The Symposium (Presented by Big Brain and DFT) | Feb 5, 2026

THE SYMPOSIUM at DFT
🧠 🪩 Presented by and

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Take a break from big beats in the streets during DFT, with Big Brain at The Symposium —a space for minds to connect, learn, and explore cool topics.
🎟️ RSVP Required for Entry!
This is a FREE ticketed event with limited capacity (only the first 100 guests to check-in will enter!)
Tickets are required for entry, and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
A ticket does not guarantee entry. Doors open at 7PM.

WHERE: Hawthorn SF [21+ venue]
WHEN: 7:30-9:30PM
​7:30-8:10PM | Arrival & Chats
8:10-8:50 | Lecture
​​​​​8:50-9:30 | Q&A and more chatting

Feb 5th Featured Speaker:
"Toni Morrison and the Question of Freedom"
Ato Quayson, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and English at Stanford University
✨ What does it really mean to be free—and how do we learn to imagine it?
Join Ato Quayson, Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and English at Stanford University, for a thought-provoking exploration of freedom through the novels of Toni Morrison.
Drawing on Beloved, Song of Solomon, and A Mercy, this lecture examines how Morrison’s characters wrestle with freedom in the aftermath of enslavement—not just as a legal status, but as something lived in the body and sustained by imagination.
Together, these stories offer a powerful, full-spectrum vision of freedom—one that speaks not only to Black history, but to how all of us might learn to live more fully and humanely
What's a "Symposium?"
a: A friendly party (as after a banquet in ancient Greece) with music and conversation
b: A social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas
c: A really cool drop in with drinks and fun people; part lecture, part party with smarties.

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Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at: @bigbrainsf, @dftsanfrancico

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About Big Brain:
Big Brain is a lecture series hosted in SF's coolest spaces. Welcome to the nerd club.
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DFT is presented by Into The Streets and Civic Joy Fund in partnership The East Cut CBD, Yerba Buena Partnership, Natoma Cabana, and 111 Minna Gallery.

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By registering for and attending this event, you authorize Big Brain SF & DFT to use any photographs or video recordings of your participation in this event for any and all purposes.
By registering for this event, you agree to opt-in to communications from Into The Streets, Civic Joy Fund, and Big Brain.

DFT’s 2026 is presented by Into The Streets and Civic Joy Fund, with support from San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation.

DFT is presented in partnership with The East Cut Community Benefit District, Yerba Buena Partnership, Natoma Cabana, and 111 Minna Gallery.

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