Koritha Mitchell is a powerful public speaker, able to engage a mixed audience—of undergraduates, graduate students, and senior faculty and university administrators representing a broad range of academic disciplines—with facility. Her background in performance studies is no doubt an advantage in this regard: she commands an audience’s attention, performs her research expertise in a thoroughly dynamic way, never simply talking “at” an audience but instead inspiring high-level intellectual engagement. A public intellectual in the tradition of Cornel West and Khalil Gibran Muhammad.
Ann Ardis, Deputy Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
University of Delaware
Koritha Mitchell was the best speaker our university has ever had. She combines relevancy, academic seriousness, and a rare ability to entertain and inspire her audience. She is also a charming and personable guest who enlivens the social events surrounding talks. She is the ideal speaker, not just for campus events but also larger public events as she knows how to mold her topic to her audience. Her scholarly work is vital to national social and political concerns and she can speak in an accessible way on issues of race, history, gender, art, memory, and related academic fields.
John Patrick Daly, Associate Professor of History
State University of New York, College at Brockport
Dr. Mitchell’s presentation at Kenyon was the perfect mix of advice, support and personal experience about how to get your book published. She encouraged the audience to be proactive and maximize opportunities for surrounding themselves with people who can help them be successful. She pushed faculty to focus on what contribution they want to make and the resources they need to make it happen. Dr. Mitchell also covered practical advice about writing a proposal, how to negotiate with publishers, and how to handle reviewers’ comments.
This presentation was geared toward new faculty but it would be appropriate for any faculty member writing their first book or just needing a little extra push to finish a writing project. Faculty found her inspiring, encouraging, and very knowledgeable. She showed personal interest in their work and tailored her comments to their needs. Dr. Mitchell brings enthusiasm, warmth, and a wealth of knowledge to her talks. I have already recommended her to colleagues at other institutions who work in the area of faculty development.
Jan Thomas, Associate Provost
Kenyon College
Professor Mitchell is an incredible scholar and a dynamic speaker. When she spoke to us about her book Living with Lynching, she did an amazing job of communicating the importance of her research to a wide variety of faculty, students, and staff from departments and interdisciplinary programs across the university. Her commitment to bearing witness not only to the injustices of racial violence but also to the ways in which African American men and women have responded courageously to that violence makes what she does more than just scholarship. Indeed, using language that the turn-of-the-century figures she studies would recognize, it is perhaps more accurate to describe what she does as a type of ministry.
Edward Whitley, Director of American Studies
Lehigh University
I had the privilege to have Dr. Koritha Mitchell come to our campus to share a lecture on her book Living with Lynching and present a publishing workshop for our faculty. Listening to her speak in the large lecture hall and in the intimate dinner with students proved the undeniable fact that her ability to capture an audience regardless of size—combined with her poise, passion, and delivery of such a powerful, informative presentation—was priceless. One student emailed me, writing, “Thank you so much for including me today, it was an honor having the opportunity to speak more with Dr. Mitchell.”
I’d like to add that her unique publishing workshop left our faculty re-energized and motivated, with clear direction about the next steps of their individual publishing pursuits. I believe this speaks to her authenticity and great depth of knowledge in her field, combined with a mastery of delivering such a thought-provoking and engaging workshop. We loved having her on our campus and I enthusiastically and wholeheartedly recommend that you all consider Dr. Mitchell as one of your top speakers!
Monique L. Jernigan, Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs
Kenyon College
I first heard Koritha Mitchell speak at Columbia University in December 2011. As a filmmaker who cares deeply about history, I thought I had command of certain subjects, but Koritha’s talks always remind me that it is a gift to hear from erudite scholars like her. My work allows me to speak across numerous platforms. After witnessing Koritha’s presentations, I have borrowed a few of her techniques. She has been very generous with her knowledge.”
André Robert Lee, Film and Television Director and Producer
Credits include The Prep School Negro
Dr. Koritha Mitchell presents a powerful, engaging lecture about lynching. Her material is at times painful to hear about and see in illustrations. But the presentation was ultimately uplifting as she demonstrated how families coped with the devastating reality of murder that was, if not lawful, condoned by the majority. I witnessed the presentation at a small campus in upstate New York. Many of the college students had invited their parents, and the audience was fully engaged. Urban audiences would be equally enthralled. This story is important for all of us to hear.
Dee Smith-Johns, Student Advocate
Mercer County Community College