Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 13 March 3, 2021 |
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If we look through the lens of history, we can see what seems to be a steady forward progress in areas such as science, medicine, and industry, although a closer look at any of those areas would reveal a more complicated picture. As much as we might wish it were different, any honest view of racial justice in the U.S. reveals a pattern that is much more cyclical and resistant. In her talk on March 15, Dianne Stewart will help us understand a topic that even now seems to be much less recognized than other justice issues. “Forbidden Black Love: America’s Hidden Civil Rights Issue” will likely have new information for most of us and also explain what can be done to accomplish change.
There is COVID-19 news on campus. In a message sent to the campus on February 19, President Fenves spoke of a concerning rise in COVID-19 cases among students and measures that will have to be undertaken to stop the surge. This news was particularly disappointing, given how relatively well the university had done last fall. The extent of the problem could be seen in the New York Times analysis of university cases throughout the U.S. That analysis showed total cases and cases reported in 2021 and the percent increase in 2021. Emory showed the greatest increase in cases of any school in Georgia (142%). Discussion in a faculty forum indicated that the increase was due to student cases, possibly related to fraternity and sorority rush followed by off campus parties. In a message on February 25, President Fenves stated that the university is committed to bringing all students back to campus this fall and that all faculty with a few exceptions are expected to be available for in-person instruction. That of course does not mean that the campus will be back to “normal” as it is likely that there will still be many safety measures mandated such as masking, testing, and whatever else is deemed necessary at that point for the safest possible environment.
I am very grateful to Gretchen Schulz, Ann Hartle, and Marge Crouse for help with editing and proofing.
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Lunch Colloquium - Monday, March 8
Voracious Viewers Anonymous, Assorted Members of the Emeritus College
“Binge-Fest 2020-21: Seen Any Good Shows Lately?”
Please scroll to read more below
Lunch Colloquium - Monday, March 15
Dianne Stewart
“Forbidden Black Love: America’s Hidden Civil Rights Issue”
Please scroll to read more below
Report - Lunch Colloquium - Monday, February 15
Mahlon DeLong
“Brain Circuits and Their Disorders, and the Path to Deep Brain Stimulation - My Life and Times in Neuroscience”
Please scroll to read more below
Report - Lunch Colloquium - Monday, February 22
Oded Borowski
“Sennacherib in Judah: The Archaeology of Destruction”
Please scroll to read more below
Faculty Activities
Brenda Bynum, Oded Borowski, and Vernon Robbins
Please scroll to read more below
Walking the Campus with Dianne
Please scroll to read more below
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Lunch Colloquium - Monday, March 8, 2021 |
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“Binge-Fest 2020-21: Seen Any Good Shows Lately?”
Voracious Viewers Anonymous, Assorted Members of the Emeritus College
Zoom Meeting
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
It has now been a year since the COVID-crisis began to work its transformations on our lives. We considered marking the anniversary by inviting those among us who’ve spent their versions of quarantine reading more than ever before to share their recommendations for “good reads.” But we’ve decided to schedule a “Binge-Fest” instead of a “Book-Fest”—and ask for volunteers to recommend the shows through which they have (also) sought to escape the realities of these trying times. If YOU have found some movies marvelous, some series irresistible, please let Gretchen Schulz know if you’d like to describe them to others who might enjoy them, too. Write her at gschulz@emory.edu, identifying the material you’d present, requesting five or (at most) ten minutes of time to do so. First come, first scheduled, until there’s no time left. And fair warning. If volunteers are lacking, Gretchen may claim leftover time to rave about the Australian soap she recently binged on herself: 80-plus episodes. Just sayin’.
