Leader of AIDS United Gives Presidential Convocation Talk Nov. 27</h1> <article> <h1>Leader of AIDS United Gives Presidential Convocation Talk Nov. 27</h1> <p>anagy — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 19:43:19 +0000</p> <span>Leader of AIDS United Gives Presidential Convocation Talk Nov. 27</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2018-11-20T14:43:19-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 20, 2018 - 14:43">Tue, 11/20/2018 - 14:43</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Jesse Milan Jr. is president and CEO of AIDS United, a national organization focused on ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. He has lived with HIV for more than 35 years and has 30 years of experience in executive roles in the private and global health sectors. A lawyer by background, he has received numerous honors, including Plus Magazine’s 20 Most Amazing HIV+ People and a 2015 Public Service Award from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.</p> <p>A community advocate and nationally recognized expert on HIV/AIDS policies and programs, Milan serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. He has cochaired the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Resources and Services Administration Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment.</p> <p>Milan will give the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/presidential_convocation_a_conversation_with_jesse_milan">presidential convocation lecture</a> at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday, November 27 in Finney Chapel. The event will be <a href="/conservatory/on-stage/live-webcasts/finney-chapel-live-webcast">streamed live</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-11-20T12:00:00Z">Tue, 11/20/2018 - 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=2390">Events</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Jesse Milan Jr. is president and CEO of AIDS United.</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">Courtesy of Jesse Milan Jr.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Professor of Conducting Robert Spano Leads Fall Convocation Series</h1> <p>anagy — Wed, 06 Sep 2017 20:46:05 +0000</p> <span>Professor of Conducting Robert Spano Leads Fall Convocation Series</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-09-06T16:46:05-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 6, 2017 - 16:46">Wed, 09/06/2017 - 16:46</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p dir="ltr">Grammy Award-winning conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher <a href="/robert-spano">Robert Spano ’84</a> will kick off the 2017-18 Convocation Series.</p> <p dir="ltr">Spano, who is a professor of conducting in the Conservatory of Music, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 14, in Finney Chapel. The event is free and open to the public, no ticket required.</p> <p dir="ltr">A 1984 graduate from the conservatory, Spano is known worldwide for his intense artistry and distinct communicative ability. Now in his 17th season as music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), he is responsible for nurturing the careers of numerous celebrated composers, conductors, and performers. Spano has led ASO performances at world-renowned concert halls across the globe, guest conducted for numerous orchestras, and has led the ASO to six Grammy Awards. He is one of two classical musicians inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.</p> <p>In a conversation that will be moderated by Conservatory Dean Andrea Kalyn, Spano will speak about the "State of the Art," drawing on his successful career with the Atlanta Symphony and Aspen Music Festival and School, and offering perspectives on the innovative ways new generations of musicians are forging careers in the arts.</p> <p dir="ltr">The fall convocation series continues with a lecture by author and activist Terry Tempest Williams on <a href="/events/convocation-evening-terry-tempest-williams">November 17</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">The �鶹��Ƶ Convocation Series, presented under the auspices of the Finney Lecture Committee and the Office of the President, presents free, public discussions of cutting-edge issues by some of the country’s most prominent thinkers from an array of disciplines and professional fields.</p> <p dir="ltr">More events can be found on the <a href="http://www2.oberlin.edu/artsguide/">�鶹��Ƶ Arts Guide</a>.</p> <p> </p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-09-06T12:00:00Z">Wed, 09/06/2017 - 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="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Robert Spano '84 is a Grammy Award-winning conductor, pianist, and teacher. </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=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2974">Conservatory Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</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="/robert-spano" hreflang="und">Robert Spano</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="/conservatory/divisions/conducting-and-ensembles" hreflang="und">Conducting and Ensembles</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Robert Spano ’84 is professor of conducting and music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.</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">Angela Morris</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Journalist Michele Norris Leads Off 2016-17 Convocation Series</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:01:20 +0000</p> <span>Journalist Michele Norris Leads Off 2016-17 Convocation Series</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:01:20-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:01">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Michele Norris, the longtime cohost of NPR’s <em>All Things Considered</em>, kicks off the 2016-17 Convocation Series.