Our differences matter—and the time to unite is now.
United we stand. E pluribus unum. From many, one. These affirmations of unity and difference are fundamental to any vibrant democracy. But in 2020, racial animus and discrimination have been reawakened. Across the U.S., COVID-19 has become a pretext for anti-Asian sentiment, while police killings of African Americans have sparked nationwide protests, bringing renewed urgency to the Black Lives Matter movement. At this critical juncture, how can we unite for the common good while affirming the value of our differences?
Join TEDxFSCJ for Not the Enemy, an adventure event featuring artists, activists, and academics from across the country who have dedicated their lives to exploring the rich diversity of racial identity. Our speakers will address how racism is and remains a defining element of contemporary America, but they will also place this issue in a wider context and conversation about the ambiguities of racial categories and the importance of multiple cultural traditions.
Hosted by visual artist and FSCJ student, Maiya Elaine, and Dr. Paul Hendrickson, FSCJ Professor of Communication and Philosophy, our speakers will include:
Speakers include:
GeeXella, rapper, DJ, and program coordinator at JASMYN, a Jacksonville LGBTQI+ youth center
Malcolm Jackson, artist and photographer based in Jacksonville
Dr. Russell Jeung, Chair and Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University
Diana King, Chinese-American photographer currently based in Nashville
Christina Kittle, activist and cofounder, Jacksonville Community Action Committee
Elena Øhlander, visual artist working in mixed media illustration and mural-making, based in Jacksonville
This virtual event is free and open to the public, but all attendees must register.
Check in early so you can join the pre-event viewing experience, which will feature video shorts by videographer Marc Mangra, including a newly created piece highlighting the Frisch Family Holocaust Memorial Gallery in Jacksonville.
This event will be held September 24, 7-9 p.m. Online check-in and pre-event will begin at 6:30 p.m.
GeeXella
GeeXella (they/them) is a singer, rapper, DJ and community organizer. Their passion for music served as the catalyst to create and organize DuvalFolx—the only intentional dance party/space for marginalized communities in Northeast Florida. Catering to LGBTQI+ youths isn’t exclusive to events but also carries over into their daily work as the Program Coordinator at JASMYN (LGBTQI+ youth center).
Malcolm Jackson
Malcolm Jackson is an award-winning artist and photographer currently based in Jacksonville, Florida. Malcolm uses photography as a bridge to connect the viewer to the realities of life for the common person in the 21st century. Using street photography to focus on race, class, identity and community, his photos have been commissioned by The New York Times and ESPN. The 2018 recipient of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Visual Artist of the Year, Malcolm’s work can be seen at malcjax.com
Russell Jeung
Dr. Russell Jeung is chair and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University as well as the author of several books and articles on race and religion, including Family Sacrifices: The Worldviews and Ethics of Chinese Americans and Moving Movers: Student Activism and the Emergence of Asian American Studies. In 2020, Dr. Jeung launched Stop AAPI Hate, a project of Chinese for Affirmative Action, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and the SF State Asian American Studies that tracks Covid-19 related discrimination in order to develop community resources and policy interventions to fight racism.
Christina Kittle
Christina Kittle is a community organizer, activist, public school teacher and artist. After Christina and four other activists, who would later become known as the Jax5, were beaten and unlawfully arrested while protesting in 2017, Christina co-founded the Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), a grassroots organization fighting for police accountability and self-determination in the Black Belt South. Since its foundation, JCAC launched the Jacksonville Police Accountability Council, organizes some of the largest civil rights demonstrations in Jacksonville’s history and works with and provides legal aid for families who have been the victims of police crime. At present, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee is pushing for the repeal of Fla. Stat. Ann. §§ 112.532, the Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights, a Jim Crow remnant that gives police extra due process protections.
Diana King
Diana King is a Chinese-American portrait, lifestyle, fashion and commercial photographer. She is known for her ability to draw an emotive and expressive quality in her subjects and uses color and lighting to reflect the mood and tone of her images. Originally from the Bay Area, California, King moved to Los Angeles to study film and cinematography at Chapman University. After years of working on big-budget commercial shoots, she transitioned to photography and used her background in film production to hone her skills as a photographer. King’s diverse portfolio includes work with many well-known brands such as Samsung and H&M. She is currently on the American Photographic Artists Diversity Committee to help create change in the photography community.
Elena Øhlander
Elena Øhlander is a visual artist working in the medium of mixed media illustration and mural-making. Currently residing in Jacksonville, she earned her B.F.A. in photography from The Art Institute in 2014 and began exhibiting her work at national galleries and museums. Influenced by Taiyo Matsumoto, Hayao Miyazaki, Yayoi Kusama and Yoshitomo Nara, Elena focuses on illustration that explores identity, gender issues, space, individuality and pop culture. The protagonist of Elena’s work takes viewers on a journey into her imagination through gesture, expression and environment to reveal the many facets of her inner life with the hope of inspiring the viewer to breakdown stereotypes and to look beyond the boundaries of culture and identity.
Hosts
Maiya Elaine
Maiya Elaine is a classically trained visual artist, technical theatre major and graduate from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. Currently enrolled in Florida State College at Jacksonville’s Bachelor’s Digital Media program, she utilizes the various tools and techniques in scenic painting and prop making in her work today. Her first solo show, “Breach,” explored themes and techniques for a new series in her studio at CoRK Art Studios where she combines her background in traditional techniques with digital in hopes to inspire others through the power of artistic expression. She is also the cultural correspondent for First Coast Living’s monthly segment, “The Artist’s Corner with Maiya Elaine,” where she discusses arts and cultural events happening in Northeast Florida.
Paul Hendrickson
Dr. Paul Hendrickson is the organizer of TEDxFSCJ and Professor of Speech Communication and Philosophy at Florida State College at Jacksonville. A student of political discourse and global human rights, Paul was a doctoral fellow at the Frankfurt School in Germany and his publications include a book translation published in the MIT Press series on Contemporary German Social Thought. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Chicago, an M.A. in communication arts from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. An avid jazz collector, Paul’s favorite TED talks include Chimamanda Adichie’s “The danger of a single story” and Ron Finley’s “A guerilla gardener in South Central LA.”