History professor Gregg French will participate in a panel discussion on names that commemorate historical figures with controversial legacies, Sept. 22 at Art Windsor-Essex.
From monuments to towns, sports teams, streets, schools, landmarks, and buildings, many Canadians are questioning names that commemorate historical figures with controversial legacies — some even pushing for removals, renaming, and other changes.
UWindsor history professor Gregg French will participate in a discussion on how to reckon with the past while looking towards the future Thursday, Sept. 22.
Hosted by Art Windsor-Essex, “What's in a Name?: A Community Conversation” will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the third floor of the gallery, 401 Riverside Dr. West.
Dr. French serves on the board of the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, is co-ordinator of the Local Black History Internship Program, and is the co-chair of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences’ Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, and Decolonization Committee.
His research explores race-based identity formation and projections of power in colonial, post-colonial, borderland, and transnational spaces. Since the fall of 2021, he has taught a graduate course entitled “Monuments and Memory,” which critically examines the connections that exist at the intersection of identity, memory, power, and memorialization.
Joining French is moderator Craig Pearson, managing editor of the Windsor Star; artist Lana E. Talbot, a historian and tour guide at the Sandwich Baptist Church; and urban advocate Philippa von Ziegenweidt.