“Taking a Knee and Other Issues of Speech and Expression in Sports” is the title of the next discussion in UB’s Difficult Conversation series.

The talk will take place from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 18 in 10 Capen Hall, North Campus. It is presented by the Office of Inclusive Excellence, the School of Law and the Division of Athletics.

Participants will tackle such issues as kneeling for the national anthem, controversial mascots and culturally derogatory language.

The conversation will be moderated by Nellie Drew, adjunct professor in the School of Law, and Kathy Twist, senior associate athletic director.

Panelists from across the university will share their expertise and insights, and lead the discussion. They include UB law student Michael Schwartz; Devon Patterson, vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; James Jarvis, associate counsel; Rhianna Rogers, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies at Empire State College; and Donald Grinde, director of graduate studies in the Department of Transnational Studies.

The Difficult Conversation series aims to bring faculty, staff and students together for constructive conversations about provocative issues affecting the nation in order to gain a better understanding of the issues and different points of view.