The documentary connects the stories of the people and societies of Ghana, the Bahamas, the Gullah Geechee people in the southeastern U.S. and more to explore how African American English and Black diasporic cultures developed together.

The panelists, documentary producers and sociolinguists Walt Wolfram (N.C. State University) and Tracey Weldon (University of South Carolina) will speak after the screening. Elon’s Corey Roberts, assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous studies, will moderate the interdisciplinary event, sponsored by African & African-American Studies, American Studies and Museum and Public History Studies, with support from Elon’s Fund for Excellence in the Arts & Sciences and collaboration by the School of Communications.

Turner Theatre is located in Schar Hall, 123 N. Williamson Ave.

Fernanda Wenzel and Andrew Lehren, both Rainforest Investigations Network Fellows, will speak at 5 p.m. at the School of Communications in the Jane and Brian Williams Studio in the McEwen Communications Building at 123 Williamson St.

Lehren, a Pulitzer Prize and Emmy winner for The New York Times and now NBC News Investigations, documented how products by Tesla, Toyota, Adidas and other multinationals have contributed to the destruction of tropical rainforests.

Wenzel, a Brazilian journalist for The Intercept, Mongabay and CNN, used advanced data analysis to demonstrate how businesses, politicians, and public servants redrew and razed public rainforest lands to sell off the Amazon at enormous profit.

As part of Elon’s participation in the Pulitzer ľĂľĂČČ Consortium, the journalists will be on campus Sept. 24 to 26 speaking to classes and meeting with students and journalism professors.

Lorraine Ahearn, assistant professor of journalism and Elon’s consortium coordinator, noted the relevance to this year’s Common Read, The Intersectional Environmentalist, by Leah Thomas.

“These journalists made public how some of the most critical areas of the planet are being endangered, and with them, indigenous communities,” Ahearn said. “This reporting also shows us what we as citizens and consumers can do about it.”

Elon News Network Executive Director Avery Sloan ’25 will moderate the Sept. 25 conversation. The journalism major was awarded a Pulitzer Fellowship grant for her ongoing reporting project on incarceration in Denmark.

Protecting the Planet: Investigative Reporters’ Panel

Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m.
Jane and Brian Williams Studio
McEwen Communications Building
123 Williamson St.
Elon, NC