Marcia Chatelain, PhD, to Address the Importance of Community During Challenging Times

First 2020-21 Goodyear Fellow slated to keynote via Zoom Wednesday, September 2 at 11am
Admission is free; space is limited — please RSVP to advancement@foxcroft.org

Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University Dr. Marcia Chatelain has been named the first Alison Harrison Goodyear ’29 Fellow for the 2020-21 academic year. Focusing on Foxcroft’s academic theme for the year — “Use Your Voice for Good: Civic Engagement and Social Action” — Chatelain’s keynote entitled, “Where Do We Go From Here,” will draw from current events as well as her own personal history of growing up during a period of civil unrest. She takes inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 book with the same title, in which he asks if the world will move toward chaos or community. She will focus on the importance of community to challenge, motivate, and sustain us during periods of uncertainty, embracing the idea of the greater good, cultivating your voice, and caring for each other as a means to move us toward community during these difficult times.
In addition to her keynote address, Chatelain will conduct a workshop with student leaders that will emphasize the ways that young people have made a difference throughout history. Entitled, “At Your Age: Making a Difference Then, Making a Difference Now,” she will highlight stories of teenagers who agitated for social change, exposed problems, and challenged authority to remind students that they have the capacity to improve the world around them right now.

Finally, Dr. Chatelain has reserved some time at the end of this day for part one of a three-part faculty workshop series: “The Longest Year: Reflections on Teaching Today,” which will allow teachers to reflect on a once-in-a-lifetime school year. Part one will address how the national climate around race and injustice has shaped schools — from conversations in the classroom to discipline issues to new questions about inclusion. Parts two and three will take place later this year.

Dr. Chatelain brings a wealth of expertise in the history of civil rights, inclusive pedagogy, and public service to speak to the recent events and concerns that have created the backdrop for an especially challenging climate for students and faculty alike. She teaches about women’s and girls’ history as well as Black capitalism at Georgetown where she has won several teaching awards. In her latest book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, she examines the relationship between African American politicians, civil rights organizations, communities, and the fast food industry. Chatelain is a former co-host of the Slate podcast, “The Waves,” which covered feminism, gender, and current events. 

In 2016, the Chronicle of Higher Education named her a Top Influencer in academia in recognition of her social media campaign #FergusonSyllabus, which implored educators to facilitate discussions about the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. She has also held an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellowship at New America, a National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship, and an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship.

We hope you’ll make time to join us via Zoom on Wednesday, September 2 at 11am for Dr. Marcia Chatelain’s Goodyear Fellow community presentation. Admission is free; space is limited. Please RSVP to advancement@foxcroft.org.

The Alison Harrison Goodyear ’29 Fellowship program, offered through the generosity of the family and friends of Alison Harrison Goodyear, Foxcroft Class of 1929, brings distinguished speakers and provocative performers to Foxcroft to deliver a keynote address and conduct small group seminars with students. Fellowship recipients during the program’s 50-year history include such remarkable voices as Maya Angelou, James Baker III, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Sally Ride, Barbara Walters, tech entrepreneur Sheena Allen, hiker, author, and National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” Jennifer Pharr Davis, and most recently “Hello Fears” founder Michelle Poler, GenHERation founder Katlyn Grasso, and NPR’s Morning Edition host Rachel Martin, and The Social Institute founder Laura Tierney.
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An all-girls boarding and day school in Northern Virginia, Foxcroft prepares young women in grades 9-12 for success in college and in life. Our outstanding academic program offers challenging courses, including Advanced Placement classes and an innovative STEM program. Our premiere equestrian program is nationally recognized, and our athletic teams have won conference and state championships. Experience the best in girls' boarding schools: visit Foxcroft.