Jackson, West to reflect on 'Problem of Black Suffering'

Two leading figures in religious and cultural studies, the University of Michigan's Sherman Jackson and Princeton's Cornel West, will present a public dialogue at 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 29, in Room 104 of the Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding, 58 Prospect Ave.

The event is titled "Reflections on the Problem of Black Suffering: A Conversation With Professor Sherman Jackson and Professor Cornel West." Jackson and West will offer their perspectives on the historical problem and contemporary reality of suffering from both Christian and Muslim perspectives.

Jackson is a professor of Arabic and Islamic studies in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan whose research focuses on Islamic law and theology. He is the author of "Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering."

West is Princeton's Class of 1943 University Professor of in the Center for African American Studies and one of the country's leading intellectuals. His books include the best-sellers "Race Matters" and "Democracy Matters" and his recent memoir "Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud."

A book signing will follow the talk. The event is sponsored by the Muslim Life Program in the Office of Religious Life, the Fields Center, the Center for African American Studies, the Muslim Student Association, the Black Student Union and the Department of Near Eastern Studies.