This Week in Photos: Beautiful</h1> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: Beautiful</h1> <p>ygay — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 14:08:09 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: Beautiful</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-03-31T10:08:09-04:00" title="Thursday, March 31, 2022 - 10:08">Thu, 03/31/2022 - 10:08</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo by Jonathan Clark ’25</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><a href="/events/series/black-history-month" target="_blank">�鶹��Ƶ’s Black History Month</a> (BHM) fashion show provides participants with an opportunity to express and celebrate themselves and their beauty. The show is also meant to be an inclusive space that rejects the norms and traditions of the fashion industry in regard to what body types should be. </p> <p>Because next year’s show is typically inspired by the previous year, planning begins soon after the last model has left the stage. In reviewing the recent show, committee members discuss what worked and what didn’t, and general ideas for next year’s show are also noted. Planning momentum picks up shortly after fall semester begins. </p> <p>A theme represents each BHM fashion show and often reflects the attire models will demonstrate. In 2018, <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmem22ig" target="_blank">Sankofa Remix’d: Reclaiming My Fly</a> featured African-influenced clothing. In 2020, <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLAVmvd" target="_blank">Look Black At It: 50 Years of Fashion</a> gave audience members a glimpse at some of the unique styles that influenced the fashion industry and the nation during the last 50 years. And in 2021, models adorned pillows, hazmat suits, and sleepwear for <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUzFsUx" target="_blank">Quarantine Couture</a>. This year showcased models in a variety of African-influenced prints and formal styles in <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzHAQa" target="_blank">BLACK LIFE RELOADED</a>.</p> <p>And as with every BHM fashion show, audience members not only cheer for fashion, but for the students, faculty, and staff wearing it. This year, about 34 �鶹��Ƶ community members strutted the walkway.</p> <p>“It’s an event where students representing many parts of campus participate,” explains Candice Raynor, director and faculty in residence of <a href="/ahh" target="_blank">Afrikan Heritage House</a>. “Whether it's modeling or performing, you have both the conservatory and the college, student-athletes, performing arts students, STEM students, visual arts students, and mixes of those groups participating.</p> <p>“I think the event is popular because it's a fun and an interesting way to celebrate Black History Month and Black cultures at �鶹��Ƶ,” continues Raynor. “There is always a lot to be learned from the show as far as Black culture and Black contributions to fashion and pop culture in general.” </p> <p>We continue our photo tour with a secret marriage in Hall Auditorium, a benefit for Ukraine at First United Methodist Church of �鶹��Ƶ, art study in the Allen Memorial Art Museum, poetry reading at the ‘Sco, a historic wintery win for the men’s lacrosse team at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex, and finish with a kickboxing class at the Patricia ’63 & Merrill ’61 Shanks Health and Wellness Center.</p> <hr> <p> </p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A love triangle spirals out of control when an arranged marriage gets rearranged after a wealthy Count woos the sister of his contractual soulmate in <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzHtQX" target="_blank"><em>Il Matrimonio Segreto</em></a> (The Secret Marriage). This comedic opera with double crosses, confusion, and confessions serves as inspiration for this week’s photo series. Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>�鶹��Ƶ faculty, staff, and guests join forces with the First United Methodist Church of �鶹��Ƶ for a <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzH65P" target="_blank">benefit concert</a> to aid the people of war-torn Ukraine. Donations were encouraged to Unicef, the American Red Cross, or the Ukrainian nonprofit Razom. Photo credit: Dale Preston ’83</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Students carefully study works of art in the Allen Memorial Art Museum's collection in preparation for an object talk. Photo credit: Jill Greenwood</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Students offer up <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzGCBR" target="_blank">the spoken word</a> at the ‘Sco. Photo credit: Jude Watt</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>The men’s lacrosse team <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzHuBd" target="_blank">defeated Wittenberg University</a> for the first time since 1996, topping the Tigers 12-9 on a wintry Saturday afternoon at the Austin E. Knowlton Athletics Complex. Photo credit: Maggie Balderstone ’23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A kickboxing class at the Patricia ’63 & Merrill ’61 Shanks Health and Wellness Center. Photo credit: Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-03-31T12:00:00Z">Thu, 03/31/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It’s Saturday night in March and there’s a pulsating glow spilling from the windows of the Root Room in Carnegie Building. Inside, rows of spectators line the perimeter of a long narrow stage. �鶹��Ƶ’s most anticipated fashion show begins as cheers swell when models, draped in creative attire, take their turn down the walk. This is a signature event during Black History Month. It also serves as inspiration for this week’s photo series.