Each of our panelists will share their personal experiences with the mainstream treatment of multiracial/mixed identity as well as any backlash they've experienced. They'll also offer some strategies for having more nuanced, contextual conversations about "the mixed experience."
Join the discussion tomorrow Tuesday August 9th at 6pm EST.
Fanshen Cox
Actress, Educator, Co-Founder and Co-Producer of the Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival, co-host Mixed Chicks Chat
Fanshen graduated with honors from the University of Michigan and holds an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. She served 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde, West Africa and was one of the first recipients of the Peace Corps’ Franklin H. Williams Award. She honed her production skills as a Film Independent Project: Involve Fellow, and is the co- producer and co-host of Mixed Chicks Chat. She is currently working towards her MFA in Acting & Performance at CalState University, Los Angeles. During her first quarter there, she was awarded a Hollywood Foreign Press Association scholarship and was invited to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival as a nominee for an Irene Ryan Award. Fanshen’s parents are Jamaican, Scottish, Danish and Native American.
Marcia Alesan Dawkins, Ph.D.
Writer, Educator, Visiting Scholar at Brown University
Dr. Dawkins is an award-winning writer and educator interested in how people figure out who they are and how they connect with others. She shares what she's found--and her fresh perspectives on media, identity, diversity, religion, education, rhetoric and politics--through a variety of creative outlets. In addition to her two highly anticipated books about racial passing and Eminem, and co-edited anthology about popular culture, you can find Dr. Dawkins’ critical work and book reviews in a variety of academic journals and edited volumes; journalism and op-eds in Truthdig, The Root, The Huffington Post, and Cultural Weekly; and personal essays on Mixed and Happy and Race-Talk. Watch her on ABC Boston's CityLine. Listen to her on National Public Radio. Read her expert opinion in TIME Magazine. See her work featured on websites including Social Science Research Council and Campus Explorer. Take a workshop or class with Dr. Dawkins, or invite her to your college or corporate campus. Dr. Dawkins earned her Doctorate at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, her Master’s Degrees at New York University and the University of Southern California and her Bachelor’s Degrees at Villanova University. She is currently Visiting Scholar at Brown University.
Ulli K. Ryder, Ph.D.
Educator, consultant, writer, editor Visiting Scholar at Brown University
Dr. Ryder is an award-winning educator, consultant, writer, editor and thinker. She facilitates discussions of race, ethnicity, identity formation and media to foster diversity and create open dialogue.
Her expertise has been sought by institutions such as the University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, University of Rhode Island, Emerson College, and Brown University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Brown University since 2009 where she has taught courses on ethnic Los Angeles history and multiracial identities as well as acted as advisor and Senior Thesis Editor for Ethnic Studies majors. She is also a full-time lecturer in History and Africana Studies at Simmons College. In addition to teaching, Dr. Ryder is an expert on diversity outreach and was selected as the Graduate Student in Residence for Diversity Outreach by the University of Southern California’s Graduate School and was Program Coordinator for the Summer Humanities Institute at UCLA. Dr. Ryder earned her Ph.D. in American Studies & Ethnicity from the University of Southern California, where she was named a Top Graduate. She also holds a Master of Professional Writing (USC), a Master of Afro-American Studies (UCLA) and BA from Simmons College in English and African American Studies. Take a workshop or class with Dr. Ryder, or invite her to your college or corporate campus.
Her expertise has been sought by institutions such as the University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount University, University of Rhode Island, Emerson College, and Brown University. She has been a Visiting Scholar at Brown University since 2009 where she has taught courses on ethnic Los Angeles history and multiracial identities as well as acted as advisor and Senior Thesis Editor for Ethnic Studies majors. She is also a full-time lecturer in History and Africana Studies at Simmons College. In addition to teaching, Dr. Ryder is an expert on diversity outreach and was selected as the Graduate Student in Residence for Diversity Outreach by the University of Southern California’s Graduate School and was Program Coordinator for the Summer Humanities Institute at UCLA. Dr. Ryder earned her Ph.D. in American Studies & Ethnicity from the University of Southern California, where she was named a Top Graduate. She also holds a Master of Professional Writing (USC), a Master of Afro-American Studies (UCLA) and BA from Simmons College in English and African American Studies. Take a workshop or class with Dr. Ryder, or invite her to your college or corporate campus.
