As the country continues to address oppression and consider critical economic issues, the University of Miami selection committee for the One Book, One U program has chosen “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond as its feature for the campus this semester.
Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning text is a riveting and moving ethnographic study of the affordable housing crisis in the United States, and it poignantly shows how access to the American Dream can be determined—and undermined—by racial and gendered injustices.
“‘Evicted’ is very much an important book, now more than ever,” explained Chantel Acevedo, director of the creative writing program and co-founder of the One Book, One U program. “With exponential rental hikes across the country, many people are finding themselves utterly displaced from their homes. This is happening in Miami with ferocious speed.”
Roxane Pickens, director of the Learning Commons at University of Miami Libraries and committee member, said the team of representatives—from every school and college, the student body, and other key stakeholders—is deeply invested in picking books that illuminate, educate, and inspire.
“The goal of One Book, One U has always been about exploring the diversity of the human experience through shared reading and dialogue, and we’ve certainly amplified this work to address systemic racial oppression,” she said. “Matthew Desmond’s ‘Evicted’ gives us a way to better understand that oppression and how economic concerns like a living wage and affordable housing are key factors in achieving a greater measure of social justice.”
As part of the One Book, One U program, an online keynote event with the author will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. This event is one of several that have been scheduled on campus to raise awareness of the intersection of race, poverty, and housing insecurity.
Miriam Glaser Lipsky, committee member and director of special projects in the Office of the Provost, hopes this book will have an impact on students.
“I hope that when students hear from Matthew Desmond about his work that they are inspired to think more deeply about these topics and their relevance to their future endeavors,” said Lipsky.
Common reading programs like One Book, One U can serve as a shared campus platform to surface important issues in addition to fostering community. Matthew Acevedo, director of information technology and committee member explained, “Not every university common reading program uses a social justice lens like ours does, but it’s hard to imagine a better way to build a common understanding on campus of the issues that our book selections address—whether it’s about housing justice or prior years’ themes, which included productive racial dialogues and struggles relating to immigration.”
Free copies of the book will be available for members of the University community while supplies last. The One Book, One U team will contact registrants within one week to provide information on the availability of books.
Register for the online event here.
Lowe Art Museum
Tuesdays at 1 p.m.—Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22
Mindfulness with the Lowe
The Lowe’s Art of Mindfulness remote sessions take place on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Each session will last approximately 40 minutes (a 30-minute guided practice with a 10-minute reflection and Q&A).
Registration is required to participate in these free virtual sessions. Visit the Lowe for more information.
Friday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Coffee, Tea, What Do You See?
Grab your favorite morning beverage and join the Lowe for a virtual interactive discussion about art from the museum's collection. Led by the members of the Lowe staff, participants will be asked open-ended questions about works of art to stimulate a group discussion.
Register here.
Friday, Feb. 11, 5:30 p.m.
Lowe Connects: Pierre Cavalan AMULETUM, totems for the day after tomorrow
Join the Lowe Art Museum for a presentation by artist Pierre Cavalan. His work is featured in the exhibition Force of Nature: Highlights from the Myrna B. Palley Art Jewelry Collection, on view through June 5.
Register here.
Friday, Feb. 18, 2–3 p.m.
Usketch
Sketch classes are for all levels of proficiency and provide students the opportunity to hone their drawing skills while also meeting and greeting other University of Miami students. Participants will learn to use pencils, pens, charcoal, and pastels.
Register here.
Wynwood Gallery
Extended through Feb. 11
The Department of Art and Art History presents “New Works,” featuring artwork of students earning their Master of Fine Arts. Works on display include photography, printmaking, painting, ceramics, and more.
University of Miami Gallery, Wynwood Building
2750 NW Third Ave., Suite 4
Miami, FL 33127
Get more information.
Frost School of Music
Friday, Feb. 4, 11, and 18, 1 p.m.
Racial Bias and Equity in Music
Sponsored by the Racial Justice Pilot Grant Program at the University of Miami, the webinars will be held in conjunction with the music education graduate forum at the Frost School of Music. Presenters will discuss topics such as racial inequalities in musical training, critical race theory in music education research, equity and social justice in music education, and intersections between music and cultural stereotypes.
Register here.
Tuesday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.
Maurice Gusman Concert Hall
A Celebration of Black Composers and Arrangers—Frost Concert Jazz Band and Frost Studio Jazz Band
John Daversa and Etienne Charles, directors
The Frost Concert Jazz Band and Frost Studio Jazz Band celebrate the work of Black composers and arrangers, including Thad Jones, Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Cedar Walton, Mary Lou Williams, and more.
Buy tickets.
Monday, Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m.
Maurice Gusman Concert Hall
An Italian Valentine
Bettina Mussumeli, violin; Jodi Levitz, viola; Ross Harbaugh, cello
Miami’s newest chamber ensemble, I Solisti di Miami, takes listeners on a romantic musical journey to Vivaldi’s Venice. Led by Frost School faculty Bettina Mussumeli, Jodi Levitz, and Ross Harbaugh, the ensemble also features Frost School alumni and current students.
Buy tickets.
Saturday, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m.
Maurice Gusman Concert Hall
JACK Quartet
Hailed by The New York Times as “our leading new-music foursome,” the JACK Quartet is one of the most acclaimed, renowned, and respected groups performing today. They maintain an unwavering commitment to performing and commissioning new works, giving voice to underheard composers, and cultivating an ever-greater sense of openness toward contemporary classical music.
Buy tickets.
Friday, Feb. 25, 5 p.m.
Weeks Center for Recording and Performance, Clarke Recital Hall
Robert Kelley Memorial Lecture Series
Race and Representation in Baroque Opera—and in the Music History Classroom
Ayana Smith is an associate professor of musicology at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She specializes in Baroque music; opera, aesthetics, and visual culture; race and representation in music history pedagogy; and women and gender in music. Her talk will highlight several case studies from her forthcoming book, “Race and Representation in the Music History Classroom: Leading Change through Pedagogy.”
Buy tickets.
Creative Writing Program
Thursday, Feb.10, 7–8:30 p.m.
Ibis Reading Series
The Creative Writing Program will feature writer Naima Coster and poet Ari Banias, whose work has been widely published in literary outlets and celebrated by nationally recognized institutions. Experience an intimate reading of their work followed by a Q&A with the authors.
Register here.
Center for the Humanities
Thursday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.
Daphne A. Brooks: "Blackface Broken Records: White Women, 'Black' Sounds & the Rise of Radical Blues Women"
What is the relationship between early 20th century white women blackface entertainers, the birth of the classic women’s blues craze, and the origins of America’s most famous opera, Porgy and Bess? This lecture digs deep into the archives of an array of pioneering musicians, playmakers, vaudeville performers, and theater artists in order to trace the through lines between the oft-overlooked history of minstrel women, postbellum racial terror, Black women’s musical genius, and the genesis of a Gershwin and Heyward production whose songs (“Summertime,” “I Loves You, Porgy”) are legendary. As this talk reveals, this moment of maelstrom ultimately created the conditions for African American women’s new experiments in sound that changed the course of the modern era.
Register here.
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 8 p.m.
Book Talk with Nebil Husayn: “Opposing the Imam: The Legacy of the Nawasib in Islamic Literature”
In this book, Nebil Husayn, assistant professor of religious studies, examines the enduring legacy of the nawasib, early Muslims who disliked Ali and his descendants. The nawasib participated in politics and scholarly discussions on religion at least until the ninth century. However, their virtual disappearance in Muslim societies has led many to ignore their existence and the subtle ways in which their views subsequently affected Islamic historiography and theology.
Register here.
