The Tendaji Talks
May 3 – Honoring Our Ancestors
May 19 – We’re Better Together: Social Justice in Black and White
FLINT – APRIL 27, 2016 – Neighborhoods Without Borders continues its Tendaji Talks series in May with conversations on Flint’s African American history and a close examination on racism.
Longtime mentor and community advocate Hubert Roberts will remember his ancestor, Nat Turner, an enslaved African-American who led the 1831 rebellion of slaves and free blacks in Southampton, Va. After his arrest, speedy conviction and hanging, Virginia and other southern states passed new laws to control slaves and free blacks.
Roberts will also talk about the many lessons passed down from his parents, grandparents and others to reinforce cultural traditions and moral convictions.
Artina Sadler and Traci Kim share their deep friendship May 19 in a discussion about friendships across cultures. Their individual commitment to social justice has deepened their friendship and their friendship has deepened their commitment to social justice, they say. Hear them talk about the challenges they have confronted and dealt with to maintain their friendship and achieve their social justice goals.
The series includes two community conversations each month: Tackling Systemic Racism and the African American History of Flint. Tackling Systemic Racism conversations will take place the third Thursday of each month. The African American history series will take place the first Tuesdays. Both series are being hosted by the Flint Public Library and will begin at 6p.m. All lectures are free and open to the public.
The Tendaji Talks are sponsored by Flint’s Neighborhoods Without Borders (NWB), to commemorate the life and contributions of Tendaji W. Ganges, who died in 2015 after retiring after 20 years as director of the Office of Educational Opportunity Initiatives. Ganges was among the co-founders of NWB.
For more than 40 years including his time at UM-Flint, he dedicated over 40 years to pre-college and college level students by serving as a mentor and teacher. He served on numerous professional and community boards and committees including the Board of Directors of The Urban League of Greater Flint, membership on the Flint Big Brothers/Big Sisters Mentoring Task Force, the Flint Community Action Group, the Flint Community Leadership Summit and Planning Group, 100 Black Men of Flint, and the Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce.
NWB is a community-based network of residents who use an asset-based approach to work on critical Flint issues and their root causes. NWB works to dismantle systemic and institutional racism.
Funding to support this project has come from the Ruth Mott Foundation, C.S. Mott Foundation, Genesee County Health Department, UM-Flint School of Education and Human Services, MSU Center for Community and Economic Development, and Charlie Nelms. Additional community partners include the Flint Public Library and Metro Community Development, Inc.
