The 21st century is rife with instances of violence against Black people. New technology has captured many of these moments and has given rise to the #BlackLivesMatter movement. On February 28th, scholar, artist, and writer Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls will speak to the movement’s implicit twin – Black Deaths Matter.

She will examine multiple dance performances that address Black death, from the haunting death dance of Brooklyn dancer Storyboard P to a voguing dance performed in Union Square New York City protest against the murder of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray while in police custody.

“I’d like to argue that these Black performative gestures serve to restore Black life at the site of transaction. If the Black body is a target as many have argued, then can the Black dancing/performing body not also be a restorative agent?”

Black Deaths Matter takes place on Tuesday February 28th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Hart House (7 Hart House Circle).