SPARK

Ignite your thinking about change and how it happens. Through interviews, book talks, field trips, film screenings, and more, you'll get to know the women and nonbinary people leading change in a wide range of areas, and learn more about the hard, but important, work of building a better future.

SPARK is open to all members of the Barnard community, including faculty, staff, alumnae, and friends of the college.

Click here to view our archive.

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This year, SPARK will examine how transitions shape our lives, organizations, communities, and culture — and the critical role leaders play during these times. How might we seize the opportunities these transitions present, rather than simply living through them — and how can we help others do so too? What does it look like for us to allow for — maybe even create — graceful endings, while we embrace new beginnings? What does it mean to be creative, collaborative, courageous, and conscientious in a moment of change? What is the role of leaders in this transitional moment? We'll be hosting dynamic discussions and compelling events addressing these questions and more all year. Watch this space for information about when and where to join us, and if you have an idea for us, let us know at athenacenter@barnard.edu.

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Welcome, Class of 2028 and incoming transfer students! Our very first SPARK of the year is for you.

A Walking Tour of Harlem

Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 1 pm

Registration required.

Join the Director of the Athena Center for Leadership, Umbreen Bhatti '00, for a walking tour of Harlem as a site of transition and transformation for the city and country. On our walk, we will explore the birth of Harlem as a Black Mecca, its transition into the Renaissance period, its role in the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, and its contemporary stories as a neighborhood that faces both challenges and opportunities. Along the way, we will learn about historic icons like Arturo Schomburg, Langston Hughes, Madame CJ Walker, Florence Mills, Ella Fitzgerald, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., W. E. B. DuBois, and countless others. The tour will be led by community historian Asad Dandia of New York Narratives.

Space is limited. Register in your NSOP schedule, available via Guidebook.