NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its seventh annual Day of Dialogue – a campus-wide alternative day of education focused on "Exploring the Concept of Erasure." 

 

With suspended day classes to ensure full campus participation by students, faculty, and staff, this year's event will allow for the greatest participation. 

 

The Day of Dialogue begins at 9:30 a.m. with several sessions running throughout the day, and a keynote panel at noon in the Amsler Campus Center Gym. The panel will feature local leaders and artists discussing their personal and professional experiences with Erasure, as well as the culmination of Citizen Printer Amos Kennedy's return visit.  

 

This year's theme – Erasure – is defined as "...the practice of collective indifference that renders certain people and groups invisible...it alludes to the tendency of ideologies to dismiss inconvenient facts and is increasingly used to describe how inconvenient people are dismissed, their history, pain and achievements blotted out," (NY Times, 2016). 

 

There are many forms of erasure, including, but not limited to:  

 

Cultural Erasure- the intentional abandonment, and/or forgetting, of cultural practices.  

 

Historical Erasure- The (un)intentional suppression, or neglect of certain historical events,

i.e. rewriting history.  

 

Self-Erasure- The process of hiding, and/or diminishing, one's own identity for physical and psychological safety.  

 

Participants are invited to explore the concept of erasure in its various forms.  

 

According to a press release, in examining what has been omitted, the goal is to reclaim lost narratives that shape the understanding of the past and present. This exploration helps move toward truth and reconciliation, fostering critical discussions on how erasure impacts identity, memory, and society, encouraging a reimagining of inclusive narratives. 

 

A closing reception will close the day at 4:30 in the Academic Quad.