In 1976, South Africa’s apartheid regime enforced English and Afrikaans in segregated schools, sparking student protests in Soweto. Police responded violently, killing and injuring many. The uprising drew global condemnation and helped trigger apartheid’s eventual fall.

Vassar celebrates Soweto with a screening of Sifiso Khanyile’s critically acclaimed documentary Uprize!, followed by a faculty roundtable featuring Professors Mia Mask, Ismail Rashid, and Samson Opondo, along with local activist and South African native Dr. Ereshnee Naidu. The discussion will be moderated by Professor Mariam Rashid.

Sponsored by the Departments of Italian, French and Francophone Studies, German, Russian, Hispanic Studies, Chinese and Japanese, Greek and Roman Studies, English, Film, Political Science, Philosophy, Religion, History, and Education; and the Programs of Self-Instructional Language Program (SILP), American Studies, Asian Studies, Jewish Studies, Latin American and Latinx Studies, Media Studies, International Studies, Africana Studies, and the Jeh Vincent Johnson ALANA Cultural Center. Reception to follow.

Campus community only, please.