For this talk, we sit down with Dr. Rónké Òké to explore how racial imagery and identity is represented in the United States, on the African Continent, and in African Diasporic communities. We look forward to answering your questions!
Diversity Reboot Summit
On Race, Citizenship, and Identity with Dr. Rónké Òké, Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Belonging, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
This event has ended. You can watch the recording here.
Virtual
Meet The Speakers
Dr. Ronke Oke, Ph.D.
Director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity & Belonging (DEIB)
Dr. Rònké A. Òké is the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) where she operationalizes the tools of her academic training to drive the strategic implementation of PAFA’s diversity change agenda. Dr. Òké also has a faculty appointment in PAFA’s Liberal Arts Department. Prior to this role, Dr. Òké was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at West Chester University. Dr. Òké received her BA from Spelman College, MA from the University of Memphis, and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Penn State University. Dr. Òké specializes in race and identity formation with a particular emphasis on transnational conceptions of Blackness, Afro-feminism, and anti-racist, trans-structuralist social justice. Dr. Òké is a thought leader, literary artist, and a 2019 Leeway Foundation Art & Change grantee. In 2016, Dr. Òké founded The African Literati, a public programming company that provides curated literary events for companies, community organizations, and co-working spaces. Dr. Òké has a long history of moving throughout the non-profit, academic and community-organizing worlds and has a deep commitment to DEIB. She is co-founding The National Consortium of Diversity Practitioners, a resource network for Black professionals in the DEIB space.
Maryella Marie
Virtual Event Moderator, PowerToFly
Maryella Marie [she/her] is a renaissance womxn and social impact multimedia producer who has spent a decade working with diverse technologists, independent artists, and divergent innovators across the globe to deepen their audiences’ emotional intelligence. Sharing the virtual stage with disruptive leaders such as Deepak Chopra, Rha Goddess, Deepa Purushothaman, Katharine Zaleski, and many more, she curates meaningful conversations and installations centered around belonging, amplifies underserved and underheard voices, and develops provocative initiatives that bridge our shared stories + connect us to an enlightened state of awareness.