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Lunch Colloquium - Monday, March 15, 2021 |
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“Forbidden Black Love: America’s Hidden Civil Rights Issue”
Dianne Stewart
Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies
Zoom Meeting
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
It is no secret that marriage is not what it used to be in America. Over the last century, marriage rates declined, and divorce rates increased by record numbers for all Americans, regardless of racial/ethnic background, and trends are already indicating similar patterns for the beginning of the 21st century. The data pertaining to rates of marriage among Black women across every demographic, however, register a distinctive social reality. Over seventy percent of Black women are unmarried in America, and most are not single by choice. When the search for love is a struggle, or a relationship ends, the “failure” can feel entirely personal. But as Professor Dianne Stewart will reveal in today’s Colloquium, Black women seeking satisfying long-term relationships with Black men are working against the headwinds of 400 years of history, racist policies, and deep-seated prejudice. Sharing insights from her 2020 book, Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage, Professor Stewart will draw on research in American history, social science, and theology to track how the sociopolitical arrangements of white supremacy have systematically broken the heart of Black America from the era of racial slavery to the period of the prison-industrial complex. Beyond exposing this tragedy of “forbidden Black love” as America’s unrecognized civil rights issue, Professor Stewart will discuss steps that activists, institutions, public servants, and ordinary Americans must take to create the conditions for healthy Black love and family life to flourish in our nation.
About Dianne Stewart:
Dr. Dianne Stewart is an Associate Professor of Religion and African American Studies. She holds a PhD in systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York and a MDiv in Theology and Culture from Harvard Divinity School. Her teaching and research interests focus on Africana Religious Studies; African, North African, and Anglophone Caribbean Christian Thought; Religion in Africa and the African Atlantic World/Diaspora; Womanist Thought; Gender and Religion; and Religious Studies. Dr. Stewart is the author of several books and numerous peer-reviewed articles and chapters. Her second book, Black Women, Black Love: America’s War on African American Marriage, published in 2020, was inspired by her pedagogical interest in Black love studies and her very popular courses on Black love. Dr. Stewart’s public scholarship on Black love has been published in several venues including The Washington Post. Her current book project, Local and Transnational Legacies of African Christianity in West Central Africa and the Black Atlantic World builds upon her research on 18th century Kongolese Catholicism and how it inspired the formation of Afro-Protestant institutions among African descendants in the 18th and 19th century Atlantic world.
Among her many awards, fellowships, and service contributions, Dr. Stewart is the recipient of the Emory Williams Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award and was a critical leader of Emory’s Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, one of the most distinguished national and international honors programs that seeks to diversify the academy by supporting students from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups in their pursuit of graduate degrees. Dr. Stewart serves on several committees within the American Academy of Religion and is the founding co-editor of the Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People series at Duke University Press.
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Lunch Colloquium Report - Monday, February 15, 2021 |
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“Brain Circuits and Their Disorders, and the Path to Deep Brain Stimulation - My Life and Times in Neuroscience”
Mahlon DeLong
Professor Emeritus, Emory Neurology
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Emory University knows Mahlon DeLong as an outstanding scientist and neurobiologist who has done groundbreaking research on Parkinson’s disease and other “circuit disorders” rooted in the basal ganglia of the brain. He’s also a compelling storyteller who charmed his audience at the Emeritus College Colloquium of February 15th with insights and anecdotes from a long career, remarkable for his apparent knack for opening doors just as opportunity raised its hand to knock. His educational path led from Stanford University, where a senior-year biology course led him to medicine, then to medical school at neurosciences-rich Harvard, where he discovered the new discipline of neurobiology, a combination of anatomy, physiology, and neurology. As an intern, he was captivated by the chair of neurology presenting a grand rounds patient with a movement disorder, the very problem that was destined to become his career-long interest. Faced with the spectre of Vietnam and a low draft number, Dr. DeLong left his medical residency for the National Institutes of Mental Health, where he arrived at his fellowship lab so late that “all the brain motor functions had been assigned except the ‘leftover’ basal ganglia,” about which virtually nothing was known. After five years of lab research recording single nerve cell activity to elucidate basal ganglia motor functions, he took a neurology residency and, later, a faculty position at Johns Hopkins, where he developed a major research program in Parkinson’s disease. This led to his recruitment to Atlanta in 1990 as William Patterson Timmie Professor and Chair of Neurology at Emory, where he became Co-Director and Founder of ENTICe (Emory Neuromodulation and Technology Innovation Center). ENTICe is a partnership between Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry at Emory University and Georgia Tech and Emory University Biomedical Engineering (BME).