</p> <p>Norris is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist with more than two decades of experience, including work with ABC’s <em>World News Tonight</em>, the <em>Washington Post</em>, <em>Chicago Tribune</em>, and the <em>Los Angeles Times</em>. She was a mainstay at NPR for 13 years.</p> <p>She is founder of the six-year-old Race Card Project, a national conversation about America’s honest views about race, identity, and aging. Norris has received numerous awards, including the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award, Journalist of the Year from the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Livingston Award. <em>Essence</em> magazine named her one of the “25 Most Influential Black Americans.”</p> <p>Norris will give a talk titled “Eavesdropping on America’s Conversation on Race” at 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 13, in Finney Chapel. The event is free and open to the public; no ticket required.</p> <p>On October 25, Eboo Patel, founder and president of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) and a member of President Barack Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships, will give a talk “On Building a Diverse Democracy: Justice and Identity in the 21st Century.”</p> <p>Patel is the author of <em>Acts of Faith</em>, which won the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion for its significant contributions to religious and spiritual understanding; <em>Sacred Ground</em>, and the forthcoming <em>Interfaith Leadership: A Primer</em>. A frequent speaker and guest lecturer at colleges and universities across the United States, Patel holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.</p> <p>The �鶹��Ƶ Convocation Series presents free, public discussions of cutting-edge issues by some of the country’s most prominent thinkers from an array of disciplines and professional fields. The lectures take place in Finney Chapel.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-08-23T12:00:00Z">Tue, 08/23/2016 - 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=2383">Convocation Series</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=181496">Journalism</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Michele Norris</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">Steven Voss/NPR</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Author Gary Shteyngart '95 Visits �鶹��Ƶ</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:01:35 +0000</p> <span>Author Gary Shteyngart '95 Visits �鶹��Ƶ</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:01:35-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:01">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Writer Gary Shteyngart ’95, the author of three novels and most recently a memoir, <em>Little Failure</em>, returned to campus on March 31 for a Convocation talk. He read from parts of his memoir, which tracks his early childhood in the USSR, his teenage years as a student at Stuyvesant High School in New York, and his adventurous long-haired days at �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>Perhaps the memoir’s most pressing theme is Shteyngart’s relationship with his mother and father. Shteyngart devotes much of <em>Little Failure</em> to unpacking his complicated history with his parents—equal parts loving and abusive, an immigrant household fraught with high expectations and little privacy.</p> <p>Indeed, when asked why he had chosen to write a memoir instead of another novel, Shteyngart responded by alluding to the recent birth of his son: “If I’m going to prepare to become a father, I should try to figure out who I was as a son, to figure out the good and the bad.” Laughing, he added, “[When I started writing <em>Little Failure</em>] I was 39, and in Russian years that’s 87—we don’t live very long. So this was an attempt to get it all down before I died.”</p> <p>It may hardly come as a surprise that Shteyngart pulls no punches in <em>Little Failure</em>. With a kind of self-deprecating authenticity, he escorts the reader through intimate episodes of his family’s poverty, his blundering forays into romance, and his haphazard adjustment to Hebrew school. He refuses to shy away from painful details, instead using them as crucial building blocks of his story.</p> <p>In developing this practice of narrative self-scrutiny, Shteyngart cited his time at �鶹��Ƶ. As a student in �鶹��Ƶ’s Creative Writing Program, he recalled how Professor Diane Vreuls crawled across the floor of her office to illustrate a point about a character in one of his stories. From down on all fours, she asked, “How does he crawl, Gary?” “That’s when I got it,” Shteyngart reflected. “A writer lives inside the characters he’s creating.”</p> <p>Perhaps it is this raw sense of life in Shteyngart’s work that grants it such power and appeal. As Shteyngart read excerpts from <em>Little Failure</em> during the Convocation in Finney Chapel, he would often pause to crack jokes about his asthma or his father’s heavy Russian accent—yet these moments of humor only served to draw the audience further into the emotional weight and deep personal relevance of his story. Shteyngart writes, and jokes, from the heart. Ultimately, he approaches the reader from a state of vulnerability, an approach that has garnered him with admiration and literary acclaim.