Voices of Color Lecture Series

This lecture series was established in recognition and in honor of C. Christine Johnson, past director of the Higher Education Opportunity Program, for her 30 years of commitment to helping Hamilton students of color.

The C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series (VCLS) was created to recognize Hamilton’s commitment to cultural diversity and sponsors a lecture by an influential leader of color each year. By hosting reputable guest lecturers established in academia every year, VCLS offers a platform where they can speak to, challenge, inspire, and teach the college community.

Students Celebrate Women of Color on the Hill
Nearly 100 women of color, including students, faculty, and staff, gathered in Tolles Pavilion on February 29 to honor and learn from each other’s experiences as part of a student-led tradition that is unique to Hamilton: Womanist Week.
Topic

Student Experience
The Joy of an Evening With Angela Davis
At the end of an hour-long conversation about politics, activism, and change, Angela Davis faced one last question: What brings you joy?
Topic

College News
Political Activist Angela Davis to Speak at Hamilton on Feb. 23
Hamilton College’s C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series will present “An Evening with Angela Davis,” on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. in Wellin Hall in Schambach Center on campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Topic

College News
VCLS Hosts Panel on Southeast Asian Resettlement
The Voices of Color Lecture Series hosted a panel discussion featuring Kumari Regmi, Kay Klo, and Tabo Bo, who spoke candidly about their experiences with resettlement and the Southeast Asian community in Utica.
Topic

Student Experience
Activist and Musician “X” Speaks in Voices of Color Lecture Series
Activist, leader, and musician Xiuhtezcatl Martinez—also known as “X”— shared his message about climate and social justice and other topics, in a conversation with the Hamilton community on April 22. Mckela Kanu ’22 and Tenzin Sherpa ’23 moderated the conversation, which was part of The C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series.
Topic

Student Experience
Yusef Salaam of “Exonerated Five” Speaks in Voices of Color Lecture Series
Yusef Salaam, one of the five boys wrongfully charged in the 1989 Central Park jogger case, spoke in a webinar on Oct. 29 as part of the C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series.
Topic

College News
Tarana Burke: Survivor, Not Victim
Tarana Burke, civil rights activist and community organizer spoke to a rapt audience May 2 about her lived experience before, during and after her founding the Me Too Movement.
Topic

Days-Massolo Center
More Than Skin Deep
The C. Christine Johnson Voices of Color Lecture Series recently offered Hamilton students an opportunity to connect with their faculty and administrators outside of the classroom and on a personal level. Discussing race and gender, five faculty and staff members shared their experiences about negotiating their roles in their respective fields, despite the obstacles that gender and being a person of color impose.
Topic

Days-Massolo Center
Voices of Color Speaker Marc L. Hill: Choose Chaos or Community?
Focusing on the topic of “Building Community in an Hour of Chaos,” academic, advocate, and television personality Dr. Marc Lamont Hill spoke in an event hosted by the Voices of Color Lecture Series (VCLS) and the Days Massolo Center on April 13. He spoke candidly about the need for intergenerational activism as a way to bring constructive social change—garnering snaps and sounds of agreement echoing all throughout the Chapel.
Topic

Days-Massolo Center
Angela Davis: Redefining American Attitudes
Dr. Angela Davis, academic and civil rights advocate, spoke in the Chapel on Feb. 26 as part of the Voices of Color Lecture Series. Her discussion focused on how student activists can follow in the footsteps of older generations to develop and execute their own revolutionary ideology and to promote crucial socio-political change.
Topic

Days-Massolo Center