Geraud Blanks is a second-year student with a B.A. in Africology and Journalism, Advertising & Media Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and an M.A. in Media Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His professional experience includes a five-year stint freelancing for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and a current position as a programmer for the Milwaukee Film Festival’s Black Lens program, the only major film series in the country exclusively featuring the work of African-American directors. His dissertation research explores commemorations of black death as both a compulsory and exploitative praxis of social movement organizing. His past research involved examining connections between Native American iconography and intellectual property law.