UMass Amherst AfroAm

09/19/2026

An Evening With Ruth E. Carter
A Trailblazing, Two-time Academy Award-Winning Costume Designer

Thursday, October 15, 2026, 7:30 PM
Field House, located inside the Wellness & Recreation Complex at Springfield College

Ruth E. Carter is an Academy Award-winning costume designer whose groundbreaking work has shaped some of film’s most iconic stories. She made history as the first Black person to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Black Panther, later becoming the first Black woman to win multiple Academy Awards and the first costume designer to win for both a film and its sequel with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. With more than three decades of experience and over 70 credits across film, television, and theater, Carter’s celebrated work includes Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Amistad, Selma, and Coming 2 America. Most recently, her work on Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earned her fifth Oscar nomination, making her the most nominated Black woman in Academy Awards history.

A Springfield native, Carter remains deeply connected to her hometown, where her achievements have been honored with a mural and the key to the city.

Book signing will follow the lecture.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is requested.
For more information about Ruth Carter and to register for the event, please visit https://springfield.edu/academics/school-of-arts-and-sciences/arts-and-humanities-speaker-series

The Arts & Humanities Speaker Series has been made possible through the generosity of Carlton ’63 and Lucille Sedgeley.

09/18/2026

09/17/2026

Bishop Talbert W. Swan II, D.Min., is the 2026 Ubora Award recipient!

A Springfield native, civil rights advocate, and community activist, Bishop Swan is pastor of Spring of Hope Church of God in Christ and President of the Greater Springfield NAACP. He has held several leadership positions within the Church of God in Christ and was appointed Prelate of the Greater Massachusetts Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in 2025.

Bishop Swan’s academic achievements include degrees in computer science and religious studies, master’s degrees in theology and urban ministry, and a Doctor of Ministry from Carolina University. In 2025, he was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.

Throughout his distinguished career, Bishop Swan has earned widespread recognition for his civil rights leadership. His work continues to influence conversations on racial equity, community engagement, and social justice at the local, state, and national levels, making him one of the region’s most respected voices for change.

Join us as we celebrate Bishop Swan at the 2026 Ubora and Ahadi Award Ceremony on Saturday, September 19 at 6 pm. Reception to follow.

🎟️ Tickets are $20. Reservations are recommended: https://springfieldmuseums.org/ubora/

09/16/2026

The W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies

09/16/2026

Join us on 10/8 at 7pm at Amherst Books in celebration and conversation of Dr. Rusert's new book "The Afric-American Picture Gallery: William J. Wilson's Speculative Museum of Black Art"

09/16/2026

Join us on 10/1 6pm-730pm in New Africa House to celebrate Dr. Caldwell's new book "The Fiercest Kind: Five Black Women in Art, Performance, and Resistance, 1937-1965"