**Canceled** Lunch and Learn: The Neurocolorline — Locating Black Autism and Black Neurodivergence in the Archives

We’re sorry, this event has been canceled.

Please join us for a virtual discussion by Dr. Diana Paulin.  The title of this talk borrows from W.E.B.’s 1903 scholarly study in which he contends that “the problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line- the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea” (The Souls of Black Folk). This powerful image of a racialized line that separates communities and nations still resonates in the twenty-first century. However, the colorline is shaped by other factors, such as class and religion.  

Dr. Paulin will talk about how the history of anti-black racism and ableism in the U.S. erases both the past and contemporary experiences of Black neurodivergence. In fact, much of the archival work is detective work, reading between the lines, searching in unlikely collections, and identifying gaps in historical, medical, and cultural narratives because of the historical devaluation of Black well-being and humanity during enslavement and beyond. In the process of locating historic and contemporary instances of Black neurodivergence, Dr. Paulin contributes to the efforts to learn from, better understand, and include the contributions, survival strategies, challenges experienced not only by Black people but also by all neurodivergent people in our neurodiverse past and present world. 

This virtual program is free. To secure a spot, click here to register now. You will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link attached, and we will send you a reminder on the day of the program.  

 Questions? Contact Jennifer Busa, Public Programs and Special Events Coordinator, at jennifer_busa@chs.org. 

 About the Speaker 

Diana R. Paulin is Associate Professor of American Studies and English, and affiliate faculty in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Trinity College, Connecticut. She co-directs Trinity’s Global Health Humanities Gateway Program and coordinates the African American Studies minor. Dr. Paulin has published, taught, and presented extensively on Black autism. She was a speaker at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Crip the Met” series. She is currently working on a book project (Autistic Blackness), and on collaborative interactive digital archive (Locating Blackness).