Dr. Evelynn Hammonds Ponders Sexuality and Politics of Black Women's Bodies at Spelman College

Author and physicist Evelynn Hammonds, Ph.D., will serve as the opening speaker for the 2013-2014 Spelman College Ida B. Wells-Barnett Distinguished Lecture Series on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in the NASA auditorium at Spelman.

Dr. Hammonds is the Barbara Gutmann Rosenkratz Professor of History of Science and professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University. This year's multidisciplinary theme, Black (W)holes and Geometry: The Politics of Black Women's Bodies, is inspired by Dr. Hammonds' 1994 article, "Black (W)holes and the Geometry of Black Female Sexuality," and the work of Dorothy Roberts, J.D., professor of law, sociology and civil rights.

Hammonds and other distinguished lecturers will provide historical context and analysis on how social categories interact to create a system of oppression, leading to multiple forms of discrimination for Black women. Free to the public, Hammonds' lecture will be followed by a book signing.