RUBY DEE AND OSSIE DAVIS IN “DO THE RIGHT THING” AND THEIR IMPACT ON U.S. FILM, THEATRE, AND CIVIL RIGHTS: Dr. Khalid Long of Howard University and Dr. Donald Gagnon of the WestConn Department of Theatre Arts will discuss two giants of American culture, their impact on U. S. film and theatre, and their engagement in the Civil Rights movement. This event will be at 3:30 p.m. in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus. It is free and open to the public.

Dr. Khalid Y. Long is the Interim Associate Dean of Research and Creative Endeavors, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at Howard University. A scholar, dramaturg, and director, Long specializes in African American/Black diasporic theatre, performance, and literature through the lenses of Black feminist/womanist thought, queer studies, and performance studies. Long is co-editor of Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance: Acts of Rebellion, Activism, and Solidarity (Methuen Drama) and is co-editor of the forthcoming anthology, August Wilson in Context for Cambridge University Press’s “Literature in Context” series. Long serves as the Vice President and Conference Planner for the August Wilson Society and serves on the board for the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR). Long recently served as the Vice President and Conference Planner for the Black Theatre Association (ATHE) and was the Vice President for Advocacy of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education.

Dr. Donald Gagnon holds a dual appointment as Professor of Theatre Arts and Professor of English at WestConn. His research, publications, and presentations range from African American drama to LGBTQ+ drama to musical theatre and more. The inaugural recipient of the WestConn Provost’s Award for Teaching, he is currently compiling an academic anthology on the politics of Oscar Hammerstein II, and he serves as a respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.