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2771">Athletics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2378">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A model displays the flag of Ghana during their walk down the stage at this year’s Black History Month fashion show.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jonathan Clark '25</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: Listening, bell</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 18:14:06 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: Listening, bell</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-03-16T14:14:06-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 16, 2022 - 14:14">Wed, 03/16/2022 - 14:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Anokha Venugopal ’23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>With books in hand, members of the �鶹��Ƶ community gathered near the Reading Girl, and listened intently as their peers shared their favorite passages by hooks, and discussed the impact of those passages on their lives, work, scholarship, and activism.</p> <p>Before her six-year tenure as associate professor in English and women’s studies began at �鶹��Ƶ in 1988, hooks published a collection of poetry—<em>And There We Wept</em>—and a book on femenist history called <em>Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism</em>. She would later lend her hand to more than 30 works, including children’s books, literary criticism, poetry, and self-help literature. Among her acknowledgements, hooks was recognized as one of the most influential women of the past century by <a href="https://time.com/5793676/bell-hooks-100-women-of-the-year/" target="_blank"><em>TIME</em> in 2020</a>. She died in December 2021.</p> <p>See more photos from the read-in on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzFKTg" target="_blank">�鶹��Ƶ’s Flickr page</a>.</p> <p>Next, we join students at the Welcome Nursing Home in �鶹��Ƶ, listen and learn from guest Kyle Kidd at the Cat in the Cream, get swept away by the �鶹��Ƶ Orchestra featuring professor Francesca dePasquale, get rhythm at the senior dance concert, and end with an <a href="/community-music-school" target="_blank">Community Music School</a> recital.</p> <hr> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Students <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzDGLp" target="_blank">spend time with residents</a> and work with staff at the Welcome Nursing Home in �鶹��Ƶ. Photo credit: Clarissa Heart ’20</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Artist Kyle Kidd is welcomed to the Cat in the Cream stage as a part of <a href="/mrc/signature-programs/my-name-my-own" target="_blank">My Name Is My Own</a>. MNIMO provides institutional support to �鶹��Ƶ communities that identify as queer and of color in the broadest senses of those words. The program includes public lectures, film screenings, artistic and activist performances. Photo credit: Christy Chen ’22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>The <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzFqSJ" target="_blank">�鶹��Ƶ Orchestra performs</a> under the direction of conductor Raphael Jiménez featuring Assistant Professor of Violin <a href="/francesca-depasquale" target="_blank">Francesca dePasquale</a>. Photo credit: Clarissa Heart ’20</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Members of the �鶹��Ƶ community celebrate the artistic growth and original choreography of <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzFHZ4" target="_blank">graduating seniors</a>. The concert featured Analise LaRiviere's Au Milieu and Jewel Cameron's Dance Stories. Photo credit: Anokha Venugopal '23</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>More than 25 <a href="/community-music-school" target="_blank">Community Music School</a> (CMS) students gave <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzFSV8" target="_blank">a concert featuring underrepresented composers</a>. CMS students (who ranged from toddlers to teenagers) were accompanied by two �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music students on guitar and piano and nine CMS faculty members who performed both solo and accompanimental works. Photo credit: Clarissa Heart ’20</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p><em>This Week in Photos is a selection of images and is not meant to represent a weekly timeline. Images highlight campus, community, people, and events related to �鶹��Ƶ College.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-03-16T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/16/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Eboni Johnson, outreach and programming librarian, holds a hand to her ear as a student across the room reads literature written by bell hooks. The public read-in at Mudd Center’s academic commons honors this prolific writter during Women’s History Month. It also serves as inspiration for this week’s photo series.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3452">Community Music School</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3155">�鶹��Ƶ Orchestra</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2763">Multicultural Resource Commons</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3793">Women's History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3515">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3449">�鶹��Ƶ College Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/francesca-depasquale" hreflang="und">Francesca dePasquale</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/eboni-johnson" hreflang="und">Eboni A. Johnson ’97</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/strings" hreflang="und">Strings</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Eboni Johnson, outreach and programming librarian, holds a hand to her ear.