange, each dialogue foregrounds the productive tension that emerges when ideas are examined across differences. Rather than seeking consensus, the series values rigor, listening and the generative possibilities of disagreement, inviting participants and audiences alike to witness scholarship as a living, relational practice.
The first event in the series, What to Us Now is the Fourth of July?, references Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” in which he critiqued the American commemoration of its independence and also affirmed his astounding hope in American ideals. The conversation will also ask us to confront our own relationship and outlook on a nation celebrating 250 years. Is this celebration a sham? Does the Constitution provide an instrument of possibility?
Three scholars will offer varying perspectives on what this celebration, and the “character and conduct of this nation,” means in 2026.
They include:
Christopher Bonner, associate professor of history (UMD)
Janelle Wong, professor of American studies and government and politics (UMD)
Larry Thompson, John A. Sibley professor in corporate and business law at the University of Georgia and former deputy Attorney General of the United States under George W. Bush
Learn more and register here.
Arts for All | Language House | School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures
Monday, May 4, 2026 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 0107 St. Mary’s Hall, International Film Lounge
Join us for an international movie night at the Language House! The students of the Arabic cluster will be showing "Assal Eswed" on May 4 at 6pm in 0107 St. Mary's Hall, in Arabic with English subtitles. After spending 20 years in the United States, Masry returns to Egypt with a romanticized image of his homeland. However, he quickly encounters the everyday realities that challenge his expectations. Through humorous and heartfelt moments, Assal Eswed explores themes of identity, belonging, cultural perception, and what it truly means to call a place “home.” The film offers a light yet meaningful reflection on navigating between two worlds. All are welcome!
