The Department of Africana Studies Presents: A Dr. Ralph Pruitt Lecture, Arts & Media Series

Africans Studies at Cleveland State University
Berkman Hall
1899 E. 22nd Street, Room 136
Cleveland, OH 44115
United States

On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the Department of Africana Studies will host a screening of "Dry Bones", Dr. Tara Conley’s powerful film about “Dynamite Ike” Maxwell—an iconic Black high school football player from Elyria, Ohio, whose promising path was forever altered following the tragic fatal shooting of his younger brother by a police officer in 1975.

The following day, Wednesday, March 25, Dr. Conley will deliver a talk titled “I’ve Been Bound by It: Representing Capitalist Enclosures in the Black Rust Belt,” which offers an important lens on history, community narratives, and regional Black experiences that I believe will resonate strongly with our students and faculty.