</p> <p>When asked how young writers might achieve similar literary success, Shteyngart quipped, “Live in Berlin,” a smile spreading across his face. After a moment, he leaned forward and continued, “No, but seriously. Vary your experience. Try something completely new. Do relax for a little bit, but the next step you take should be something completely different.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-04-12T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/12/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Owain Heyden</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=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</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=25326">Creative Writing</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/creative-writing" hreflang="und">Creative Writing</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Gary Shteyngart ’95</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">Jennifer Manna</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Celebrating Africana Unity and Celebration Month</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:01:50 +0000</p> <span>Celebrating Africana Unity and Celebration Month</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:01:50-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:01">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Every year in February, the �鶹��Ƶ community comes together to study the history, politics, and economics of black people in America, acknowledge their central role in shaping our nation, and celebrate their achievements. Known as Black History Month, �鶹��Ƶ has traditionally recognized this time with panels, lectures, readings, symposia, and artistic displays and performances. This tradition continues with a new identity: Africana Unity and Celebration Month. In addition to acknowledging the historical legacies and contemporary contributions of African Americans, Africana Unity and Celebration Month is inclusive of queer, trans, and femme-identifying people, as well as Africana groups throughout the diaspora and those with intersectional identities.</p> <p>Read on to learn about a few featured events of this year’s Africana Unity and Celebration Month. A complete listing of events can be seen on the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/search/events?search=Africana+Unity">Events Calendar</a>, and more information about the monthlong celebration can be found on <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/events-activities/black-history/">this webpage</a>.</p> <h3><em>Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom</em></h3> <p> </p> <p>Saturday, February 6, 6:30 p.m.</p> <p>Finney Chapel</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom</em> is a new two-act theatrical work by Nkieru Okoye that tells of how a young girl born in slavery becomes Harriet Tubman, the legendary Underground Railroad conductor. Based on recent Tubman biographies, the story is narrated and told in the context of Tubman’s tight-knit family of lively characters. Harriet Tubman carries the universal themes of sisterhood, courage, sacrifice, and doing what is necessary to keep a family together.</p> <p>This touring co-production with the �鶹��Ƶ Opera Theater is part of the Cleveland Opera Theater New Opera Initiative and is the Midwest premiere of the opera. The performance is sponsored by the �鶹��Ƶ Conservatory of Music, the Africana Studies Department, the Office of the President, the Multicultural Resource Center, and Christ Episcopal Church of �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <h3>”Transpacific AntiRacism”</h3> <p> </p> <p>Friday, February 19, noon</p> <p>Wilder 101</p> <p> </p> <p>”Transpacific AntiRacism” is a lecture by Yuichiro Onishi, associate professor of African American and African studies and Asian American studies at the University of Minnesota, and author of the recent publication <em>Transpacific Antiracism: Afro-Asian Solidarity in 20th Century Black America, Japan and Okinawa</em> (New York University Press in 2013).</p> <h3>”Swimming in Dark Waters: Other Voices of the American Experience,” a Convocation Featuring Rhiannon Giddens ’00, Bhi Bhiman, and Leyla McCalla</h3> <p> </p> <p>Saturday, February 20, 8 p.m.</p> <p>Finney Chapel</p> <p> </p> <p>Folk singers, protest singers, and singer-songwriters have been symbols of American resilience for generations. But while the voices most closely associated with such movements tend to be white, a strong history of protest, subversion, and cultural resistance from musicians of color abounds throughout America’s history.</p> <p>Led by Rhiannon Giddens ’00, founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, “Swimming in Dark Waters: Other Voices of the American Experience” explores old and new songs of resistance of the South, protest songs from Leyla McCalla’s Haiti and Louisiana, and the experiences of first-generation American Bhi Bhiman, an “outsider looking in” on issues of culture and race in 21st-century America.</p> <p>A limited number of free tickets (up to 2 per person) for this event will be available starting at noon on Friday, February 5. See the <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/special_convocation_swimming_in_dark_waters_other_voices_of_the_american_experience_featuring_rhiannon_giddens_00_bhi_bhiman_and_leyla_mccalla#.VqjgPBgrJaQ">Events Calendar</a> for more information on ticketing.</p> <h3>Complicated Relationships: Mary Church Terrell’s Legacy for 21st Century Activists</h3> <p> </p> <p>Friday, February 26, 4:30 p.m.</p> <p>Saturday, February 27, all day</p> <p>Most Events in King 106, Selected Events in Mudd Learning Center</p> <p> </p> <p>Occurring at the intersection of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the Complicated Relationships: Mary Church Terrell’s Legacy for 21st Century Activists symposium celebrates the life of Mary Church Terrell, Class of 1884, and the significant gift of the Mary Church Terrell papers to the �鶹��Ƶ College Archives. The symposium is also an opportunity to think together about social justice today.