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Anokha Venugopal ’23</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: Quarantine Couture</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 20:33:03 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: Quarantine Couture</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-03-03T15:33:03-05:00" title="Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 15:33">Wed, 03/03/2021 - 15:33</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The annual fashion show is one of the signature events in �鶹��Ƶ’s Black History Month celebration. In addition to showcasing fashionable and creative clothing and accessories, the event provides participants with an opportunity to express and celebrate themselves and their beauty. This year’s show included models who prerecorded their moves for the camera and a live stream catwalk in Wilder Main. </p> <p>View more photos from the show on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUzFsUx" target="_blank">�鶹��Ƶ’s Facebook page</a>.</p> <hr> <p> </p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Chris Schmucki ’22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo credit: Chris Schmucki ’22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo by Chris Schmucki '22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo by Chris Schmucki '22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo by Chris Schmucki '22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Photo by Chris Schmucki '22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-03-03T12:00:00Z">Wed, 03/03/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Business jackets paired with Bermuda shorts, stylish sleepwear, pillow accessories, paper dresses, and contemporary designs were just some of the creative pieces worn at this year’s Black History Month Fashion Show.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Chris Scmucki ’22</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Notable Black Culinarians to be Honored with Notable Dishes</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 20:20:41 +0000</p> <span>Notable Black Culinarians to be Honored with Notable Dishes</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-02-10T15:20:41-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 10, 2021 - 15:20">Wed, 02/10/2021 - 15:20</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>During her illustrious career, Edna Lewis, an award-winning chef and author, encouraged Black people to use fresh and local ingredients. Yemisi Awosan, another culinary influencer, is building a name for herself with foods that focus on her West African culture. Their contributions to the Black community, and those of their peers, was the driving force behind AVI’s contribution to Black History Month. </p> <p>“Candice Raynor, director and faculty in residence in <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" target="_blank">Africana Studies</a>, approached us with featuring events in celebration of Black History Month,” says Lilkeisha Smith, director of operations of �鶹��Ƶ’s AVI Food Systems. “We contribute the best way we know how, through food. It’s what brings people together.” </p> <p>What resulted—a meal that honors Black agents of change in the culinary world—was derived from conversations Smith and Chef Manager Ben Slowik had about this year’s Black History Month theme—To Be Young, Black, and Gifted, and the students' commitment to be agents of change.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A Foods of Africa meal was served in Afrikan Heritage House earlier this month. Selections included Ethiopian collard greens, West African peanut chicken, smoked catfish soup, and timatim (Ethiopian tomato salad). Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>Slowik and Smith spent hours researching culinary articles, biographies, cookbooks, and social media pages. The influencers pulled are reflected in Slowik’s menu, which includes a decadent take on a popular student dish, jerk chicken, as well as new dishes. </p> <p>“There are so many Black chefs and culinarians that are doing their part by being vocal in their food and paving the way for other people,” says Smith. “The question we often ask ourselves when preparing menus is, what do we want our food to say; what’s the story?” “Each dish tells a story through food that inspires, wows, and offers pride in a profession that is often overlooked and where Blacks are often unseen. These culinarians see us and are holding a mirror up so Black chefs can see themselves in an honest and realistic way. How can you not want to join in and be another agent in this food movement?”</p> <p>The Notable People + Notable Dishes February 22 menu will include:</p> <ul> <li>Brisket in honor of <strong>Edna Lewis</strong>—not only a champion for fresh and local ingredients, but a chef who introduced family staples in many Black homes to the world. </li> <li>Jerk chicken in honor of <strong>Kwame Onwuachi</strong>, who used his African and Caribbean heritage to share his story in a refined way. “Onwuachi blazed his own path by stepping outside the box of what society thought a Black chef was, and was an agent of change for Black chefs in fine dining,” says Smith. </li> <li><strong>Yemisi Awosan</strong>, “whose story of starting small and working her way into grocery stores while sharing her heritage and culture is pure [genius],” says Smith. She will be honored with obe ata stew. </li> <li>Vegetable couscous will be served to honor <strong>Bryant Terry</strong>, a vegan chef and activist for a more sustainable food system as a right for all. “His ability to transform soul food staples into a delectable dish where you don’t miss the meat just shows the depth of his creativity and commitment to his craft,” says Smith.