UH to Host First Annual Winter Institute for Black Studies

Two-day conference to bring together experts from across the country discussing health disparities among people of color

University of Hawaiʻi
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Posted: Dec 22, 2004

HONOLULU — To advance both the scholarship of faculty of African descent and the health needs of Hawaiʻi, the University of Hawaiʻi‘s Faculty of African Descent (FAD) presents the first annual Winter Institute for Black Studies, entitled "Lifestyle Changes: Keys to Reducing Health Disparities Among People of Color," January 18-19, 2005, at the East-West Center‘s Hawaiʻi Imin International Conference Center. The opening address will be delivered by Dr. Terry Shintani, creator of the award-winning Hawaiʻi Diet program and clinical faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi.

Each year the Winter Institute for Black Studies will feature a rotating Chair. The Chair for the first annual Institute is Dr. James Oliver Horton, Benjamin Banneker Professor of American Studies and History at George Washington University and Director of the Afro-American Communities Project of the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution.

An alumnus of the University of Hawaiʻi and nationally recognized advocate of public history, Horton will give the keynote address, "Trouble in Mind: Resisting the Physical and Emotional Effects of Slavery," at the conference‘s closing dinner banquet on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 at the Ala Moana Hotel. He will also participate in a book signing ceremony of "Slavery and the Making of America" during the closing banquet. Horton has been historical consultant to numerous film and video productions seen on PBS as well as ABC, the Discovery Channel, C-SPAN TV, and the History Channel.

In addition to Horton, more than 20 scholars will participate in panel discussions and presentations throughout the Institute. Topics will include research on health disparities; legal, educational and mental health strategies to eliminate health disparities; and the future of health in communities of color. There will also be a panel of Native Hawaiian health officials discussing the empowerment of Native Hawaiians in regards to their health.

Registration for the two-day conference, including meals, is $175 (regular) $125 (kamaʻaina rate), $75 (students) or $35 (dinner banquet only). Registration applications and more information about the conference are available online at www.UHFAD.com. January 14, 2005 is the registration deadline.

ABOUT FAD

The Faculty of African Descent (FAD) consists of 14 faculty members in tenure-track, lecturer, and administrative positions across the University of Hawaiʻi system. Faculty members are represented in the fields of law, political science, counselor education, educational leadership, speech pathology and audiology, philosophy, ethnic studies, medicine, teacher education, and tropical plant and soil sciences on the UH Mānoa campus. Other faculty members are represented on the university‘s Hilo and Kapiʻolani campuses. The Faculty of African Descent came into existence in 2003 and has had a positive impact on the university, the professional lives of its members, and the diverse student population throughout the University of Hawaiʻi system.