</p> <p>Terrell was a feminist and civil rights activist and a founding member of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and NAACP, who worked tirelessly across lines of race and gender to achieve a more just and equitable society. Symposium participants include Terrell descendants Ray and Jean Langston; keynote speaker Johnnetta Cole ’57; prominent �鶹��Ƶ College Alumnae Lillie Edwards ’75, Treva Lindsey ’04, Rachel Seidman ’88, Jennifer Morgan ’86, and Lori Ginzberg ’78; and current �鶹��Ƶ students.</p> <p>The symposium is cosponsored by the Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies Institute; the Africana Studies Department; the �鶹��Ƶ College Archives; the �鶹��Ƶ Alumni Association of African Ancestry (OA4); and the Office of Alumni Relations. Support comes from the Comparative American Studies Program, the History Department, �鶹��Ƶ College Libraries, the Dean of Students Office, the Dean of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the President.</p> <p>Session information can be found in <a href="http://new.oberlin.edu/dotAsset/d0b4d118-7089-4b0d-a328-fbd9ba378176.pdf">this PDF</a>. The symposium is part of the 2016 Think/Create/Engage series, The Framing of Race.</p> <h3>“Fighting Apartheid Since 1948: Key Moments in Palestinian and Black Solidarity”</h3> <p> </p> <p>Thursday, March 3</p> <p>Dye Lecture Hall, Science Center</p> <p> </p> <p>“Fighting Apartheid Since 1948: Key Moments in Palestinian and Black Solidarity” is a lecture by Robin D.G. Kelley, distinguished professor of history and Gary B. Nash endowed chair in United States history at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The lecture will explore how the Palestinian and black communities have common interests and challenges and their methods for addressing them. See the <a href="http://www.history.ucla.edu/faculty/robin-kelley">UCLA website</a> for information about Kelley’s research interests and selected publications.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/11/2016 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Lisa Gulasy</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=2404">Cultural Celebrations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2392">Social Justice</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2383">Convocation Series</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=25361">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist 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-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>“Swimming in Dark Waters”</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:01:50 +0000</p> <span>“Swimming in Dark Waters”</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:01:50-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:01">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:01</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Acclaimed singer-songwriter and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens ’00, founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, will lead a series of concerts that kicks off in �鶹��Ƶ on February 20.</p> <p>Joined by singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman and cellist Leyla McCalla, the concert, titled <em>Swimming in Dark Waters: Other Voices of the American Experience,</em> will examine the history of protest, subversion, and cultural resistance from musicians of color throughout the history of the United States, from the original inhabitants to recent immigrants, exploring the songs of resistance of the South, both old and new; the deep history of protest songs from McCalla's Haiti and Louisiana; and the modern outsider-looking-in observations of first generation American Bhiman.</p> <p>The performance will take place 8 p.m. Saturday, February 20, in Finney Chapel.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-11T12:00:00Z">Thu, 02/11/2016 - 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=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Folk singer and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens ’00 will lead a concert titled Swimming in Dark Waters: Other Voices of the American Experience, on February 20.</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">Michael Weintrob</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Bryan Stevenson Kicks Off Convocation Series</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:02:25 +0000</p> <span>Bryan Stevenson Kicks Off Convocation Series</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:02:25-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:02">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:02</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Bryan Stevenson is a leader in the movement against mass incarceration in the United States and one of the country’s most active social justice advocates. A public interest lawyer, he’s been called “America’s young Nelson Mandela” by Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu, and he has led efforts that have reversed death penalties for dozens of condemned prisoners.</p> <p>On Wednesday, September 9, Stevenson will kick off this year’s Convocation Series with his public talk, titled <em>American Injustice: Mercy, Humanity, and Making a Difference.</em></p> <p>The Convocation Series presents free, public discussions of cutting-edge issues by some of the country’s most prominent thinkers. These talks are open to the public and take place in Finney Chapel.