Montgomery County Community College and its Arts and Culture office announce the return of the Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Social Peace and Justice Series presentation “Racism in America,” for its third season.

The three-session virtual series begins Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 12:30 PM. This year it will focus on the intersectionality of race, class, and gender as weapons of oppression. The second and third sessions will be held Wednesday, Feb. 8, and Wednesday, Feb. 22, respectively. The series is facilitated by MCCC Professor of English Dr. Fran L. Lassiter.

Dr. Lassiter and Brent Woods, Senior Director of Arts and Culture, said it’s a thrill to have the Racism in America series return because it will continue this important dialogue and provide an opportunity to highlight the college’s faculty.

“We have the opportunity showcase our faculty as scholars,” said Lassiter. “I think one thing we forget is our faculty are teachers, but they have individual interest and research outside the classroom. I’m excited for them to show a side of their expertise outside the classroom and engage with other faculty as well.”

Leading the first session in the Racism in America series, “Ethnicity and Culture: Understanding Race as a Social Construct,” will be MCCC Assistant Professor of History and Lecture Series Liaison Sanket H. Desai.

The second session “Class and Economics: How Society Views African American Men Economically” will be led by MCCC Assistant Professor of Mathematics Dr. Durrell Jones.

The third and final session this year, “Gender: The intersectionality of Race and Gender” will be led by MCCC Mass Media Studies and Production instructor and Sexuality and Gender Alliance club advisor Chera Watson.

There will also be three Hearing and Healing workshops online led by Dr. Keima Sheriff, founder of Dr. Kem Speaks . These free Zoom discussions online will not be recorded and will allow participants to reflect on the themes presented in the sessions. Each session is open to the community, but registration is required.

The Richard K. Bennett Distinguished Lectureship for Social Peace and Justice is supported through an endowment made from the William Penn Foundation through the Bennett Fund of the Montgomery County Community College Foundation. The entire series is sponsored by The Black Reserve Bookstore.

For more information about the “Racism in America” series and ticket information, visit mc3.edu.