The Department of English at An-Najah University organized a video conference with Ithaca College in New York, USA at the Conference Room, An-Najah’s Old Campus Library.

The conference which was administered by Lama Mansour addressed the “Autobiography of an Ex-colored Man” by James Weldon Johnson. Discussion took place between the students of the Autobiography course at An-Najah which is taught by Dr. Nabil Alawi, Professor of American Literature at An-Najah, and the students of the Political Justice course which is taught by Dr. Beth Harris, Associate Professor in the Politics Department at Ithaca.

The autobiography addressed in the meeting tells the story of a young boy who has a black mother and white father and lives in a society dominated by blind racial discrimination. Although this boy had the ability to continue his life normally as the color of his skin is not black nor is pure white, he insists on searching for his real identity himself and tries hardly to learn and develop musical talent which sets him apart from others. But, eventually he decides to be a white man and gives up his ambition to be a musician and marries a white woman with whom he never felt self-satisfied. The author concludes that the real problem lies in the minds of humans not in there color.

The conference also focused on discussing many issues such as: The elements of identity, racial discrimination and the importance of education. These subjects were linked to the Palestinian reality and the students gave examples from experiences they had in the real life; both sides also exchanged ideas and opinions regarding the abovementioned issues.

It is noteworthy to mention that this kind of meetings contribute to the addressing of the world’s different countries through literary work which enhances the building of dialogue and understanding bridges between nations and cultures. Such activities also help build the true picture of the Palestinian people and familiarize others with reality of the situation in Palestine.