Meredith Gadsby

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith Gadsby participated in the panel “Diasporic Vision of Toni Morrison and Aimè Cèsaire” at the Toni Morrison Society’s 2024 Summer Symposium in Martinique June 22-27. It was the first in-person gathering of Morrison and Cèsaire scholars to discuss the shared vision of the African Diaspora in their works. Gadsby's paper, “The Greatest Kitchen Table Poets of All: Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, and Edwidge Danticat in Diasporic Dialogue,” examines Morrison's work in dialogue with that of Marshall and Danticat, exploring “kitchen table poetics” to mobilize a philosophy of Black love in resistance to Cesaire’s concept of “thingification.” Gadsby is a life member of the society and a member of its board.

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith Gadsby participated in a panel moderated by Warren R. Harding ’12 at the 2024 Caribbean Studies Association Conference in St. Lucia June 3-7. Gadsby presented the paper “Full Moon Passion on the Dark Side of the Moon: A Sudden and Big Lust: Menopausal Multiverses and Myth Making.” This conference hosts scholars, artists, public officials, and activists to discuss matters relevant to Caribbean communities within and outside the region. Gadsby is a past president of the Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars, which hosted a luncheon at the conference.

Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith M. Gadsby's chapter, "Still Eating Salt: Teaching Toni Cade Bambara for the Sake of #BlackWomensWellness and Political Transformation," was published in Rethinking Gender, Culture, and Health: Perspectives from Africa and The African Diaspora (Gouldline and Jacobs Publishing, 2020). This volume creates the space for scholars, health professionals, and development experts from three continents to engage in a vibrant discussion about the complexities of Black women's health in Africa and the African Diaspora; particularly the intersection of gender, race, class, age, culture, ethnicity and nationality. Gadsby's chapter focuses on the importance of radical self-care for Black women activists, a timely discussion as we experience international movements in defense of Black lives headed by Black women. Toni Cade Bambara's novel reminds readers of the importance of inclusive conversation about the unique emotional and wellness needs of Black women. For students, this novel is instructive in imaging feminist futures that destigmatize mental health and wellness in communities of color.  

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith Gadsby has been invited to participate in a panel discussion that will explore the “powerful and lasting influence” of Toni Morrison. "Toni Morrison at 90" will take place at Cornell University on February 18, Toni Morrison's Birthday. The panel of international scholars will discuss how Morrison’s scholarship and art have impacted writers, critics, and readers, and why her work still feels so fresh and vital today.

Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith Gadsby joins scholars from around the country as well as authors Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tayari Jones, Edwidge Danticat, and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to celebrate Toni Morrison as Cornell University’s College of Arts & Sciences hosts a livestreamed reading of her first novel, “The Bluest Eye.”

The Oct. 8 livestream will include more than 80 other readers in a full reading of the novel on the 50th anniversary of its publication. Participants will also hear portions of the book read in French, Spanish, Portuguese and German. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will be livestreamed on eCornell, as well as on Facebook. The public can register to attend “The Bluest Eye” event, and people are encouraged to listen to the entire reading or join in at any point during the day.

For more information on all of the Cornell Celebrates Toni Morrison events, visit the Arts Unplugged website. 

Meredith M. Gadsby joins the board of the Fund for Our Economic Future (FFOEF) as a Civic Member. FFOEF is a funding alliance made up of more than 40 organizations and individuals dedicated to advancing economic growth with equitable access to opportunity for the people of Northeast Ohio.

Meredith Gadsby, associate professor of Africana studies and faculty liaison, Toni Morrison Society, attended a Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Toni Morrison at Lorain County Community College (LCCC) on November 6, 2019. Morrison, Nobel Prize Laureate, novelist, literary and cultural critic was honored for her profound contributions to the arts, culture, and the humanities. Keynote speaker Dr. Marilyn Sanders-Mobley, a founding member of the Toni Morrison Society, reminded guests of Morrison's brilliant explorations of human experience and most of all, her "profound love for Black people." LCCC students Jason Jordan and Toni McClinton expressed great pride in their research on Morrison, feeling deeply connected to her story of growing up in Lorain, Ohio.  A short documentary showed her commitment to elevating that history by embedding places from her hometown in her novels. Jewon Woo, associate professor of english at LCCC, guides her students through Morrison's work, leading their research on her representation of the intimate lives of Black communities in the Midwest. Professor Emerita Marilyn Valentino and Denise M. Douglas, dean of social sciences and human services, hosted a diverse audience that included members of Morrison's family. 

On November 1, 2019, the Senate passed a resolution introduced by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) to honor the life, work, and legacy of Toni Morrison, one of America’s most formidable scholars, educators, and authors. Meredith Gadsby, associate professor of Africana studies and comparative American studies and faculty liaison for the Toni Morrison Society, took part in providing a letter of support from The Toni Morrison Society. The bill passed unanimously on the first vote.

November 6, 2019, State Representative Stephanie Howse (Cleveland, D-11) introduced House Bill 325 to designate February 18 "Toni Morrison Day." 

Meredith M. Gadsby was invited to edit a special cluster issue in the Journal of The African Literature Association about the scholarship of Carole Boyce Davies. Gadsby will write the introduction and anchor article.

Shelley Lee, associate professor of history and comparative American studies, Yveline Alexis, assistant professor of Africana studies, Meredith Gadsby, associate professor of Africana studies, and Gina Perez, professor of comparative American studies, co-authored the op-ed “Selective Compassion: The US Approach to Haitians Hasn’t Changed in Hundreds of Years” in Truthout.

Associate Professor of Africana Studies Meredith Gadsby was interviewed by the BBC for a documentary on author Toni Morrison. In the interview, Gadsby relays the tragic story of Lee Howard Dobbins, a 4-year-old fugitive slave who died after he made the journey to Oberlin, and explains the inspiration for Morrison's Bench the Road project. Gadsby is the faculty liaison for the Toni Morrison Society. The clip can be viewed here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02x4clm