Dr. DeLong focused his scientific presentation on “Circuits and Circuit Disorders: Functional Neurosurgery and the Modern Era of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS).” We began with sliced cauliflower-like MRI images of the brain where we were introduced to the deep central location of the basal ganglia and learned that the dark spots we saw represented structures with names like the substantia nigra, the thalamus, and the subthalamic nucleus. It was known that the basal ganglia (BG) communicated with the brain cortex, but it was thought they simply funneled information on movement and coordination to the thalamus. Dr. DeLong’s research showed that the BG actually connected to the cortex via a series of independent parallel circuits, both receiving and sending information to specific motor areas. What’s more, he identified circuits of the basal ganglia connecting with the limbic (emotional) and prefrontal (complex behavioral function) areas of the brain, making these pathways even more unified with brain function.
Examples of BG "circuit disorders" include Parkinsonism (tremor, slow movement, impaired speech or muscle stiffness), dystonia, hemiballismus, and chorea. When the limbic and/or prefrontal areas are affected, circuit disorders such as Tourette's syndrome and neuropsychiatric disorders (obsessive compulsive disorder, drug addiction, and depression) can occur.
In the 1950s, it was known that major disturbances of movement, cognition, and behavior occurred in BG disorders such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and Wilson’s diseases. Early attempts to treat specific areas in the BG with surgical destruction (ablation) were promising and yielded good information on anatomical mapping. However, when a neurotransmitter, dopamine, was discovered in the BG and was subsequently found to be depleted in the brains of patients with PD, research turned to medical therapies. When oral administration of Levodopa successfully treated PD, functional surgery was sidelined.
In the 1980s, in spite of numerous new drugs introduced for PD since the levodopa era, there remained a growing need to address disease progression and drug-induced motor and other complications. Thanks to the work of Dr. DeLong and his colleagues, functional surgery returned as pallidotomy (ablation of a specific area) was found to be effective for Parkinsonism and drug-induced motor complications. Lesion location and size were found to be the major factors influencing outcome with the new stereotaxic techniques.
In what was the most affecting part of his presentation, Dr. DeLong shared some patient videos showing the response to controlled surgical interventions. The first video showed the last lesion ablation (pallidotomy) his group performed in 1996 on John, a man with PD who had severe tremor and inability to move. “You don’t own your body: Parkinson’s owns it. You can’t do nothin’,” he declared before surgery. John was awake during the surgical procedure and was immediately able to tap his fingers and rotate his wrist when the brain lesion was ablated. He happily returned to a normal life afterward.
The next step in functional surgery for PD was the development of high-frequency Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the thalamus in place of ablation. Made possible by the development of cardiac pacemakers, DBS involves placing a wire into the subthalamic nucleus of the brain, connected to a battery under the skin of the chest. This device led to a virtual renaissance of neurosurgical treatments for neurologic and psychiatric disorders: Its advantages are that it’s less invasive, it can be adjusted, or reversed, if necessary, and it allows treatment of bilateral problem areas. Drawbacks are that it is an implant and thus subject to infection, and it requires regular return visits for programming and battery replacements. It can be used in conjunction with medications, though, allowing for fine-tuning of therapeutics to an individual patient.
Another impactful video showed Sybil, a retired Jamaican nurse with PD, who willingly underwent DBS for severe PD that prevented her from walking, feeding herself, and speaking without difficulty. “This disease has robbed me of my dignity and self-esteem,” she explained as she volunteered for DBS when it was first available. She had such good results on her right side that she went back for treatment on the other side. A month after the device was implanted, she was able to move without difficulty and even able to run.
The last patient Dr. DeLong spoke of was a man in his 30s with dystonia, a genetic disorder characterized by slow and sustained involuntary muscular contractions and abnormal postures. There are few effective drugs and patients get progressively more helpless and extremely self-conscious. Peter’s problem began when he was 18, and it had progressed to the point where he couldn’t practice law or even pick up his cats. After the DBS unit was implanted, he was able to not only hold his cats, but to stand erect and ride a bicycle—and work again.