</p> <p>Stevenson is a MacArthur Fellow and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization based in Montgomery, Alabama, that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair and just treatment by the legal system. His <a href="https://www.ted.com/speakers/bryan_stevenson">TED Talk</a> on the subject of injustice has been viewed 2 million times. He teaches law at New York University School of Law, and his best-selling memoir Just Mercy has earned numerous awards and praise.</p> <p>Other speakers this fall are novelist Zadie Smith (September 29), investigative journalist Sonia Shah ’90 (October 27), and entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt, founder of Sirius and United Therapeutics (November 5).</p> <p>The spring lineup features environmental writer Elizabeth Kolbert (March 2) and acclaimed novelist Gary Shteyngart ’95 (March 31).</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-08-31T12:00:00Z">Mon, 08/31/2015 - 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=2383">Convocation Series</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>Dr. Regina Benjamin Kicks Off Spring Convocation Series</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:03:18 +0000</p> <span>Dr. Regina Benjamin Kicks Off Spring Convocation Series</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:03:18-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:03">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The 2014-2015 Convocation Series continues Wednesday, February 25, with An Evening with Dr. Regina Benjamin. Benjamin was appointed the 18th U.S. Surgeon General in 2009.</p> <p>During her tenure, she worked to shift the nation’s focus from sickness to wellness and prevention. She is thefirst NOLA.com/Times Picayune Endowed Chair in Public Health Sciences at Xavier University of Louisiana. The MacArthur Foundation, Pope Benedict XVI, and the NAACP, among others, have recognized Benjamin for her dedication to preventative care.</p> <p>The <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/an_evening_with_dr_regina_benjamin#.VNTfwsbnqvX">event</a> begins at 7:30 p.m. in Finney Chapel. It is free and open to the public. No ticket required.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-02-06T12:00:00Z">Fri, 02/06/2015 - 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=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Dr. Regina Benjamin</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">U.S. Department of Health & Human Services</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>�鶹��Ƶ Kicks Off Convocation Series with Talk by Ishmael Beah '04</h1> <p>Anonymous — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:03:39 +0000</p> <span>�鶹��Ƶ Kicks Off Convocation Series with Talk by Ishmael Beah '04</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:03:39-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:03">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:03</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The college kicks off its 2014-2015 Convocation Series on Tuesday, September 9, with “An Evening with Ishmael Beah.” A 2004 �鶹��Ƶ graduate, Beah’s 2007 memoir <em>A Long Way Gone</em> received popular and critical acclaim.</p> <p>The convocation series presents free, public discussions of cutting-edge issues by some of the country’s most prominent thinkers. These talks are open to the public and take place in �鶹��Ƶ’s Finney Chapel.</p> <p>This fall, the series includes conversations by Jad Abumrad ’95 and Robert Krulwich ‘69, hosts of the public radio show Radiolab; Pulitzer-Prize winning illustrator Art Spiegelman and acclaimed jazz composer Phillip Johnston; and economist Jeffrey Sachs, a leading expert in the fight against poverty.</p> <p>The series continues in Spring 2015 with lectures by novelist Zadie Smith and Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri ’74.</p> <p>Beah will speak at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 9. No ticket is required. Born in Sierra Leone in 1980, Beah was 13 when he was recruited as a child soldier in Sierra Leone's civil war. He was removed from the army by UNICEF, and, after completing rehabilitation, he became an advocate for children affected by war. He is a senior research fellow at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University and cofounder of the Network of Young People Affected by War (NYPAW). His first novel, <em>Radiance of Tomorrow,</em> was published in January 2014.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-09-05T12:00:00Z">Fri, 09/05/2014 - 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=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Ishmael Beah ’04</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>Our Shared History</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:04:10 +0000</p> <span>Our Shared History</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2016-11-07T13:04:10-05:00" title="Monday, November 7, 2016 - 13:04">Mon, 11/07/2016 - 13:04</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>It can be a daunting task to sit down and write about your identity, family history, and the social forces around you, concedes second-year student Lillian White. Yet, this act of self-reflection and public story sharing is the challenge she posed, along with seniors Cuyler Otsuka and Sarah Cheshire, to coincide with the public convocation talk by United States Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey on March 4.</p> <p>Trethewey, who was raised in Mississippi in the period following the civil rights movement of the 1960s, is adept at combining the personal and the historical in her work. In the poem <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47538/history-lesson-56d2280d442a7">“History Lessons,”</a> Trethewey describes a photograph taken of her standing on a beach in Mississippi in 1970, in the same spot her grandmother stood 40 years earlier when the beach was segregated.