For this Winter Quarter’s Writing & Rhetoric Across Borders Speaker Series, Dr. Cedric Burrows has been invited by the WRD department to speak about his book Rhetorical Crossover: The Black Presence in White Culture. Dr. Burrows will present his research talk “Whitescripting and Afroplaining Reconstruction, Black Power, and Black Lives Matter” on Tuesday, February 9th 4:30-6:00.
The talk will explore “how the mainstream and African Americans narrate the events of Reconstruction, the Black Power Movement, and Black Lives Matter”, where all of these historical events risk misinterpretation by dominant discourses. Dr. Burrows will use the concepts of whitesplaining and afroplaining to analyze the perception and portrayal of these movements in his talk.
Whitesplaining “operates under the belief that African Americans are unequipped to function in American culture without a degree of dependency on whites,” and suggests whites are reliable spokespeople regarding black experiences in America. He defines afrosplaining as the response by African Americans that uses direct language to counter hegemonic discourse and Whitesplaining. Cedric will evaluate the way both discussions play into narratives of Reconstruction, the Black Power Movement, and Black Lives Matter as it appears in Mainstream media.
Dr. Burrows is an assistant professor of English at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, but grew up in Memphis. He researches and teaches in the fields of rhetorical studies, African American studies, and social movements. His research focuses on construction of narratives surrounding African American history and the relationship between those constructed narratives and the treatment of African Americans within the dominant culture of white America. His book, mentioned above, explores instances of rhetorical shift when African Americans enter white spaces. In June of 2020, he was awarded with Marquette’s Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award for his commitment to social activism and cultural rhetoric.
During his time at Marquette, Burrows has taught classes like “I Am We: Memoirs of the Black Freedom Movement and Writing,” “Literacy, Rhetorical Studies: The Rhetoric of the Black Freedom Movement,” and “The Rhetoric of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.” An associate professor of English at Marquette, Dr. Leah Flack explains in a 2020 article in Marquette Today that “After having some misgivings about the racial implications of the new Marquette Core Curriculum, Cedric decided for the benefit of our students to design a new course on the legacies of King and Malcolm X.”
In a short video released by the magazine, Dr. Burrows comments on the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, explaining that historically, Black Americans have gone unacknowledged and excluded from society at large. Thus, he explains, protests are a way of demonstrating a demand for society to acknowledge Black Americans on their terms…and admit that Black Lives Matter.
Dr. Burrows’ talk is sure to be an enriching experience in cultivating antiracist practices in academia and beyond. All WRD students and faculty are encouraged to attend on Tuesday February 9th 4:30-6. To do so, simply visit our Eventbrite page.