Tuesday, February 17 | 7:30 p.m.
Franchesca Ramsey, vlogger: "Your Powerful Online Voice: Social Media for Social Change"
University Center Ballroom
Presented by the UMBC Humanities Forum

Vlogger Franchesca Ramsey discusses her approach to harnessing the power of social media across multiple platforms in order to engage in meaningful dialogues about social justice. Inspired by her interactions with other prominent social justice bloggers, Ramsey critiques the toxic “call-out culture” that pervades many social justice communities and explores alternative approaches to demanding accountability in online spaces. Her poignant video, How Slut Shaming Becomes Victim Blaming, which centers on her analysis of rape culture and its impact on the literal and metaphorical safe space for women and sexual assault survivors, provides the touch point for examining the role of vulnerability and raw affect in social justice work. Ramsey further explores the possibilities and challenges presented by using new media to talk about contentious issues like race, feminism, and body politics.

Franchesca Ramsey is a popular comedian who uses a humorous and accessible approach to engage in social justice dialogues via social media. She’s best known for her viral parody video on racial microaggressions, Shit White Girls Say…to Black Girls, which garnered 11 million views and national media attention. As a video blogger and social media consultant, she speaks on a variety of subjects including YouTube, blogging, viral marketing, using social media responsibly, and more.

Admission is free.

Sponsored by the UMBC Women’s Center, Student Life’s Mosaic Center, and the Dresher Center for the Humanities. For information on Critical Social Justice week and its sponsors: critsocjustice.wordpress.com.