March 27, 2023

SIU community invited to lunch and learn about race language and immigration

by Christi Mathis

Patriann_Smith-sm.jpgCARBONDALE, Ill. — Faculty, staff and students are invited to attend a lunch and learn presentation at noon on Wednesday, March 29, in the Old Main room at the Student Center featuring Patriann Smith, associate professor of literacy studies at the University of South Florida. Her presentation is “Rac(e)ing Language and Immigration: Affirming the Lives and Literacies of International Students.”

Lunch will be served, and no registration is required in order to attend this conversation of understanding.

Smith’s research focuses on how literacy teaching, research, assessment and policy are influenced by the intersection of race, language and immigration. She studies the varied people groups, including Afro-Caribbean immigrants, African and other Black immigrants to the United States as well as Black American students in seeking and proposing solutions to advance social and racial justice across the races and languages.

Her work has been published in journals including the American Educational Research Journal, Teachers College Record, The Reaching Teacher and International Multilingual Research Journal. Her book “Black Immigrant Literacies: Intersections of Race, Language and Immigration” will come out this year. She is also co-author of the 2022 book “Affirming Black Students’ Lives and Literacies: Bearing Witness.”

The presentation is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.