There will be several speakers this week at Missouri Western State University covering a variety of topics.

On Wednesday, Amal Kassir, a young Muslim Syrian-American poet, storyteller and activist, will speak at Missouri Western.

Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Kassir has performed in 10 countries and more than 45 cities. She has conducted workshops, given lectures and recited her poetry in venues ranging from youth prisons to orphanages to refugee camps to universities to churches to community spaces for the public. She advocates for education and building individual agency in underserved and vulnerable populations, especially through writing.

Kassir’s appearance is sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Education, the International Center, the Department of Communication and Journalism and the Student Government Association. Kassir will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26 in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101. The presentation is free and open to the public.

 

On Thursday, a political geographer from Virginia will present a talk titled “Boasts of the Confederacy? Race, Memory and the Politics of Monument Landscapes in Southeast Virginia.”

Dr. Jonathan Leib is professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and Geography at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. His research interest have largely focused on political and cultural change in the American South, with an emphasis on the politics of Civil Rights symbols as well as issues of voting rights and elections in the region.

Dr. Leib’s talk is part of Missouri Western’s Interdisciplinary Nature of Geography Speaker Series, presented by the Department of History and Geography.

The presentation takes place at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 in Agenstein Hall, room 224 on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Also on Thursday, Michael Brown Sr. will speak as part of the Standing in Your Truth Lecture Series.

Brown Sr. will share the true story of his experience of his son’s death, and he will present a father’s perspective on social justice, conflict resolution, community engagement and confronting racism.

The presentation takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Kemper Recital Hall, Spratt Hall room 101 and is free and open to the public.