</li> <li>Pumpkin fritters, in honor of <strong>Jessica B. Harris</strong>, “who has awakened the minds of many Black chefs and culinarians as we search for our history and what that means through food,” says Smith.</li> </ul> <p>View more events on �鶹��Ƶ’s <a href="/events/series/black-history-month" target="_blank">Black History Month web page</a>.<br> </p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-02-10T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/10/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Black influencers in the culinary world will be honored with dishes that reflect their work in a Black History Month dinner later this month.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2386">Food</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students in line for dinner at Afrikan Heritage House.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: In Celebration of Returning Black Alumni</h1> <p>ygay — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:38:08 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: In Celebration of Returning Black Alumni</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2021-02-04T10:38:08-05:00" title="Thursday, February 4, 2021 - 10:38">Thu, 02/04/2021 - 10:38</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Throughout the years Black alumni have given lectures, performances, and master classes at �鶹��Ƶ. We invite you to relive some of these events.</p> <p>View these experiences on <a href="https://flic.kr/s/aHsmTVyzwg" target="_blank">�鶹��Ƶ’s Flickr page</a>.</p> <hr> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Theo Croker '07, a jazz trumpeter, composer, producer, and vocalist, returned to �鶹��Ƶ in 2010 to perform at the dedication of the <a href="/kohl-building" target="_blank">Bertram and Judith Kohl Building</a>. Croker is a Grammy Award nominee, three-time Echo Award nominee, and Theodore Presser Award recipient. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Johnnetta Cole ’57, a longtime friend of the college, has given several talks in Finney Chapel, including this one in 2012. Cole gave the commencement address in 1995 and Baccalaureate speech in 2015. She also served as a guest speaker in the inauguration of presidents Nancy S. Dye, Marvin Krislov, and Carmen Twillie Ambar. Cole was the first Black woman president of Spelman College. She also served as director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art. Photo credit: Dale Preston '83</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>In May 2010, The Rev. James Lawson Jr. ’57 was the keynote speaker at the Black Family Appreciation Ceremony in Warner Concert Hall. Lawson gave the Baccalaureate speech in 1982, and came back to campus in 2014 to hold a minicourse on nonviolent conflict at <a href="/ahh" target="_blank">Afrikan Heritage House</a> and a Convocation Lecture at First Church. A close associate of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Lawson organized workshops on nonviolence during the civil rights movement. Last year, he spoke at fellow civil rights activist and U.S. Representative John Lewis's funeral. Photo credit: John Seyfried</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz '94 and bassoonist Monica Ellis '95 are founding members of Imani Winds. They are shown here performing on the 2014 Artist Recital Series in Finney Chapel with their acclaimed ensemble and longtime collaborator, pianist Gilbert Kalish. The Grammy Award nominated group has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center, to name a few. The ensemble includes <a href="/jeff-scott" target="_blank">Jeff Scott</a>, associate professor of horn in the �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music. Photo credit: Walter Novak</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Umra Omar ’06 discusses how and why she founded Safari Doctors during a <a href="/news/two-day-summit-creates-space-black-students-stem" target="_blank">STEM in Color</a> symposium in 2017. The organization delivers primary medical services and health education to remote areas of Kenya. Umra was named a CNN Top 10 Hero of 2016 and the UN in Kenya Person of the Year in 2017. Photo credit: Walter Novak.</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2021-02-04T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/04/2021 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Author Ishmael Beah ’04 returned to �鶹��Ƶ College in 2010 to discuss the publication of his New York Times best-selling book, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Four years later Beah’s visit to Finney Chapel took place after the publication of Radiance of Tomorrow, A Novel, which would go on to become another best-seller. Beah’s visits to campus serve as inspiration for this week’s photo series.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2364">Artist Recital Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2366">Guest Artists & Speakers</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=34691">Jazz Performance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Ishmael Beah '04 delivers a Convocation Lecture.