Tau Battice, who is a photographer and full-time faculty member of Guttman Community College, is celebrated in “Harlem is… Healing” and the Prime Minister’s Lecture Series of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Harlem is… Healing” recognizes heroes of the pandemic and social justice. The series honors individuals and institutions who are contributing to the Harlem community in essential ways, including through health and environment projects, community groups, religious causes, youth engagement, and education. Artists and activists are likewise highlighted in this series that draws attention to the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on Black and Brown communities and the healing actions taken in response. As one of thirty eight honorees who “have made Harlem blossom,” Professor Battice described his experience of the pandemic and his reaction to it. “I was assaulted by seeing people walking around without masks or social distancing, even as I was hearing sirens all the time taking people to the hospital—a kind or Siren Song. So, I decided to grab my camera and make portraits of people and listen to what they said.”
As a part of the 39th Anniversary Celebration of the independence of St. Kitts and Nevis, Professor Battice delivered the featured address of the Prime Minister’s Lecture Series on September 14, 2022. The annual lecture series features distinguished nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis who come from a diverse range of fields. In an article for SKN News, Professor Battice described his goal for his address. “I hope that by sharing parts from my journey, I can spark some fresh thinking about who we are, individually and nationally, and who we can be.” Professor Battice’s nationally-televised talk, entitled “Re-Focusing, Re-Designing, Re-Creating,” can be viewed in its entirety here.
Valdon Tau Battice teaches composition and writing courses in the First-Year Experience and the Liberal Arts and Sciences program of study. Born in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, and based in Brooklyn, New York, Professor Battice is a proud product of CUNY. He conducted his undergraduate and graduate studies in English Literature at the City College of New York and Brooklyn College, respectively. Prior to joining Guttman as Adjunct Lecturer, Professor Battice taught a wide range of undergraduate writing courses at several CUNY campuses, including the City College of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. His areas of research and teaching interest include postcolonial and decolonial thought, race and racism, cultural anthropology, photography as social justice, Caribbean literature, sociolinguistics, American studies, African diaspora, and Afro-Brazilian studies. Also a portraitist, with a primary interest in creating visual ethnographies of the underrepresented African diaspora, Professor Battice was the recipient of a 2018 En Foco Fellowship for his portraits of the Palenquero community of San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia. He engages long-term photography projects based in locations from the Bronx to Brazil and is currently working on his first monograph, Harlem in the Time of Corona.
