DOHA: The author of a book that has opened up new perspectives on white supremacy and topped the New York Times bestseller list will share her views on racism and privilege — and how everyone can play their part in undoing them — in the latest edition of Qatar Foundation’s Education City Speaker Series next week.
Layla F. Saad — whose book Me and White Supremacy has gained an avid worldwide readership — will reflect on her own experiences of racism and society’s shared responsibility to identify, oppose, and defeat discrimination as the guest speaker at the online event on Wednesday.
Titled Race and Identity in the 21st Century, the talk comes as the issue of racial prejudice dominates global conversations, sparking widespread protests and calls for action. Saad — who, as well as being an author, is a teacher and influential voice on race, identity, leadership, personal transformation, and social change — will speak about what white supremacy really means, where its roots lie and how it is reinforced, the importance of being a good ancestor, and why people should recognise that the power to change notions of supremacy lies with them.
Moderated by Dr. Amal Mohammed Al Malki, Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), the Education City Speaker Series event will take place from 4-5.30pm on July 15, with viewers from Qatar, the region, and around the world being invited to put their questions to Saad during a Q&A session following the discussion.
Described as an anti-racism education workbook, Me and White Supremacy was initially offered for free in an Instagram challenge and in a self-published digital workbook in 2018.
In the space of six months, it was downloaded by 100,000 people, and has since become a USA Today, Amazon, Wall Street Journal, Indie, and Pacific Northwest bestseller, in addition to the New York Times. Having grown up in the West, Saad now lives in Qatar, and identifies herself as “an East African, Arab, British, Black, Muslim woman”.
Launched in 2018, the Education City Speaker Series is one of QF’s most popular platforms for dialogue, enabling its audience to hear from and interact with experts and thought-leaders on the topics that shape and influence our world.
Next week’s talk will be the third online edition of the Education City Speaker Series — which has continued amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting QF’s belief that dialogue never stops — following two recent events in collaboration with the World Innovation Summit for Health that opened up global perspectives on COVID-19, and focused on the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of societies around the world.
To register for the event through Microsoft Teams — where Arabic, French, Spanish, and Italian subtitles will be available — please visit www.qf.org.qa/ecss, where more information about the Education City Speaker Series can also be found. You can also watch this edition of the Education City Speaker Series on Qatar Foundation’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
