A symposium hosted by the University of Washington, Seattle on Medical Ethics, Race, Health and Justice. Keynote: Dorothy Roberts.

1.45-3.15 pm Panel 2: Racial, Gender and Class Inequities

Karin Martin, Public Policy The Consequences of Criminal Justice Debt for Health and Beyond

Erika Blacksher, Bioethics and Humanities White Deaths of Despair: The Potential Roles of Whiteness and Racism

Bettina Judd, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies “Questions that Lean Toward the Body, Trip": Black Women’s Healthcare and the Ghosts in the Clinic

(Bettina Judd, Ashaki Jackson, Khadijah Queen) With courts that convict just 2 percent of rapists, calling out predators publicly has become a vital tool in promoting the safety of vulnerable individuals. The members of this panel discuss candidly how they worked to call out prominent sexual predators, offering concrete tools for healing and advocacy. Their bold, ambitious aim: to end victim-shaming and silencing, foster protection of assault and harassment victims, and encourage greater professionalization in literary workplaces.

The Henry is excited to welcome Mickalene Thomas for a conversation taking place in the galleries of MUSE: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and tête-à-tête.  In conversation with artist, writer, and performer Dr. Bettina Judd, Thomas will address her work in relation to influential artists and communities of inspiration and will speak to the ways that concepts of beauty, pleasure, and interior space unfold through the photographs.

Mickalene Thomas (lives and works in Brooklyn, NY) makes paintings, collages, photography, video, and installations that draw on art history and popular culture to create a contemporary vision of female sexuality, beauty, and power. Blurring the distinction between object and subject, concrete and abstract, real and imaginary, Thomas constructs complex portraits, landscapes, and interiors in order to examine how identity, gender, and sense-of-self are informed by the ways women (and “feminine” spaces) are represented in art and popular culture. 

Dr. Bettina Judd is an interdisciplinary writer, artist, and performer whose research focuses on Black women's creative production and our use of visual art, literature, and music to develop feminist thought. She is currently Assistant Professor of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington.

The Seattle Erotic Art Festival is known worldwide for its comprehensive collection of international fine art celebrating the diversity of human sexual expression. The incredible creativity with which artists approach the subject of erotica is captured in all manner of visual media: painting, photography, sculpture, assemblage, prints, mixed media, and more. The Seattle Erotic Art Festival, now in its 16th year, is more than just an art show; it’s an interactive experience with lectures by amazing educators like Bettina Judd and Ms. Briq House, art tours with festival artists, a class on flirting skillfully with fans, and a myriad of ways for patrons to experience art. And remember, observation is a valid form of participation and consent is always respected.

World class performances await you, both on and off the stages. Local performance luminaries Luminous Pariah, Namii, Lowa De Boom Boom, Alyza DelPan-Monley, and San Francisco’s Shay Tiziano as the festival’s guest curators will blow you away with their exciting stage shows!

Interactive performance art at the Festival breaks the 4th wall by using the entirety of the festival space as the stage, as well as offering patrons a chance to become part of the performances. Interactive performers engage directly with our guests, creating an immersive environment.

We are proud to present world-class erotic art that is rarely seen in mainstream culture and redefines boundaries in exciting new ways. Get your tickets now to experience our delightful world of erotic art!

with Regina N. Bradley, Timothy Anne Burnside, Bettina Judd, and Fredara M. Hadley  

Conference Janet Jackson’s 1993 sultry remake of the song “That’s the Way Love Goes” opens with the line “Like a moth to a flame burned by the fire.” While Jackson is talking about the ups and downs of how love manifests itself, the imagery of the moth being burned by a flame also applies to how Black women attempt to view and position themselves in American society. Of particular interest is how Black women hold a peculiar space in popular culture: their bodies and cultural expressions are emulated, their style duplicated, but no room is made to recognize their agency. They are, in essence, burned by the very flame that they are attempting to master. The imposed expectations and biases placed upon black women about how to perform race, (hyper)sexuality, and class –in all senses of the word – also impact their autonomy.  Black women’s search for space in memory, in culture, and in themselves is especially significant in popular music.

Please join Jack Jones Literary Arts for its third anniversary event: a candid talk about the ways in which the #metoo movement is failing black women in publishing. We'll follow the talk with party selections from DJ Huneycut.