Hindsight is 20...22

2372 Saint Claude Avenue,New Orleans LA 70117

18 November, 2021

Description

How do we mend the divisions among us? In this casual, open-minded discussion, we’ll explore how to deal with the past to heal the future. We are excited to welcome Nghana Lewis and Emily Modero into the Salon22 fold. Nghana Lewis is an associate professor of English and Africana Studies; a faculty affiliate of the School of Law; and an adjunct professor with the Department of Psychology. She also serves as District Judge with Louisiana’s 40th Judicial District Court. Dr. Lewis is the author of Entitled to the Pedestal: Place, Race, and Progress in White Southern Women’s Writing, 1920-1945 and several articles, which highlight her cross-sectional research and teaching interests in black literary & cultural studies, HIV/AIDS, hip hop, black women's health, and criminal justice transformation. Dr. Lewis’ current project, Black Women’s Health in the Age of Hip Hop & HIV/AIDS: A Retrospective Remix, examines how the praxis of hip hop feminism in works created by black women artists between 1996 and 2006 fostered a continuum of knowledge in response to the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on black women and girls, at a time when black women and girls were largely left out of sponsored HIV/AIDS-related clinical trials and empirical studies. Dr. Lewis is also currently developing The Literacy Clinic, a pilot prevention-intervention program that supports literacy education for adults who are involved in the criminal justice system and families with children enrolled in resource-challenged elementary public schools. Emily Madero has served as President and & CEO of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. since 2017. Under her leadership, the organization has placed increased focus on its non-profit mission to showcase New Orleans’ culture and heritage and contribute to the economic well-being and pride of the community. She has championed initiatives such as festival recycling, inclusivity, and community partnerships while supporting expanded programming that provides opportunity to more local musicians. Prior to taking the helm at FQFI, Emily devoted over a decade of her career to building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans with The Idea Village. While there, she served as a critical part of economic recovery in the immediate aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Formerly serving as COO and acting CEO, Emily was a key player in starting and building New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, a festival celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation in the city. A longtime New Orleans resident, Emily earned her Masters in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Psychology from Tulane University. Outside of her professional career, Emily is actively engaged in many community endeavors. She is a founding member of Campaign for Equity New Orleans, a grass roots movement committed to dismantling structural racism in New Orleans. Emily is fanatical about live music, visual arts, and food! She savors spending time with her husband and two daughters and their menagerie of pets, and her favorite room is the kitchen, where she loves to cook and enjoy long, boisterous evenings with friends and family. These incredible women will share examples of racial equity practices around the city from events to education to criminal justice; in what ways are we bridging the gap and where are we not? This will be an interactive conversation with like-minded women.