Dr. Urbansky discusses the challenges faced by Chinese immigrants during the late Tsarist Empire and early Soviet Union, highlighting the racial and cultural prejudices that fueled hostilities in urban settings. His analysis explores how these early interactions shaped the experiences and perceptions of Chinese communities in a rapidly changing socio-political landscape.
Stop by the Global Hub to learn more about financial wellness!
Are you an international student at Pitt looking to connect, or interested in connecting with international students? Stop by the Nook in the Global Hub on Tuesdays, between 2 and 4 pm during Spring semester, to chat with OIS Outreach Coordinator Zharia White from the Office of International Services!
Attention: Undergraduate students! Are you looking to gain experience that will help prepare you for a globally-connected job market? Stop by Drop-In Hours to learn more about getting the Global Distinction added to your academic transcript, receiving special recognition at graduation, and standing out to prospective employers!
2/4: Learn about Hispanic traditions and customs in Latin America and enjoy some delicious empanadas!
2/11: Learn how to order food in Spanish and some popular Hispanic dishes while enjoying some Hispanic food!
No previous knowledge of Spanish is required!
Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!
Join AISEES for the first lecture of 2025!
Meeting ID: 836 1337 4056
Passcode: 229970
Bate-Papo Conversation Hour
Join the German Club on Wednesdays during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice German speaking and listening skills.
Join the French Club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during Spring semester for conversational meetings and to practice French speaking and listening skills and create a francophone community on campus!
On February 13, 2025, Fulbright Scholar Faraja Ngogo visited Linsly Middle School to deliver three interactive presentations on Tanzanian culture and the Kiswahili language. She engaged approximately 83 students in grades 8 and 9 in one session, and 66 students in grades 5 through 7 across two additional sessions. Through storytelling, cultural insights, and basic language instruction, students were introduced to life in East Africa from an authentic, personal perspective
Swahili Level 4 students: Join Swahili instructor Fraja Ngogo on Thursdays at 11 am-12 pm in the Global Hub to practice Swahili.
Investigating the legacies of authoritarian regimes in Latin America often means confronting the silences embedded within official records, personal testimonies, and collective memory. In this panel, Latin American historians Samantha Quadrat, Lucia Grinberg, and Ludmila Catela da Silva will share their experiences researching archives and engaging with collective memory to examine the military dictatorships that shaped Brazil and Argentina from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Swedish Speaking Club is a space for practicing Swedish and deepening cultural understanding alongside others who are learning.
Celebrate the life and legacy of Mal Goode, a fierce local advocate for Pittsburgh’s Black community. He challenged the police, politicians, and segregation, while providing Black listeners a radio voice that captured their experience before Jackie Robinson dared ABC leadership to give him a chance on TV. Goode was uncompromising in his belief that network news needed Black voices and perspectives if it were to authentically reflect the nation’s complexities and speak to all Americans. His success at ABC initiated the slow integration of network news. Goode’s life and work were remarkable, and his struggles and achievements speak to larger issues of American life and the African American experience.
Dr. Wayne Dawkins, professor of multimedia journalism at Morgan State University, Professor Joe Trotter of Carnegie Mellon University and Brian Cook, Multimedia Journalist will speak. Grandchildren Randy Wilburn and Christee Goode Laster will add their reflections. Pitt history professors Liann Tsoukas and Rob Ruck, whose biography, Mal Goode Reporting: The Life and Work of a Black Broadcast Trailblazer, was recently published by the University of Pittsburgh Press, will contribute remarks.
The Center for African Studies at the University of Pittsburgh attended and presented to 187 high school students during Environmental Charter High School’s Black History Month Celebration, which was organized in collaboration with the student group Young, Gifted, and Black.
The Center’s presentation highlighted African languages, music, dance, and cultural traditions and promoted upcoming in-school workshops designed to integrate these elements into K-12 classrooms.
Outcomes:
Strong student engagement and enthusiasm, with many expressing interest in African cultures and future programs.
Multiple teachers and administrators requested follow-up information to schedule workshops.
Strengthened community connections, including with representatives from the City of Pittsburgh and local cultural organizations.
Reinforced the Center’s commitment to culturally responsive education and community outreach.
In 2024, Brazil marks the 60th anniversary of the military coup that initiated a 21-year dictatorship. This coup was part of a broader wave of military interventions across South America, leading to authoritarian regimes in Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina. Although most of these regimes dissolved by the early 1990s, authoritarianism remains a significant element in Latin America’s political memory.
This conference brings together scholars from Latin America and the United States to examine the intersections of authoritarian governance, collective memory, and the ongoing struggle for justice and human rights across the region. Key topics include the role of political parties under authoritarian regimes, grassroots memory initiatives, transitional justice efforts, and the pressing challenge of strengthening democratic resilience in the face of resurgent authoritarianism.
9:15 Welcome remarks: Keila Grinberg, Lara Putnam, Sheila Velez-Martinez
9:30-11:30 am
Session 1: Memory, human rights and authoritarianism
Chair: Keila Grinberg (Pitt)
Samantha Quadrat (Universidade Federal Fluminense, Brazil)
Ludmila da Silva Catela (Universidade Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina)
Hugo Rojas (Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile)
Discussants: Laura Gotkowitz (Pitt) and Sheila Velez Martinez (Pitt)
lunch
1 -3 pm
Session 2: Politics under Authoritarian Regimes
Chair: Lara Putnam (Pitt)
Lucia Grinberg (Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil):
Roberto Simon (independent scholar)
Barbara Weinstein (New York University)
Discussants: José Cheibub (Pitt)
Coffee break
3:15 – 4:30 pm Keynote speaker: Dora Maria Telles (Harvard University): Authoritarianism, Once Again: Memories and Reflections
Discussant: Michel Gobat (Pitt)
4:30- 6 pm: Reception and book launch
This Valentine's Day, show your support for our emerging Latino communities by learning more about their rights, available resources, and how you can help. Join us for a special meeting where we'll discuss ways to protect and empower our families, friends, and neighbors. Whether you're seeking information, offering support, or just want to connect with others who care, this is the perfect way to stand in solidarity and share the love.
Open to ALL students, faculty, staff, and community
We hope to get new practice, writing, and research collaborations underway!
Supported by the Center for Health Equity and the Center for Latin American Studies
Join undergraduate Pitt students for a conversation hour to practice speaking in Hindi and Urdu and connect over shared cultural experiences.
Kya Baat Hai will meet weekly, on Fridays, during the 2024-2025 academic year, EXCEPT on March 7.
Swahili Level 2 students: Join Swahili instructor Faraja Ngogo on Fridays at 4-5 pm in the Global Hub to practice Swahili.
Join Addverse, a transcultural, multilingual, and intergenerational poetry organization, for weekly meetings in the Global Hub.
Addverse will meet weekly, on Fridays, during Spring 2025, EXCEPT on January 24 and March 7.
