As we wrapped up the spring series, we welcomed guest speaker Winfried Brown-Glaude to campus to speak about her recent research on Jamaica and skin bleaching. Prior to the evening talk, there was a lunch with our guest where we had the chance to meet with her informally and simply have a conversation together. I really enjoy events like this because they give us the space to talk about almost anything and get to know everyone in the room more personally. We went around introducing ourselves, sharing things we were proud of and topics we’re interested in. It was really meaningful to have the opportunity to speak about my own research interests and hear others’ perspectives on food systems and food justice. We also discussed how we navigate field sites and what it means to be an outsider conducting qualitative research. I appreciated getting to hear about the exciting work others are doing on campus. Dr. Brown-Glaude shared more about her research and helped deconstruct some of my own ideas about Blackness—what it looks like and what it can be. I was especially glad that I had the chance to continue my conversation with her in a one-on-one interview after lunch.
-Da’Mirah Vinson ’26