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Black History Month celebration continues with talk by Geoffrey Habron


Last updated February 11, 2019

By News administrator

Professors of sustainability science aren’t typically the first people who come to mind when organizers brainstorm for Black History Month presentations, so Geoffrey Habron was pleasantly surprised to be asked if he’d like to be a part of Furman’s 2019 celebration.

“The student said, ‘I’m not really sure if there’s a connection between the environment and black folks, but we thought we’d ask you,’” said Habron, who has taught in Furman’s department of earth and environmental sciences since 2017, with a laugh. “If you were going to have somebody talk about Black History Month, there are other faculty on campus that you’d go to first.”

But as it turns out, there’s a strong connection between the environment and American black history, which Habron will explain on Feb. 12 with his talk, “Environmentalism and Social Justice,” scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Patrick Lecture Hall in the Townes Science Center.

Habron teaches a class on sustainability and social justice, and among the many topics he plans to explore is the role of discrimination in the decline of the number of African-American farmers in the United States, diet and nutrition, and how environmental issues have impacted and currently impact black communities.

“I want everybody to walk away with a better appreciation for the simple things in life and yet how complex they are behind the scenes in terms of recognizing not everybody has the same access to things that we take for granted,” he said.

The talk is one of multiple events scheduled for February on the Furman campus to celebrate Black History Month. For a complete listing, visit the Furman News Events page.

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