What is the future of neuromodulation therapy? Dr. DeLong believes that DBS will continue to evolve as a highly effective approach to neuropsychiatric disorders, but he doesn’t rule out the possibility that the pendulum might swing back to ablation (using, e.g., MRI-guided and focused ultrasound). There are many more therapies in the future, as well. Thanks to Dr. DeLong and his collaborators, neurology has been transformed from a largely diagnostic to an increasingly therapeutic discipline. There is great hope that better and better treatments will become available. And Dr. DeLong ended his presentation by reminding us that if we have reason to refer anyone for treatment of Parkinson’s disease or another movement disorder, the Emory Neurology Movement Disorder Clinic is available for consultation.
--Marilynne McKay
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Lunch Colloquium Report - Monday, February 22, 2021 |
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“Sennacherib in Judah: The Archaeology of Destruction”
Oded Borowski
Professor Emeritus of Biblical Archaeology and Hebrew
Sennacherib in Judah: The Archaeology of Destruction
On February 22, Oded Borowski showed us the results of decades of archaeological labor that have produced adventure, remarkable discovery, and significantly new information at Tell Halif near Kibbutz Lahav in Israel. His blending of the common and familiar activities of daily life at the site of Tell Halif with the political ambition, skill, and power of King Hezekiah of Judah before and during 701 BCE was remarkable. As he exhibited to us the evidence of the industry and creativity of the people in the context of the destruction, we were enthralled by the richness of examples, the clarity of Oded’s descriptions, and the suspense of the unfolding story. We also became intrigued with the information that Oded was a member of Kibbutz Lahav near Tell Halif and had regularly walked through the site as a young man especially after rains when pieces of pottery and other items of interest might come into view and he could add more items to his growing collection at his home.
History of the Site in the Bible and the King Sennacherib Prisms
First Oded told us the historical events surrounding the 8th century BCE level of Tell Halif as the story is told both in the Bible and in the Annals written in Akkadian cuneiform on three Sennacherib Prisms (691-689 BCE) made of red baked clay: https://tinyurl.com/cdnfr834. The agreement between the biblical account and the Annals is truly breathtaking, allowing historians to correlate historical events with material data archaeologists have found at the 8th century BCE level of Tell Halif. The historical account makes clear that King Hezekiah of Judah provoked the attack by King Sennacherib of Assyria in 701 BCE by stopping the payment of tribute to the King, which was the standard way in which kings attained their wealth and maintained their power over conquered people.
The Four-Room Pillared House and the House Shrine
Of special importance in Oded’s presentation was evidence at Tell Halif, which he considers likely to be the biblical city of Rimmon, that King Hezekiah had ordered the people in the village to store food and other provisions in preparation for a siege by King Sennacherib of Assyria (modern day Iraq) before he stopped paying the tribute. Large storage jars, linked to substantive food production and storage to support the population of about 500 people, pointed not only to King Hezekiah’s skilled planning but also to the people’s energetic response to prepare themselves for the attack.
Textiles, Workshops, Loom Weights, and Spindle Whorls
Amid the items preserved in the quick destruction of the site in 701 BCE by King Sennacherib’s troops were an amazing number of clay loom weights—which look like very tiny to quite large donuts: https://tinyurl.com/vwt52vr5. In addition, there were spindle whorls, pointing not only to remarkable textile production but also to the people’s spinning of their own yarn.
Religion and Cult
Perhaps most surprising to some viewers was the discussion of the House Shrine and Shrine Room, where there were standing stones, small incense burning stands, and heads of large breasted figurines, all pointing to the presence of little household goddesses: https://tinyurl.com/25x3ukeb. The likelihood is that these are little Astarte or Ashera deities like those referred to in 2 Kings 23:4 in its account of King Josiah (ca. 632 BCE) when he removed from “the temple of the Lord [in Jerusalem] all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven…” (cf. Judges 3:7; 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Kings 23:6–7; 2 Chronicles 15:16). The mention in the Bible of continual removal of these goddess images suggests their regular presence among the people and presents the broader context of appeals by prophets to worship one god alone.
An “Indiana Jones” Moment
In response to a question, Oded explained that one of the greatest thrills of his many years of archaeological excavation occurred when they discovered an opening to one of the cisterns that is part of a yet to be fully explored water system. When, as leader of the excavation, he was the first person to enter the cistern, he truly felt like Indiana Jones as he breathed the dank air and carefully explored the walls and dark corners of the large room in which no one had been present for many centuries.
