Temptaous Mckoy
Temptaous Mckoy, a Black woman in a blue dress leaning on a building column.
Dr. Temptaous Mckoy, from Spring Lake, North Carolina, is an Assistant Professor of English with a focus in Technical and Professional Communication, as well as the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, in the Department of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies at Bowie State University. Her research focuses on redefining the field of technical and professional communication (TPC) and challenging it to be more inclusive of the (in)formal communicative and learning practices as found in Black communities, such as HBCUs. She is an HBCU alum (Elizabeth City State Univ.) and also a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She obtained her BA in English from Elizabeth City State University ('13); her MA in Professional Communication and Leadership ('15) from Armstrong State University (Now GA Southern at Armstrong); and her PhD in Rhetoric, Writing, and Professional Communication from East Carolina University ('19). She is the author of a two-time award-winning dissertation: “Y’all Call It Technical and Professional Communication, We Call It #ForTheCulture” as well. Recently, she served as chair of the CCCC Black Technical and Professional Communication Task Force. Finally, she is the Associate Editor of the Peitho Journal, where she aims to prioritize new titles for review that are published by historically marginalized scholars to leverage Peitho’s platform to take tangible steps toward a more inclusive field of scholarship in the feminist history of rhetoric and composition. Specifically, she believes book reviews can amplify the contributions of historically marginalized scholars in important and impactful ways.
Keynote: "'...Had Y'all Simply Listened to Black Women': A Call to Intentional Listening and Impactful Anti-Racist Action"
Date: Thursday, April 22, 11 am-12 noon EST
Description: In this keynote, I'm gone address the calls made by Black women to have a more equitable field of composition by calling on individuals to be more intentional in their listening and anti-racist practices. This keynote address was birthed from the events leading to the 2021 Watson Conference, in which Black women called on conference organizers to be more intentional in their listening and organization practices. Not to mention, as we see the recent turn of events regarding the 2020 presidential election, the voices of Black women are now being amplified and centered more—after the fact. However, this brings me to ask the people a question: What if folks listened to Black women in the first damn place? This keynote will ask its audience to genuinely consider their roles in assisting in the silencing of Black women and other historically marginalized voices. Some reflection 'bout to happen as I'm callin' on attendees to be more reflective in where the Black women may or may not exist in their departments, organizations, and general social circles. It is my hope that by engaging in this critical conversation, members of the audience will be more likely to interrogate their past interactions with Black women and other historically marginalized scholars. In doing this work, I assert that people will be better aligned to be far more intentional in listening to the voices of Black women while ensuring their actions are impactful and not simply performative. This keynote will not be given from a desk or office, nah we coming from the living room couch. So, pour your coffee, tea, or whatever works for you and be prepared to ask yourself, “What if I simply listened to Black Women?”