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yeven Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Revisiting the Underground Railroad</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 18:44:01 +0000</p> <span>Revisiting the Underground Railroad</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-02-26T13:44:01-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - 13:44">Wed, 02/26/2020 - 13:44</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Sunlight spills in from windows on one side of the room in Third World House and rests on Herman Beavers ’81, as if by design. Beavers, facing his guests, waits patiently as introductions are made before delving into the purpose of his visit. </p> <p>Beavers doesn’t share much with his students at the University of Pennsylvania about the extraordinary winter term project he and his classmates performed in 1980. “In fact, I can’t remember the last time I told a student about what we did,” says the professor of English and Africana studies. “At the same time, I think about it at the oddest times. I’ll remember how the light looked or think about how ‘put upon’ I felt and how that was replaced by a sense of purpose.” </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Herman Beavers '81 speaks to a large crowd of students, staff, and community members in Third World House.<br> Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>As described in the spring 1980 issue of the <em>�鶹��Ƶ Alumni Magazine</em>, written by members of the project, it took the nine-member team two years to perform research and inquiry with consultants before they were ready to don cotton clothing, head wraps, and large brimmed hats—attire similar to that worn by fugitives in 1850—and begin their walk at 12:30 p.m. on January 2, 1980. To maintain authenticity, the “escapees” followed back roads and travelled at night when necessary.</p> <p>“The first day, we walked 17 miles and got our first taste of fatigue, ravenous appetites, sore feet, and irritability,” stated the <em>OAM</em> article. “As Herm Beavers lay fighting with George Barnwell ’81 and Lester Barclay ’81 for the one blanket they were sharing, he thought of the prospect of freezing to death, cursing the day he had gotten into the conversation with [his classmates] about recreating a slave escape.” </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Audience members during the February presentation. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>While five students made the journey on foot (joined later by two more), four more “escapees” forged ahead in a 25-foot camper in search of churches, barns, or other secure structures offering shelter and food, the article continued. Under the curious stares of passersby, the students moved slowly past motorists along Route 68, (their project began in Greensburg, Kentucky near the Tennessee border, toward �鶹��Ƶ) often teetering along the edge of ditches. In one Kentucky town, they were chased from a barn by the bat-swinging brother of the property owner. After 33 days and 420 miles, the project was complete. </p> <p>“I don’t know if I carried my weight,” reflects Beavers on the 40th anniversary of the journey. “I was dealing with a lot of things as the project loomed (including my parents not wanting me to go). [But a poem I read] made everyone realize that my presence added value to the project.” </p> <p>It was this winter term journey and many other experiences at �鶹��Ƶ that helped Beavers counter feelings of self-doubt, a lesson he openly shares today.</p> <p>“I don’t know if one ever completely nullifies imposter syndrome,” he says. “I still have days when I ask myself what right I have to walk into a classroom or give a paper at a conference, when there are so many people who are smarter and more gifted. In Walter Mosley’s first novel, <em>Devil in a Blue Dress</em>, his protagonist Easy Rawlings has an inner voice he refers to as, ‘the Voice,’ and I have a little of that happening. The Voice says to me, ‘Are you going to let them keep treating you like you don’t matter or have something to say? You’re done being a scholar when you’re ready to be done; nobody else gets to decide.’ Whatever works, you know?”</p> <p>But what brought Beavers to tears in Third World House was recalling a moment when then professor Jere Bruner indicated that a paper he had turned in was not up to par. “When I read his comments, I went from being mortified to feeling affirmed,” says Beavers.</p> <p> “I have never forgotten that act of incredible empathy and kindness and when I became a professor, I was determined to follow Jere’s example. I’ve written that comment, ‘the paper, not you,’ many times during the course of my career,’’ he says. ‘‘I can be a very hard grader, but I try to convey to students that I push them hard because I believe excellence is within their grasp and that I value them in the same way that Jere Bruner valued me.”</p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-02-26T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/26/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Herman Beavers '81 shares his experiences with the Underground Railroad project during his February visit to �鶹��Ƶ College.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-28783" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-photo-gallery paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="section--photo-gallery o-flex--photo-gallery"> <p class="header-tag">Photo Gallery</p> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay__content"> <h2> A Look Back: Revisiting the Underground Railroad </h2> <button class="btn js-modal" data-modal-prefix-class="fullscreen" data-modal-content-id="28783" data-modal-background-click="disabled"> View photo gallery </button> </div> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="28783" class="photo-gallery-wrapper"> <div class="photo-gallery"> <div class="photo-gallery__slides"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">At Dover, Kentucky, before crossing the Ohio River to Ripley, Ohio, Adrian Banks and Lester Barclay lead the group along railroad tracks for the benefit of a television cameraman (pictured right) from Cincinnati.