We invite you to a roundtable discussion of Sinners (2025), directed by Ryan Coogler. This event will feature brief commentary by four VCU scholars currently teaching the film in their classes, followed by an extended Q&A with the audience. Come early for pizza or feel free to bring a bagged lunch. All are welcome and students are encouraged to attend. We recommend that you screen the film before attending. Features commentary from AFAM's Dr. Grace Gipson, English and MATX faculty member Dr Mary Caton Lingold, MATX faculty member Nichole Palmer, and English faculty Dr. Oliver Speck.

About the Speaker

Grace Gipson, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on theories and foundations in Africana Studies, Blackness in pop culture, and Black media narratives. As a proud HBCU graduate and Black future feminist/pop culture scholar, her research interests include Black pop culture, race and gender in comics, Afrofuturism, and digital humanities. Her current book project, “Reclaiming Her Time: Exploring Black Futures in the Black Female Superhero” (University Press of Mississippi), seeks to examine and chronicle the layered experiences of Black superheroine characters and Black creatives’ narratives and how their identities transcend from comic book fiction to reality. Outside the classroom, you can find Dr. Gipson collecting comic books and stamps on her international travel discoveries, ticket stubs to the latest movies, trying new food and drink spots, co-hosting the video podcast Conversations with Beloved and Kindred, contributing her personal and professional thoughts on pop culture via blackfuturefeminist.com and giving back to the community through a myriad of projects and organizations.