Posted on: March 26, 2023 Posted by: Glacier Staff Comments: 0

By Juan Carbajal, Opinion Editor

Kipp Cozad is a Middle Eastern scholar and former Peace Corps volunteer in Yemen.

Now, he is bringing his experiences to Moraine Valley during a “brown bag talk” called “Understanding Yemen: From Mountain Villages to American Suburbs.”

Photo By Kipp Cozad

The event will take place Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon in the Library Lounge in Building L.

A manager of tutoring and literacy at Moraine, Cozad plans to discuss the uniqueness of the Yemeni identity among the Arab population–“an identity that is both highly cosmopolitan and, at the same time, static and isolated.”

Cozad will provide insights into Yemeni culture and add context to the history through discussion of modern immigration patterns.

Cozad encourages Yemeni Americans to attend, but also stresses that the event is open to anyone interested in learning the history of this culture.

The talk is part of the Moraine honors program, but is part of a slate of events offered in the library.

“We organize our own events as part of our various efforts but we also open up our space for other departments and campus clubs to bring in speakers, panels, films, or other events as part of their goals,” head librarian Troy Swanson said. “We are happy that our space can be used to open up new ideas and dialogue.” 

There is no cost to attend the event. A live-streamed version will be available here.

Moraine Valley