<br> </span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Richard Littlejohn ’79</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">Students rest at a camp area in Jessamine County, Kentucky.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Richard Littlejohn ’79</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">After walking 420 miles, students triumphantly return to �鶹��Ƶ.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Leslie Candor Faraquhar ’50</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">Herman Beavers ’81 displays the key to the City of �鶹��Ƶ upon the group’s return to campus.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Leslie Candor Faraquhar ’50</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">Beavers shares his experiences with the Underground Railroad project during his February visit to �鶹��Ƶ College.<br> </span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">Beavers recalls the moment �鶹��Ƶ Professor Jere Bruner affirmed his place in �鶹��Ƶ.<br> </span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__navbar"> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>This Week in Photos: February 5</h1> <p>ygay — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 20:14:45 +0000</p> <span>This Week in Photos: February 5</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-02-05T15:14:45-05:00" title="Wednesday, February 5, 2020 - 15:14">Wed, 02/05/2020 - 15:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>In this Paper Making and Book Art Winter Term Intensive, students create books (after spending several weeks making paper) in the context of global history and culture. Photo credit: Dale Preston ’83</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Sophomore Opportunities and Academic Resources (SOAR) leaders hold up department signs so students in their clusters can locate them at the start of the program’s two-day retreat. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A student in the Practicum in Museum Education project leads a gallery talk for classmates in the Allen Memorial Art Museum. Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <div class="obj-center"> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Ysabella Atehortua ’22 in Washington, D.C., during a congressional internship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Photo credit: Courtesy of Ysabella Atehortua ’22</figcaption> </figure> </div> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A student performance in the Physical Dance Theater Technique project with LaJa Martin (pictured front). Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>The Phlox ensemble choir practices historical and contemporary works by women, trans, and non-binary composers. Photo credit: Dale Preston ’83</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption><em>The Wild Beast of the Bungalow</em> takes center stage in Warner Concert Hall. Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>This brave student tries indoor snowboarding, just one of several events at this year’s Winter Term Carnival in Hales Gym. Photo credit: Yevhen Gulenko</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Faculty, staff, and students record their favorite passages written by Toni Morrison as part of an upcoming campus celebration of the late author on February 18. Photo credit: Lucie Maria Weismueller</figcaption> </figure> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-02-05T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/05/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2379">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2378">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25441">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25331">Dance</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater" hreflang="und">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/dance" hreflang="und">Dance</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A group of students, led by Professor Kathryn Metz, visits the Cleveland Museum of Natural History as part of the Museums as Community Assets project.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Mike Crupi</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Black History Month 2019: Liberation is This</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 14:24:26 +0000</p> <span>Black History Month 2019: Liberation is This</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-02-07T09:24:26-05:00" title="Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 09:24">Thu, 02/07/2019 - 09:24</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Learning about black history is a force of liberation and illumination. This sentiment serves as the inspiration for this year’s Black History Month theme, <em>Liberation is This</em>.</p> <p>Candice Raynor, chair of the Black History Month Committee and director and faculty in residence of the Afrikan Heritage House, says the act of gathering together to celebrate and learn during Black History Month is, quite literally, liberating. “It’s liberating on many levels for the black community. Especially when you consider how much of our history and achievements are left out of textbooks and curriculums. Learning about ourselves and celebrating who we are and how far we’ve come is liberating,” says Raynor.