FbD Lunch & Learn – Condemned: The Transformation of Race and Swampy Spaces in South Carolina

This talk by Dr. Morgan P. Vickers, Assistant Professor of Race/Racialization in the Department of Law, Societies & Justice at the University of Washington, brings listeners on a journey through the history of Black swampland inhabitation in Lowcountry South Carolina. Introducing attendees to concepts like “racialization” and “the invention of nature,” Dr. Vickers will demonstrate how the transformation of “wasted” wetland space and the denigration of “undesirable” people was and continues to be an explicitly social and racial project. This talk will highlight the role of average citizens, large-scale farmers, businesses, and policymakers in the social and material transformation of the Lowcountry, ultimately resulting in the drying of floodplains, the rerouting of rivers, and the construction of dams, levees, and other public works projects. The talk will conclude with a brief discussion around the present legacies of channelization and racialization, identifying how we might address the avulsions and crises of the present and future.
As always, we welcome feedback and ideas for upcoming topics so please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself (Allan Warren awarren@b-e-f.org), Carol MacIlroy (cmacilroy@gmail.com), or Austin Bernales (abernales@b-e-f.org).
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84542310435
Passcode: 1234