Grief, Action, Joy: Black Women at the Center of the Universe
October 23, 2024
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Location
1700 SSB
Address
1200 W. Harrison St., Suite 1700, Chicago, IL 60607
Calendar
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Join us for a special presentation of ongoing research projects about gender-based violence against Black women in Houston and Chicago, using storytelling, mapping, and art as tools for action and healing throughout the experience of pain and grief.
- 4:30-5:30pm: Dinner and interactive activities
- 5:30-6:30pm: Presentations and discussion
Please register below so we have an accurate headcount for dinner.
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About our presenters and their work:
Theresa Ezeani (she/her)
Theresa will be sharing the genesis of her memoir, The Serial Killings of Acres Homes: A Coming-of-Age Story, which analyzes a serial murder that took place in the Houston neighborhood of Acres Homes from 2006 to 2011. Instead of using the normal framework of looking at one person inflicting harm on a group of people, the memoir explores all the different components and contexts of the victims' lives in order to properly tell their stories.
Venus Obazuaye (they/them/theirs & he/him/his)
Many are familiar with a single statistic: the life expectancy of Black transgender women is thirty-five years old. With more data and research, the general sentiment on this statistic has changed, but its implications remain the same: the United States is deadly for Black transgender women, with Chicago identified as a localized hotspot of violence.
Though Black transgender communities are aware of the scale of the violence, this information rarely makes more than local news. As part of Dr. Terrion Williamson’s larger research on Black women and serial murder, this research study aims to highlight the experiences of missing and murdered Black transgender women. Drawing on frameworks established by Black queer feminists, their stories and struggle will lie in the center of wider analysis on gender-based violence. This study aims to create conversation between community members, activists, and journalists through oral history as the primary source of data collection and understanding–illuminating the public health issues that are entangled with these women’s experiences. It secondarily seeks to build a case for understanding the murder of Black transgender women in Chicago as serial murder.
This paper, and related presentation, will not only discuss what is learned from communities and newspapers, but document commentary on the practice of researching serial murder. Questions will be answered on what it means to be an accountable researcher, what it means to research pain and violence, and understanding and utilizing art as a means of action throughout the experience of pain and grief. This work will aim to see the lives and experiences of these women in full color, through commemorating their personhood and cementing their experiences as a cornerstone in the academic conversation on Black serial murder.
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Food, Safety, and Accessibility:
- Please wear a mask to increase safety and accessibility. We will have masks available if you don't have one with you.
- Dinner will be provided.
- Building and suite accessibility info is available on our website.
Please contact us with any questions or access requests: wlrc@uic.edu or (312) 413-1025.
Date posted
Oct 11, 2024
Date updated
Oct 11, 2024
Speakers
Theresa Ezeani | Undergraduate Student | University of Illinois Chicago
