Sinclair Community College, University of Dayton, and Wright State University are among the sponsors for an upcoming conference focusing on housing in Dayton.
The second Imagining Community Symposium will take place from Thursday, Feb. 16 to Saturday, Feb. 18 at various locations, including The Hub at the Dayton Arcade. It has “the goal of exploring the history, legacy and impact of injustice in Dayton.”
As some may have learned from Sinclair’s several displays and discussions, the issue of redlining still has its hold on the Dayton area. As housing becomes less affordable and abundant, it becomes even more difficult for people to accommodate themselves and their families. Even if they do have housing, such arrangements are not guaranteed to be safe or comfortable.
Thus, events such as the Imagining Community Symposium aim to educate community members and start a conversation about this kind of inequity.
The three-day event will feature topics such as housing rights, immigration, and racism, bringing awareness to how they are all connected. Keynote presentations will be done by UD professor Aaliyah Baker, author and scientist Lawrence Brown, and Tim Thomas of the UC Berkeley Urban Displacement Project.
Among other speakers are Sinclair professors Faheem Curtis-Khudir (history) and Dr. Katherine Rowell (sociology).
Dr. Rowell is the recipient of a 2022 Community College Faculty Fellowship presented by the Mellon Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies. The initiative awarded her $40,000 to continue her research into the impact of eviction and homelessness on children.
Related article: Redlining: The History of America’s Housing Discrimination
This funding includes the sponsorship of the Eviction Exhibit at the main branch of the Dayton Metro Library, which will be viewable Feb. 13 through April 23.
The exhibit is inspired by Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize winner “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.” UD students, faculty, and staff may participate in a book discussion on “Evicted,” with sessions taking place Feb. 22 through April 27.
As a precursor to the Imagining Community Symposium, the library will be hosting an opening for the exhibit accompanied by a documentary film on the right to counsel. Another documentary entitled “Lead Me Home” will be viewed at The Neon on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The symposium is open to the public, though some activities require registration. Those interested in attending can visit the University of Dayton website or email imaginingcommunity@udayton.edu to find out more.
Carly Webster
Staff Writer