KINGSTON, R.I. — December 7, 2020 — ChrisTiana ObeySumner, a social equity advocate, educator and consultant who is also Black, Indigenous, queer, non-binary, and multiply disabled, will give a lecture Tuesday, Dec. 8, as part of the University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium, “Challenging Expectations, Disability in the 21st Century.”
ObeySumner’s virtual lecture will bring awareness to the lived experience of racialized ableism and externalizing antiblackness, and dismantling the psychosocial paradigms that underlie social injustice and inaction.
The lecture, “Disability and Race” will take place virtually Tuesday at 7 p.m. The link to the lecture can be found on the day of the talk in the colloquium schedule next to ObeySumner’s name. This is the last of nine lectures, all presented virtually this semester because of COVID-19. If you haven’t been able to watch the presentations at their actual dates and times, the Honors Colloquium coordinators invite you to watch nearly all of the lectures at uri.edu/hc when it is convenient for you.
ObeySumner is the chief executive officer of Epiphanies of Equity, a social equity consulting firm that specializes in social change, intersectionality, antiracism and disability justice.
The organization is particularly interested in amplifying the importance of social equity and narrative identity development. ObeySumner has worked for nearly 20 years to bring attention to narrative identity development and its role in cultural humility and allyship.
“I believe our history will predict our future, and find it an invaluable tool to understand from where we’ve come, and where we are going,” said ObeySumner on her website. “Through this theoretical framework, I seek to empower individuals and organizations through tactful narrative identity development, innovative equity evolution guidance, and transformative education and thought-leadership.”
Lauren Poirier, an intern in the Marketing and Communications Department at URI and public relations and English major, wrote this press release.