</p> <p>A selection of 26 speakers, performances, and other events highlights black history through music, fashion, film, dance, theater, prose, and sport. The breadth of programming across disciplines covers various aspects of black history.</p> <p>Returning for a second year as a part of the celebration is the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/moses_hogan_sing-along">Moses Hogan Sing-Along</a>. Led by third year DaQuan Williams and taking place on February 12, this program features the legacy of world-renowned pianist, composer, arranger, and �鶹��Ƶ alumnus Moses Hogan. The program is tied to a larger desire to bring forward black history in the conservatory. “This event encourages people from different musical upbringings to engage with the choral genre of Negro Spirituals (or African-American Spirituals),” says Williams. “The hope is that by the end of the program, those who were previously unfamiliar with Hogan and his arrangements of Negro spirituals learn what it takes to successfully rehearse and perform his work.”</p> <p>This year’s annual ball takes the form of a masquerade. Themed <em>Carnivale</em>, the event on February 16 serves as a celebration of carnival culture across the African diaspora. Coordinated by the African Student Association and Students of Caribbean Ancestry, all are encouraged to come in carnival-inspired costumes. During the week of the ball, Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Comparative American Studies Meredith Gadsby will give a talk titled “<a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/are_you_ready_for_this_consent_and_womens_agency_in_carnival_culture">Are You Ready for This: Consent and Women’s Agency in Carnival Culture</a>” exploring consent and sexuality in the context of Carnival traditions in the Eastern Caribbean and Caribbean diaspora.</p> <p>Another feature is the Greg Tate Residency taking place February 18-20. Tate, a writer, musician, and cultural provocateur, will lead a series of talks over three days. “The discussion on Tom Wilson is one not to be missed,” says Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology Kathryn Metz. In the program, Tate and Craig Street, a GRAMMY award-winning producer, will dig deep into Wilson's career and signature sound that created some of the most recognizable songs of the 1960s. The <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/marginalized_voices_in_music_journalism">Marginalized Voices in Music Journalism Panel</a> will include discussions on how the history of popular music has been shaped to an extent by its critics, most of whom are cisgender white males. Metz describes the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/confab_listening_party_with_greg_tate">ConFab Listening Party</a> on February 19 as “crate-digging for music fans.” Says Metz: “Tate has a wealth of musical knowledge and incredible taste that is hard to beat.”</p> <p>Other events this month include performances of <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/what_we_look_like"><em>What We Look Like</em></a>, a play written by BJ Tindal ’16 and directed by Caroline Jackson-Smith; a community-wide, <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/who_got_game_3_on_3_basketball_tournament">three-on-three basketball tournament</a>; a <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/queer_cinema_series_presents_marlon_riggss_tongues_untied">screening of <em>Tongues Untied</em></a> at the Apollo Theater; <a href="https://www.dionysusdisco.com/schedule-of-events/2019/2/4/painting-with-pink-siifu-and-the-poets">Melanin Mondays at The ’Sco</a>; and a series of presentations on careers in the sciences during the two-day summit, <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/stem_in_color">STEM in Color</a>.</p> <p>Raynor stresses that these programs are open to and accessible for all. “[Black History Month] is also intended to be liberating and transformational for those who aren’t part of the black community,” says Raynor. “This month is for all of us.” </p> <p>More about Black History Month programming can be found on the <a href="/events/series/black-history-month">Black History Month webpage</a> and on the <a href="/sites/default/files/content/series/documents/bhm_events2019.pdf">event poster</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-02-07T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/07/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The monthlong tribute, themed <em>Liberation is This</em>, includes 26 programs, performances, and talks that shine a light on the black experience.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/meredith-gadsby" hreflang="und">Meredith Gadsby</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Black History Month 'Sankofa: Go Back and Get It'</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 15:32:29 +0000</p> <span>Black History Month 'Sankofa: Go Back and Get It'</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-02-08T10:32:29-05:00" title="Thursday, February 8, 2018 - 10:32">Thu, 02/08/2018 - 10:32</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Sankofa</em> is an Akan term that roughly translates to "go back and get it." The word serves as encouragement to look back and learn from the past so that the future is more easily navigable. This word also serves as the guiding light for Black History Month at �鶹��Ƶ, themed <em>Sankofa: Go Back and Get It</em>.