In a forum scheduled for Feb. 15, the Jandoli Institute will explore the role that musicians’ fans can play in promoting social justice.

The forum, “Prevention, Proliferation, and Prioritization: The Good You Can Do as a Fan,” will begin at 7 p.m. on Zoom.

“I plan to explain that fans of musicians can satisfy their underlying moral responsibility to prevent bad things from happening when doing so is within their power by promoting social justice causes that are relevant to their fandom,” said Dr. Alex Gillham, an assistant professor of philosophy at St. Bonaventure University, who will lead the program.

Gillham’s presentation, part of the institute’s “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” series, will be followed by an online discussion with:

• David Freeman, a musician, producer and cultural arts educator. Freeman is a faculty member at Pace University’s Department of Media, Communication and Visual Arts and Director of Education for Brooklyn Raga Massive. He also serves on the board of The Association of Teaching Artists.
• Richard Lee, an associate professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure and executive director of the Jandoli Institute. He writes and comments regularly on the intersection of music and public policy. During his career as a journalist, he covered rock ’n’ roll for several years before establishing himself as a political reporter.
• Stephen Wilt, an archivist at Media Transfer Service in Rochester and host of a weekly podcast, "Street Corner Talking.” As station manager and music director at 88.3 WSBU-FM, he interviewed professional musicians, celebrities and athletes. They included Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, Louis Anderson, Doug Flutee, Dr. Oz, Jimmy Page and many others.
• Paul Ziek, chair of the Department of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts at Pace University, where he teaches strategic and organizational communication in both the undergraduate and graduate programs. 

To register for the Feb. 15 forum, complete the institute’s online Registration Form.

The Jandoli Institute launched “Sharp Notes, Sharp Thoughts” in October to explore the connection between music and social justice. The institute developed the project in collaboration with the Department of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts at Pace University. Through the project, scholars, musicians, journalists and others plan to show how music has been – and can continue to be – a positive tool for social change.

“As scholars, musicians, and journalists interested in both music and social justice, we want to explore the prominent role music has played various progressive movements,” Lee said. “We hope that those who have faced unjust obstacles will join us to widen the perspectives developed in our sessions.”

The institute serves as a forum for academic research, creative ideas and discussion on the intersection between media and democracy. The institute, accessible at jandoli.net, is part of the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. In 2020, St. Bonaventure was named the #2 regional university value in New York and #3 in the North by U.S. News and World Report.