DeKALB — The NIU Center for Black Studies and RAMP will host a presentation from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday in the Regency Room at the Holmes Student Center, 340 Carroll Avenue.

The presentation, Intersectionality of Disability and Race. will feature speakers Joseph Flynn, NIU associate professor of curriculum and instruction; Amanda Newman, NIU acting director of the Disability Resource Center; Jessica Wexell, RAMP DeKalb County manager and Eric Brown, RAMP systems advocacy coordinator, according to the NIU events calendar. 

The speakers will discuss the relationship and intersecting issues between race and disabilities.

RAMP’s mission is to encourage people with disabilities to reach their full potential and to build an inclusive community, according to RAMP’s website. A majority of the staff at the organization have disabilities, giving RAMP a unique insight into the issues individuals with disabilities face every day.

RAMP advocates for the implementation of current laws, promotion of needed legislation and improvement of existing systems for people with disabilities, while working to diminish negative attitudes that threaten to impede equal access, according to RAMP’s website.

The NIU Center for Black Studies (CBS) works to advocate for Black students at NIU and the larger DeKalb community. The group was established in 1971, and to this day continues to support NIU’s mission of excellence and engagement in teaching, learning, research, scholarship, creativity, artistry and service, according to the center’s website. 

CBS also provides NIU and the surrounding area with knowledge and understanding of the histories and cultures of African Americans and the African diaspora.