Events

IBL Festival of Films

The Institute on Black Life is proud to announce the Festival of Films Series celebrating the power of storytelling. The IBL Film Series invites USF students and community members to connect with local filmmakers and explore the art of creative storytelling.

splash of color

A SPLASH OF COLOR: GETTING BLACK IN THE WATER is the story of Black water advocates in Tampa Bay as they inspire Black recreation in water. Through a commitment to their community and an understanding of the complicated history Black people have with water, these advocates inspire all to tap into their local watershed. Featuring views of Tampa Bay, interesting interviews of the lived experiences of participants, and a message to care about the health of the watersheds to enable continued recreation, A SPLASH OF COLOR provides us all with a reminder of the mental and physical benefits to recreating in water.

The event will also feature the premiere screening of the short subject documentary Diversifying Shoreline Conservation, the second film by Dr. Hillary Van Dyke, which showcases an inclusive approach to environmental conservation.

There will be a short Q&A following the showing of each film with director Dr. Hillary Van Dyke.

director 

Hillary M. Van Dyke, Ph.D. is a Florida native. She was born in Miami and relocated to Indiana with her parents when she was in middle school.  After graduating from high school, she attended Purdue University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English education in 2007. After graduating, she taught middle school language arts. In 2012, She moved back to Florida and continued to teach 8th grade language arts at Azalea Middle School (AMS). While at AMS, she obtained a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of South Florida- St Petersburg where she became especially interested in achieving educational equity. After graduating, she worked as the district administrator of equity initiatives at Pinellas County Schools.  During this work, she was inspired to pursue her doctoral degree at the University of South Florida. In May 2024, she graduated with her PhD in education. In August, she started a role as a visiting professor of education at the University of Tampa.

In 2024, she debuted an award-winning documentary, A Splash of Color,  she wrote and directed as a part of a project called BlueGAP. A Splash of Color is about Black folks who do work to get other Black folks involved in aquatic sports in Tampa Bay.

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Parking 

Guest daily/hourly parking is available in the Collins Boulevard parking garage. 

USF faculty and staff, please park in approved E lots. USF student please park in approved S lots.

For more information about guest parking options, please visit Parking Services.