The Architecture of an Apology  

Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati and Dr. Kimberly Vrudny will explore diverse means to make apologies meaningful.  Dr. El-Kati's talk will center around what countries do or don't do to apologize for atrocities of the past.  Dr. El-Kati will examine the architecture of an apology in terms of erecting monuments, memorials and museums, pointing out that concentration camps have been generally left in their original state to be observed and remembered whereas plantations have been converted into high-end bed and breakfasts and country clubs. Dr. Vrudny will suggest that the architecture of an apology requires not only recognition and acknowledgement of the role of Christian theology in certain atrocities (including the Holocaust, slavery, apartheid, and witch hunts), but also concrete evidence of constructive theological work being done to correct theological course in order to ensure that such atrocities occur never again.

The program will be moderated by Cynthia Assam, University of St. Thomas 3L and president of OUT!Law.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati is professor emeritus of history at Macalester College in St. Paul, where the Mahmoud El-Kati Distinguished Lectureship in American Studies was established in recognition of his scholarly and community work.  He is a lecturer, writer, and commentator on the African American experience. 

Kimberly Vrudny is an associate professor of systematic theology as the University of St. Thomas, where she has been on faculty since 2001 and teaches in the areas of theology and the arts and theological aesthetics.  Her current work involves researching works of protest, resistance, and prophetic art created in response to social issues such as human trafficking and child soldiering.