A film and panel discussion, a lecture and an exhibition have been scheduled at Hope College in conjunction with national Black History Month, which is February.

The documentary film “Coded Bias” will be shown on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre, with a panel discussion following.   The address “Black Liberation Through the Marketplace” will be presented by Dr. Rachel Ferguson of Concordia University on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall. The exhibition “Black History Month: Honoring Experience from Past and Present” is being featured in the Kruizenga Art Museum through Saturday, Feb. 26, with a talent presentation by students on Friday, Feb. 18.

The public is invited to each. Admission is free.

“Coded Bias” (Feb. 2, film and panel discussion)

The documentary “Coded Bias,” which is about facial-recognition algorithms seeing dark-skinned faces and women inaccurately, will be shown on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.  The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Hope faculty who will give their reactions to the film as well as their perspective in conjunction with their fields of study. The panelists will include: Dr. Gerald Griffin, who is interim provost and a member of the biology and psychology faculty; Dr. Brooke Odle of the engineering faculty; Dr. Omofolakunmi (Fola) Olagbemi of the computer science faculty; and Dr. Sonja Trent-Brown, who is chief officer for culture and inclusion and a member of the psychology faculty.  The presentation is sponsored by the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Computer Science, Black Student Union, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and Office of Sustainability.

“Black Liberation Through the Marketplace” (Feb. 7, lecture)

Dr. Rachel Ferguson of the Concordia University Chicago faculty will present “Black Liberation Through the Marketplace” on Monday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in Winants Auditorium of Graves Hall.  The event will also be livestreamed at hope.edu/live and via the Hope College YouTube channel.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the college’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Political Science, Markets & Morality student organization, and Tocqueville Forum.

“Black History Month: Honoring Experience from Past and Present” (Jan. 14-Feb. 26, exhibition, and Feb. 18 event)

The Kruizenga Art Museum is featuring the special focus exhibition “Black History Month: Honoring Experience from Past and Present.”  Curated by the college’s Black Student Union (BSU) working with the museum’s staff, the exhibition presents artworks commemorating historical and contemporary Black leaders and heroes who fought for equality and justice, and who continue that fight today. Featured alongside the artworks is a brief statement prepared by BSU on the theme of the exhibition.

The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The exhibition opened on Tuesday, Jan. 14, and will run through Saturday, Feb. 26.

BSU will also co-host a talent night alongside Hope’s Pan African Student Association (PASA) at the Kruizenga Art Museum on Friday, Feb. 18, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will be held among the Black History Month artworks in the KAM gallery space.

Additional Information

Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope is currently requiring that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their work space.

The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. 8th St., between College and Columbia avenues.

Graves Hall is located at 263 College Ave., between 10th and 12th streets.

The Kruizenga Art Museum is located at 271 Columbia Ave., between 10th and 13th streets.