Public Rhetoric in the Shadow of Ferguson: Co-Creating Rhetorical Theory in the Community and the Classroom

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

This multimedia article recounts a professor’s experience teaching at a university adjacent to Ferguson, Missouri, where events connected to Ferguson and Black Lives Matter reshape how she links teaching, research, and local community life. Using narrative, video and audio excerpts, and reflections on conversations, it argues for public rhetoric and writing grounded in listening, archives, collectivity, and social justice. It emphasizes building rhetorical theory with public rhetors so students see the tradition as living, not obsolete.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Public Rhetoric in the Shadow of Ferguson: Co-Creating Rhetorical Theory in the Community and the Classroom

Public Rhetoric in Action: Silence at the New Faculty Orientation

Working toward the Co-Creation of Reciprocal Public Rhetoric

Current Issue From the Editors Weblog Editorial Board Editorial Policy Submissions Archives Accessibility Search Composition Forum 36, Summer 2017 Public Rhetoric in the Shadow of Ferguson: Co-Creating Rhetorical Theory in the Community and the Classroom Lauren E. Obermark Abstract: This multimedia article focuses on my experience as a professor working on a campus adjacent to Ferguson, Missouri. I discuss the ways that Ferguson and Black Lives Matter pushed me to intentionally and meaningfully connect my teaching, research, and the local community. Through narrative, video and audio excerpts and analysis of conversations with Ferguson community members, and pedagogical reflection, I argue for an understanding of public rhetoric and writing that is more inclusive of listening, archives, collectivity, and social justice. I also highlight the importance of building rhetorical theory alongside public rhetors in local communities, helping students understand that the rhetorical tradition is far from a historical relic. Instead, it is a work-in-progress, living and breathing all around them. Public Rhetoric in Action: Silence at the New Faculty Orientation It is the week after Michael Brown was killed. Ferguson, a municipality within St. Louis, is still reeling in the throes of grief and anger. Protests, and what some view as riots, are taking place all day, every day, on West Florissant Road, near where Brown was killed and left to lie on the street for several hours. All of this is happening about a mile from the university where I work, and I know that, in just a few days, I will stand at the front of classrooms staring at students, some who have general questions and concerns, some who might have known Michael Brown, and others who relate to his life, his story, his death. At the same time, other students will be wondering if coming to this university was the right choice. While most students commute to our campus from around the St. Louis region, the university is located in the north county area; many of them, though living only thirty minutes away, have never visited north county and might have heard negative things about it. The shooting of Michael Brown, emerging hypotheses of his criminal behavior and images of fires and tear gas on West Florissant further shape the perceptions and potential fears of incoming students. I am starting my second year as an assistant professor at this university, and I am looking forward to entering this semester more confident, more prepared. Anything would be better than the trials of my first year on the tenure track, right? I am asked to speak at a new faculty orientation about how to “adjust” to the university, something I am still figuring out myself but will now try to guide even newer faculty members through. It is a panel discussion, and we are asked questions about how to get to know St. Louis, resources at the university, and what new faculty might expect from students. When we begin to discuss the students at the university—who are they? What is it like to teach them?—I give my usual explanation of how unique these students are. Hard working, often paying their own way, racially and ethnically diverse, and many are first-generation college students. They are some of the smartest students I have worked with, but they also sometimes need more support and understanding, especially as they adapt to the new demands of higher education. As I conclude my comments, I note that this will be a time in which we must be especially supportive of our students; many of them live in the Ferguson area, some might have known Michael Brown, and, at the least, many might see themselves in him, feel understandably shaken by this local tragedy that we are watching play out on the national news. Other students are already, even days after his death, heavily involved in protests and activism in Ferguson. I say all this rather quickly, assuming that a discussion of working on

FAQs

How does the Ferguson context influence the professor’s teaching and research?

It pushes her to intentionally connect her teaching and research with the local community, shaping her approach to public rhetoric and writing.

What rhetorical shift does the article advocate regarding public rhetoric and writing?

It calls for a more inclusive understanding that foregrounds listening, archives, collectivity, and social justice rather than treating rhetoric as a historical relic.

Why is institutional silence highlighted as a problem?

Silence becomes a form of power deployment that the article argues can wage a subtle war against marginalized people and students the university serves.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay