Rice Lecture Series to Focus on Community Healing and Revitalization

The Rice on the Road Lecture Series returns with a focus on the theme of Community Healing and Revitalization in the context of the neighboring Hill District community. The series is a collaborative effort between the Center for the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CCIT), the Division of Mission and Identity, and the Center for Community-Engaged Teaching and Research (CETR).

The four-part series is a mix of Hill District community excursions and on-campus discussions designed to share information about this neighborhood and provide participants the opportunity to engage in dialogue with a range of University and community stakeholders who work to advance collaborative, cross-disciplinary work for social justice.

“I especially appreciate the ways in which the series prioritizes the community context of the pressing and serious justice issues being explored,” said Dr. Lina Dostilio, CETR director. “Bringing these groups together to learn from one another is key to our journey together as we collaborate.”

CCIT director Dr. Darlene Weaver said she is excited about how this year’s series will help the campus community think about Duquesne’s commitment to social justice, the relevance of our Spiritan ethos for University-community relations and the specific social justice issue of community revitalization.

“This year in particular, we will acknowledge the scholarly and community impact the series has nurtured through our partnership with FOCUS Pittsburgh,” said Weaver. “With them, the series has explored the notion of community trauma and healing. It has been a joy and a privilege to witness the development of original scholarship, the emergence of a free clinic at FOCUS that includes behavioral health care and the evolution of a new approach to community revitalization. We are excited to share this story here at Duquesne and in the community.”

The Rice series will kick off with Community in Context: A Guided Tour of the Hill District on Thursday, March 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Transportation will be provided.

The remaining sessions for the series include:

• Faculty and Staff Workshop: Deepening the Intersections of Race, Social Justice and Current Events Within our Teaching and Programming, Wednesday, March 25
• Community Revitalization: Four Points of View, Wednesday, April 8
• Trauma-Informed Community Development and Revitalization, Tuesday, April 14.

The lecture series is named after Monsignor Charles Owen Rice, who studied at Duquesne University and St. Vincent’s Seminary. In addition to being an ordained priest, he was active in labor, civil rights and antiwar movements, and helped to create a shelter for homeless men.

The Rice on the Road series is free and open to the public. For more information and to register, visit the CCIT’s website or call 412.396.1595.