The 15th annual Sam and Marilyn Fox Atlas Week begins next week on April 12. With 130 events scheduled through the week, there will be plenty of opportunities to find an event that you fancy. To aid in your discernment process, we provide our top picks to attend!
Ryan McKinley: On Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m., there will be a screening of the film “The Last Conquistador” and a discussion with American-Indian artist and activist C. Maurus Chino. The movie discusses the building of a contentious statue of conquistador Juan de Oñate in El Paso, Texas, which some say is to honor the past of the city and others say glorifies someone who committed genocide against Native Americans.
Paul Brunkhorst: I think that the April 13 presentation entitled “Understanding the World: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Research” and hosted by SLU adjunct professor of Political Science Dr. Sterling Recker is worth attending. Recker has extensive experience working abroad, and I think that his perspectives on global political issues are worth hearing.
Casey Waughn: I’m excited for the Atlas week event, “Zumba: Dance for Women’s Education,” on Tuesday, April 14. This event combines many of my favorite things: food, exercise and women’s rights. Women’s education is becoming an increasingly prominent issue, but unfortunately, the problem is not getting much closer to being solved, as hundreds of thousands of women and girls around the world are denied a right to an education. This event specifically focuses on women’s education in Colombia, so there will be delicious Latin American food.
Kyle Smith: While there were a number of events that piqued my interest, the event entitled “Ukraine and You!” definitely stood out to me. Perhaps it was only the jarring use of the second person that grabbed my attention, but it definitely seems like something I don’t want to miss. The situation in Ukraine is one of the most interesting and complex political crises of our time.
Maggie Needham: I’m looking forward to an event hosted by Una, called “Trans 101.” While discussions on trans issues are gaining a little more traction in the media, SLU still has a lot to learn and a lot of progress to make in regards to gender identity. This workshop looks like it’ll create some good discussion, taking time to educate ourselves about the gender spectrum.
Tim Wilhelm: Sunday’s event, “Artful Gathering: Black and Bosnian Lives in St. Louis,” really stood out to me. Ever since I returned from a year abroad, I’ve been looking at St. Louis in ways I never had before, realizing that it does indeed have a rich culture and a depth of identity (if you make the effort to look for them). I think this event would be a worthwhile venture into aspects of St. Louisans’ lives that I hadn’t previously considered or explored.