</p> <p>The series of programs in this monthlong tribute aims to examine and illuminate what it means to be black, both historically and today. Candice Raynor, chair of the Black History Month Committee and director and faculty in residence of the Afrikan Heritage House, says the programming is not just for those who are part of the Africana community. “There’s much that people don’t know about black history, and black history is American history. The programs aren’t only for those of us in the black community—they’re for everyone.”</p> <p>The collection of 23 speakers, workshops, and other events display a strong commitment to highlighting black history in various ways. One of the first is a discussion featuring curators from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), who will talk about how music, specifically hip-hop, is central to the mission of the NMAAHC. The presentation, “Musical Crossroads at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture” takes place at 1 p.m. on Monday, February 12 in StudiOC.</p> <p>Two programs, Winter in Wakanda: Black Panther Masquerade Ball on February 16, and a lecture by �鶹��Ƶ Associate Professor of Africana Studies Charles Peterson titled Dreams of a Future Home: Black Panther and the African American Imaginary on February 18, were inspired by <em>Black Panther</em>, the new superhero film based on the <em>Marvel</em> Comics character.</p> <p>Raynor stresses the importance of the film in popular culture and the impetus in highlighting it: “To see ourselves as superheroes in the Marvel universe means a great deal in how we see ourselves in the future. The movie means a lot to black people everywhere, and the students are very excited about it.” </p> <p>Another of the month’s events is a Moses Hogan Sing-Along featuring music from Moses Hogan, the renowned composer, pianist, choral director, and 1979 graduate of �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music. The program will be led by second-year DaQuan Williams, who hopes to draw attention to <a href="/news/bringing-black-spirituals-masses">�鶹��Ƶ’s connection with black spirituals and black classical music</a>. The program will take place on February 22 in Warner Concert Hall.</p> <p>Other highlights include a panel discussion with an ESPN journalist, a retired professional basketball player, and professors in “What’s My Name, Fool? Black Athletes, Activism, and the Media” that will explore the history of and current conversation around activism by black athletes, and “Sankofa Remix’d: Reclaiming My Fly: Black History Month Fashion Show” that will feature African-influenced clothing created by young black designers from across the country.</p> <p>Raynor hopes that anyone who attends programming during Black History Month can come away from it with greater perspective. “I’d like people to walk away more informed about black achievement and the black experience.” She also believes that the programs can help facilitate dialogue in the �鶹��Ƶ community. “They can help us create a more informed community that can engage in those sometimes tough conversations.”</p> <p>More about Black History Month programming can be found on the <a href="/events/series/black-history-month">Black History Month webpage</a> and on the <a href="/sites/default/files/content/series/documents/bhmposter2018.pdf">event poster</a>.</p> <p><br> 2018 Black History Month Committee: Marsha Bragg, Fredara Hadley, Chris Jenkins, Eboni Johnson, Nicollette Mitchell, Kiela Nelson, Candice Raynor, Brittnei Sherrod, Khalid Taylor, DaQuan Williams.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-02-08T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/08/2018 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Monthlong tribute themed “Sankofa: Go Back and Get It” includes a broad array of programs, performances, and talks to highlight the black experience in America.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2579">Campus Dialogue</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Nicole Slatinsky</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The Glass Menagerie</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 01 May 2017 14:53:18 +0000</p> <span>The Glass Menagerie</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-05-01T10:53:18-04:00" title="Monday, May 1, 2017 - 10:53">Mon, 05/01/2017 - 10:53</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Oscar-nominated actress Margaret Avery starred in vignettes of Tennessee Williams' American classic, The Glass Menagerie. Directed by Associate Professor of Theater <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater/faculty_detail.dot?id=20723">Justin Emeka</a> '95, the play reimagines the Wingfields as a black family in East St. Louis during the turbulence of the early 20th century. Without altering the text, Emeka weaves black culture and music into the storytelling. Held at Cleveland Playhouse Square, the performance was just one of the many included in programming for this year’s Black History Month themed Ubuntu: I am Because We Are.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">Campus News</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-02-27T12:00:00Z">Mon, 02/27/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2495">Black History Month</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2404">Cultural Celebrations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2372">Performing Arts</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2546">Photo Feature</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25441">Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/justin-emeka" hreflang="und">Justin Emeka ’95</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater" hreflang="und">Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>