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Adelphi Professor to Discuss African American Vernacular Tradition in Online Lecture

Correction: we originally had the wrong day of the week on this story. It is in fact on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Garden City, NY (02/19/2022) — Patricia G. Lespinasse, PhD, associate professor of African American Literature in African, Black, and Caribbean Studies at Adelphi University, will discuss the African American vernacular tradition (sermons, spirituals, blues and jazz) in a lecture on Wednesday, February 23. The event will be online from 7 to 8 p.m and is open to the public.

Lespinasse's lecture, "(Re)sounding Freedom: The Vernacular Tradition In African Diaspora Texts," will be presented through a historical perspective and analyze its connection to soundscapes in African Diaspora Literature.

Before joining Adelphi's faculty, Lespinasse received fellowships from Rutgers University and SUNY Binghamton University, where she taught full-time in the department of Africana Studies. She is the author of "The Drum Is A Wild Woman: Jazz and Gender in African Diaspora Literature," and associate editor of "The New Black Renaissance: The Souls Anthology of Critical African-American Studies." Her current book project is "The Other Intersection: Race, Gender and Religion in Twentieth Century Women's Writing."

Lespinasse's articles have appeared in the College Language Association Journal and Anthurium: A Caribbean Studies Journal. Professor Lespinasse is co-director of "Proud Blood," a documentary film that explores the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's controversial ban on blood donations from Haitians, part of a policy at the height of the HIV/AIDS global epidemic. Dr. Lespinasse earned her MA, MPhil, and PhD from Columbia University, and her BA from St. John's University.

The event, part of Adelphi's John Hope Franklin Distinguished Lecture series, is sponsored by the University's Center for African, Black and Caribbean Studies.

Learn more and register at adelphi.edu/events/john-hope-franklin-distinguished-lecture.

About Adelphi: A modern metropolitan university with a personalized approach to higher learning

Adelphi University, New York, is a highly awarded, nationally ranked, powerfully connected doctoral research university dedicated to transforming students' lives through small classes with world-class faculty, hands-on learning and innovative ways to support academic and career success. Adelphi offers exceptional liberal arts and sciences programs and professional training, with particular strength in our Core Four-Arts and Humanities, STEM and Social Sciences, the Business and Education Professions, and Health and Wellness.

Recognized as a Best College by U.S. News & World Report, Adelphi is Long Island's oldest private coeducational university. It serves more than 7,500 students at its beautiful main campus in Garden City, New York -- just 23 miles from New York City's cultural and internship opportunities -- and at dynamic learning hubs in Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and Suffolk County, as well as online.

More than 118,000 Adelphi graduates have gained the skills to thrive professionally as active, engaged citizens, making their mark on the University, their communities and the world.

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Patricia G. Lespinasse, PhD, associate professor of African American Literature in African, Black, and Caribbean Studies at Adelphi University

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