Just Mercy

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 24 February 2020 > Shine Bright Lycée What's On

A new film tells the true story of a battle against endemic racism in the American justice system. It’s based on a memoir by  Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer in Alabama, and tells the story of his firm’s battle to prove the innocence of Walter McMillian, who was condemned to death for a murder he didn’t … Continue reading “Just Mercy”

Alex Taylor on What it Means to Be British

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 06 February 2020 > What's On

What does it mean to be British, French or European? In the light of Brexit, journalist Alex Taylor will discuss this thorny question in a free talk at the British Council on Thursday 5 March. Taylor is proudly bi-national, bi-cultural and multilingual. A convinced European, he has been reporting on Europe, and Britain, in France … Continue reading “Alex Taylor on What it Means to Be British”

Payback for Slavery

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 16 August 2019 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

Students at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, have voted to pay reparations to the descendants of 272 slaves sold by the Jesuit university in 1838. A long-running campaign by students has identified descendants of the 272, who were sold to plantations in Louisiana. A student referendum voted for each student to pay a small amount … Continue reading “Payback for Slavery”

Dancing Nina Simone

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 11 April 2019 > What's On

Britain’s celebrated modern dance company, Rambert, is celebrating singer Nina Simone with a dance-theatre piece featuring musicians live on stage. Simone, who died in 2003, was one of the great, and unclassifiable, popular singers of the 20th century, and a strong proponent of Civil Rights. Simone was born in North Carolina in 1933. She had … Continue reading “Dancing Nina Simone”

Save the Date: Rockwell in Caen

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 26 March 2019 > Pedagogy

To commemorate the 75th anniversary the D-Day landings, the Mémorial de Caen is hosting a touring exhibition dedicated to Norman Rockwell’s depictions of President Roosevelt’s vision of a post-war future. Franklin D. Roosevelt first formulated the “Four Freedoms” in 1941 for his State of the Union speech: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from … Continue reading “Save the Date: Rockwell in Caen”

Black History Month in Rennes

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 30 January 2019 > Celebrate

In honour of the Black History Month, the Institut Franco-Américain in Rennes has two events centered around author James Baldwin, just in time for the release of the Oscar-nominated If Beale Street Could Talk. Born in 1924 in Harlem, New York, Baldwin is remembered as a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist and social critic. From 1948 … Continue reading “Black History Month in Rennes”