As part of the Memories of a Massacre: Memphis in 1866 Project, Dr. Christina Moss will give a talk titled “Rhetoric and Commemoration: (Re)Marking Memories and Building Bridges and Why It Matters.” The lecture focuses on examples of civil rights commemoration and their importance to American identity.  Commemoration markers and memorials tell narratives that, in turn, define portions of American public memory.  In the case of civil rights commemoration, the (re)marking of memory is used to “bridge” the past with present calls for social justice and change.

Dr. Moss is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication at the University of Memphis-Lambuth. Her research examines the intersections of gender and race within southern culture, commemoration, and visual discourse. She is currently working on a book about rhetoric and commemoration of the civil rights movement in Selma, Alabama.

The event will take place April 1, 2016 at 1:00pm on the campus of the University of Memphis in the University Center’s Memphis Room. The event is free and the public is invited.