Viewing the Site from Above
At the end of his talk, Oded showed us how aerial photographs take them closer than basic overviews made from an airplane had been made of the site from the earliest days of excavation (1976-1977) to the most recent (2014-2016). Beginning with simply standing on a ladder at the top of the hill slope to take a picture, they progressed to standing on a high loader on a tractor loaned from Kibbutz Lahav. Next they stood on a tall water tank stand moved to the site, then tried using a blimp with a camera hanging below it, especially made for archaeologists to use. Finally, they were able to procure a drone to use, but even then, it crashed during the first attempt, and only during the following year were they able to use the most up-to-date drone technology to make close overhead views of the multiple fields of the site.
All in all the Colloquium was a very special treat with many excellent questions to which Oded joyfully and clearly responded.
--Vernon K Robbins
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Brenda Bynum
Senior Lecturer Emerita, Department of Theater Studies
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Lights, Camera, Action!
Emeritus member Brenda Bynum can be seen on the big screen....well, on whatever size your screen at home may be--as this movie is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
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Synopsis
Things Don’t Stay Fixed follows a worldly photojournalist, Sam Grace (William Gregory Lee, “Mentalist”) as he returns home to the Deep South in an attempt to stop his daughter, Nina (Melissa Saint-Amand, “Ozark”), from marrying and destroying her future. Sam’s return home becomes more telling as he discovers that he’s the one that has been stuck in the past all along. The southern gothic drama highlights the pain of family struggles, while also painting a picture of one's internal fight to let go of the past and look toward the future.
From director Bo Barnett (Helga) and writer Sandra Deer, Things Don’t Stay Fixed also stars Tara Ochs (Selma) and Brenda Bynum (Sharky’s Machine).
Release Details
Indican Pictures
Limited Theatrical: February 12, 2021 (Los Angeles, CA and Charleston, SC)
DVD + Digital HD Release: February 16, 2021
Digital Availability: Apple TV, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNOW, and more
Run Time: 94MIN
Rating: TV17
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Oded Borowski
Professor Emeritus of Biblical Archaeology and Hebrew
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Oded Borowski presented a Zoom lecture titled “’Man does not live by bread alone’ (Deut 8:3): Daily Life in Biblical Times” for the Oxford University Chabad Society on February 23, 2021. |
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Vernon K. Robbins
Professor Emeritus of Religion
Winship Distinguished Research Professor in the Humanities
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Vernon writes:
During the last few months the following book and essay have appeared in print:
Vernon K. Robbins, Welcoming the Nations: International Sociorhetorical Explorations. With Roy R. Jeal. International Voices in Biblical Interpretation. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2020. You can buy this book on amazon.com or download it for free by clicking here.
Vernon K. Robbins, “Voyaging on the Sea of Life: Reflections on the We-Passages in Acts,” Biblical Research 65 (2020): 58–76.
From March through October, 2020, I prepared and taught on Zoom sixty-six Study Guides on Tuesdays and Fridays on “Human and Divine Love in the New Testament.” Then in January, 2021, I started a twice-a-week Zoom study on “How Christianity Became White in the Bible and the World.” Beyond local participants in the Zoom are members from Canada, Minnesota, South Carolina, and Michigan. In addition, I have organized and hosted Zoom monthly meetings of the Atlanta New Testament Colloquium that have included participants in Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, and Canada, in addition to those from a wide representation of states in the US.
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Walking the Campus with Dianne |
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The beautiful staircase and window from our last walk can be found in the Asa Griggs Candler Library, which is located on the main campus quad. The window in the photo, looks out onto the quad opposite the Administration Building. As mentioned before, I haven't explored much in this particular building, but once the pandemic allows, this will be one of the first I look at more closely.
I found an Emory University mobile video tour that features an interview with Ginger Smith, Campus and Community Relations, about the Candler Library. Please click here to view
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The next building we will visit is an extremely busy, behind-the-scenes, kind of place. There is a lot more going on here than most are aware of, and it claims a very important first for Emory. |
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Where will you find this on the Emory Campus? |
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Emory University Emeritus College
The Luce Center
825 Houston Mill Road NE #206
Atlanta, GA 30329
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