In this episode of BG Ideas, we welcome two inspiring guests: Heather Andolina, President of the Melungeon Heritage Association and host of the Melungeon Voices Podcast, and Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz Dasti, a literary scholar and translator, specializing in linguistic criticism. Both were presenters at ClassCon, a conference hosted at BGSU, inspired by Ray Brown, that seeks to give, “education a broader base and greater richness” through the exploration of the intersections between cultural and class studies.
Together, Andolina and Sheeraz take listeners through their experiences planning and hosting conferences, offering a look into the challenges and logistics of conference planning and the complexities of cross-cultural organization when curating meaningful events. They reflect on the personal significance of their work, discussing the transformative impact that these gatherings, which work to foster connectivity, identity exploration, and provide a forum for critical dialogue amongst diverse groups of people, have on communities.
A transcript for this episode can be found here.