</p> <p>As a tribute to that poem, the three students teamed up to create the History Lessons project. In early February, they invited individuals from the campus and community to submit their own personal “history lesson” statement. The statements have been incorporated into an artwork that was installed in �鶹��Ƶ’s Finney Chapel during Trethewey’s <a href="https://calendar.oberlin.edu/event/an_evening_with_natasha_trethewey#.UxSXG_SwKwk">convocation address</a>.</p> <p>The project’s guidelines allowed individual participants to choose how they wanted to present their personal statements—a poem, a story, a monologue, a stream-of-consciousness narrative, or any other medium of the participant’s choice. The only requirements were that the statement be rooted in one’s own experiences and could not be anonymous.</p> <p>“We hope that this project will serve as a platform through which to examine the plurality of experiences that exist within the �鶹��Ƶ community,” says Cheshire, a creative writing and gender, sexuality, and feminist studies major. “We envision each individual statement hung in a web to symbolize how each story stands on its own, but also is informed by and connected to each other.”</p> <p>The installation will move to the Science Center, and eventually, other public spaces around the city of �鶹��Ƶ.</p> <p>“I view this story installation as an opportunity for people to be extremely public with some piece of their story,” says White. “That is an inherently political act, and my hope is for this nexus of individual personal-political actions to create a shockwave of compassion in this community. The public nature of the project—that stories will be displayed in several high-traffic spaces, for example, and that we ruled out anonymous submissions as an option—is especially important. There is liberation as well as responsibility in owning and defining aspects of your identity, particularly when your name is out there with your words.”</p> <p>Otsuka, who is majoring in comparative American studies and politics, says the project is a space for community members to take pride and ownership in their words. The decision to make the stories public was deliberate because of the destructive role anonymity has played in communities. “We don’t want to force anyone to do something they’re uncomfortable with, so if folks have identity concerns, they can choose not to submit.”</p> <p>Otsuka has written his own poem for the project. “Having gone through the experience of looking at tangible photographs and souvenirs, writing about them was cathartic for me. I personally needed to have that time of self-reflection in order to come to peace with my present circumstances.”</p> <p>Trethewey’s first collection, in which “History Lessons” appears, was published in 2000. Her third book of poems, <em>Native Guard</em> (2006), won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Her recent work includes a book of creative nonfiction, <em>Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast</em> (2010), and the poetry collection <em>Thrall</em> (2012).</p> <p>Trethewey's many honors and awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She has been inducted into both the Fellowship of Southern Writers and the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. In 2012 she was named Poet Laureate of the state of Mississippi and the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2014-03-10T12:00:00Z">Mon, 03/10/2014 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</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=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2383">Convocation Series</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Personal narratives in the form of a poem, story, or monologue all form the basis of the History Lessons 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">Tanya Rosen-Jones</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-photo-gallery field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <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">�鶹��Ƶ History Lesson organizers, including Lillian White, and volunteers spent Tuesday morning installing contributions in the lobby of Finney Chapel.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">Sarah Cheshire</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">Sprague Cheshire, Sarah Cheshire’s father (left), came to campus to help with the installation, teaming up with student Scott Hulver.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">Cuyler Otsuka</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">Ben Plaut</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">A close-up view of a contribution to the �鶹��Ƶ History Lessons project.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yvette Chen ’16</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">Community members were able to view the �鶹��Ƶ History Lessons installation in the lobby of Finney Chapel before and after Natasha Trethewey’s Convocation address.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yevhen Gulenko</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">Organizers of the �鶹��Ƶ History Lessons project hung individual contributions to the project in a web to symbolize how each story stands on its own, but also is informed by and connected to each other.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Courtesy of Yevhen Gulenko</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__navbar"> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> 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