Athenians are invited to the Peabody-Smithgall Lecture next week.
NPR’s Television critic and Chair of the Board of Jurors for the Peabody Awards, Eric Deggans, will deliver the lecture, which is part of UGA’s Signature Lecture series, Wednesday, April 3. Deggans said the talk is based on the book he wrote, titled Race-Baiter.”
“That book talks a lot about how different media outlets use stereotypes via different kinds of prejudices to galvanize audiences, pull audiences to them and keep audiences from going to other places,” Deggans said.
He said due to the success of the Civil Rights movement, it’s no longer socially acceptable to use openly racist language against black people, but other groups are often targeted.
“It used to be that black folks had to bear the brunt of that kind of language, so now other groups have had to shoulder that burden because it’s no longer acceptable,” Deggans said. “But even people who declare themselves to be white supremacists don’t necessarily want to be called bigots or racists.”
Jeffrey Jones is executive director of the Peabody’s.
“He delivers this speech around the country, often at universities, and it really asks us to take a really hard look at what we see in the media and what we take for granted and what we should challenge ourselves in what we see in news as well as entertainment representations,” Jones said.
The lecture is free and open to the public. It takes place Wednesday, April 3 at 4 p.m. in the UGA chapel.
