Helena Hicks Speakers Series: Robbie Shilliam

Description

Dr. Robbie Shilliam, a professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University, will give a talk entitled "Thinking Through Fascism Today by Looking to the Past," presented by the Billie Holiday Project for Liberation Arts as part of the Helena Hicks Speakers' Series.

Political commentators and human rights advocates have often called President Donald Trump's policies and proclivities "fascist." Whether one agrees or disagrees depends, of course, upon how we define fascism. So, what is fascism, and how does it threaten democracy? This talk will foster discussion on how communities of faith might address these questions by examining fascism in its original historical context. Using a Rastafari perspective, this talk explores the resistance by the African diaspora to Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia (1935-1941). Come and learn about the roots of fascism and its challenge to global democracy while un-learning what you think you know about Rastafari — a biblically-based faith focused on spreading the virtues of universal peace, love, justice, and rights.