Dr. Adam Banks leads a discussion on Imagination: A Manifesto on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Cleveland’s UnBar Cafe. (Photograph by Georgio Sabino, III)
By Dr. Regennia N. Williams
Proverbs, that renowned source of “wisdom literature,” clearly asserts the benefits of surrounding ourselves with “sharp” individuals: “As a man sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
In April and May of 2026, the RASHAD Center, Inc., engaged with some of the brightest minds in Greater Cleveland. Our public programs and personal experiences were undoubtedly enriched as a result. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Deforia Lane and Dr. Adam Banks for allowing us to incorporate their insights into “From the Square to the Circle and Back: Connecting Communities through the Arts and Humanities,” our 2026 outreach series. This series is made possible with the generous support of the St. Luke’s Foundation.
Dr. Deforia Lane served as the distinguished guest speaker for the event titled “Music as Medicine,” held at the Cleveland History Center on April 18, 2026, in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month. The occasion featured live musical performances by JT Lynch and the Horns and Things jazz quintet. (Photograph by Georgio Sabino, III)
If you were unable to attend those events, I encourage you to explore the books that facilitated engaging discussions with our esteemed speakers: Music as Medicine by Dr. Deforia Lane and Imagination: A Manifesto by Dr. Ruha Benjamin. The cover images for both titles are provided below. Additionally, you may find information regarding past and upcoming programs at https://www.cleblackhistoryandculture.com/home, the official website of the Smithsonian-Cleveland Partnership.
About Dr. Regennia N. Williams, Founder, President, and Executive Director
Dr. Regennia N. Williams is the Founder and Executive Director of The RASHAD Center, Inc., a Maryland-based non-profit educational corporation.
Williams holds a PhD in Social History and Policy from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A native Clevelander and a four-time alumna of Cleveland State University, information on RASHAD's “Praying Grounds, African American Faith Communities: A Documentary and Oral History” project is now available online at www.ClevelandMemory.org/pray/, a site that is maintained by CSU's Library Special Collections, home of the Praying Grounds manuscript collections. Praying Grounds was the primary inspiration for the launching of the Initiative for the Study of Religion and Spirituality in the History of Africa and the Diaspora (RASHAD) at CSU, and links to RASHAD's scholarly journal and newsletter are also available on the Praying Grounds site. On April 28, 2020, the RASHAD Center, Inc. became a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
In 2010, Dr. Williams was a Visiting Fulbright Scholar at Nigeria’s Obafemi Awolowo University, where she taught history and directed a RASHAD-related oral history project that focused on the role of religion in recent Nigerian social history. Other research-related travels have taken her to Canada, China, France, South Africa, and Austria.
In 2013, she conceived and produced “Come Sunday @ 70: The Place of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Jazz in World History and Culture, c. 1943-2013,” a project that included scholarly presentations and performing arts activities. From September 1993 until May 2015, she was a faculty member in the Department of History at Cleveland State University. She served as a Fulbright Specialist at South Africa's University of the Free State in the summer of 2019, and completed a short-term faculty residency at Howard University in the fall of 2019. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
As a public scholar, her current research projects focus on African American history and culture, especially as it relates to music, religion, and spirituality. She is a member of the Oral History Association, the Western Reserve Historical Society, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The RASHAD Center, Inc. 