Blackness, Indigeneity, and Kinship as Solidarity

Dr. Kyle Mays | Department of African American Studies, the Department of American Indian Studies, & the Department of History, University of California, Los Angeles 

The events on this page are being organized with the Social Area of the Department. We thank the Social Area for taking the lead in inviting Dr. Kyle Mays to speak and for inviting the IRC to work with them in the organization and sponsorship of these events. We also thank the Department Colloquium Committee for their assistance in funding.  

The events are offered free. If you would like to make a donation in appreciation of the events and other materials that will be proviced after the event, you may wish to consider some of the following options:
- the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, visit: https://www.irsss.ca/
- Indspire, visit: https://indspire.ca/ways-to-give/donate/

ABOUT THE EVENT

Dr. Kyle Mays  offered an Online Public Colloquium (~1h45min) and an additional followup Online Small Group Meeting with Black/African, Indigenous, & Afro-Indigenous students and scholars (~45min)

Abstract for the main colloquium: 

This talk examines the importance of mino-bimaadiziwin, or the good life. An Anishinaabe philosophy rooted in better relations between human and non-human species, Dr. Mays argues that while solidarity might be fleeting, kinship might be the way forward for Black and Indigenous peoples to resist together, without sacrificing their respective histories and contemporary realities. Using historical examples and contemporary popular culture, he will examine the pitfalls and possibilities for a collective notion of reparatory justice.

ABOUT Dr. Kyle Mays:

Kyle T. Mays (he/him) is an Afro-Indigenous (Saginaw Chippewa) writer and scholar of Afro-Indigenous studies, urban studies, and contemporary popular culture. He is an Associate Professor in the Departments of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA. He is the author of three books, including City of Dispossessions: Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, and the Creation of Modern Detroit (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022) and An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States (Beacon Press, 2021).

For more information about Dr. Kyle Mays: https://www.kyle-mays.com