Please join the Student Engagement Center in partnership with the Sexual Assault Prevention & Education Center, Jana's Campaign, and the 2024 Heartland Campus Safety Summit for the Jana Mackey Distinguished Lecture Series featuring Sabrina Strings, PhD on Wednesday, November 13th, from 7 pm - 8:30 pm, in Forum AB of the Burge Union. Appetizers and refreshments provided. 

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Of her lecture, titled "How Pornographers Worked to Kill Romance: Playboy, Rap, and the Invention of Fuccboism," Dr. Strings writes: "The die-off of romance among the younger generations (Millennials and Gen-Z) is palpable. But what if I told you that the trend we are witnessing with young people today began under their parent’s (Gen X and Boomer) and even their grandparent’s (Silent) generations? In this talk, I reveal that there was a little-known crusade during the mid-20th century movement era (~1950s-1980) to undo romance as a backlash to feminism. Initiated by white male media moguls, men were advised against commitment unless to the 'highest' type of woman. Later, many black male entertainers would ally themselves to the cause—an unexpected consequence of racial integration. Together, their efforts resulted in an explosion of men who are wary of serious relationships with women, especially women who are neither rich nor white: the so-called fuckboys. This talk, based on research done for my book The End of Love: Racism, Sexism and the Death of Romance, shows it’s not just social media and dating apps that ruined contemporary romance. The dissolution of romance began decades prior as the new mode of male domination."

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Sabrina Strings, PhD is Professor and North Hall Chair of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research examines race, gender, and embodiment in science, media, and medicine. She has been featured in dozens of venues, including BBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, NowThis!, Essence, Vogue, The Washington Post, TIME, and The New York Times. She is the author of the award-winning book Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU 2019). Her second book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism and the Death of Romance was just released with Beacon Press. Find her on the Netflix docuseries The Black Beauty Effect. Follow her latest moves on Twitter @Sastrings and IG @YoginiBlack.

ABOUT THE SERIES

In honor and memory of Jana Lynne Mackey, the University of Kansas established the Jana Mackey Distinguished Lecture Series in 2009. On July 3, 2008, Jana Lynne Mackey lost her life to violence perpetrated by an ex-boyfriend in Lawrence, Kansas. The 25-year-old University of Kansas law student was an advocate for women’s rights and "equality for all persons." She spent years volunteering to aid victims and survivors of sexual assault and relationship violence. In an effort to continue her important work, this lecture series was established to raise awareness about feminist issues close to Jana's heart, with the purpose of enhancing understanding, calling for activism, and providing a platform for discussion. Learn more about Jana's story by visiting Jana's Campaign.

ACCESSIBILITY

The SEC welcomes anyone within the University of Kansas community to attend our programming and events. If you require accommodations in order to attend our events or have questions regarding accessibility, please contact Cierra Roberson at csroberson@ku.edu.