2008 FALL EVENTS:

  • Tues Oct 7, 7-9 pm:
    Showing of documentary "Fauberg Treme: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans" (see http://www.tremedoc.com/) " in Davis Auditorium in Palamountain Hall.
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  • Wed Oct 15, 7-9 pm:
  • Showing of the DVD "Congo Square", the performance of Yacub Addy and Wynton Marsalis's composition at the 07 Montreal Jazz Festival (see http://www.yacubaddy.com/wynton.html), in Davis Auditorium in Palamountain Hall.
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  • Thurs Oct 23, 8-9:30 pm:
  • Working with Wynton: Challenges of Creating "Congo Square", a lecture-demonstration by Yacub and Amina Addy with video and slides in Filene Recital Hall.
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  • Sat Nov 1, 8-10 pm:
    Yacub Addy's Odadaa!, traditional and creative music and dance from Ghana, concert in Filene Recital Hall.

 

2008 SPRING EVENTS:

  • "Hip Hop Culture"
    April 25th @ 5:00 PM in Case Center

Students enrolled in Skidmore's "Hip Hop Culture" course during the sping 2008 semester have developed an outreach event to educate the community about hip hop culture. Admission is free and open to the public, although some material may not be appropriate for young children.  Working in groups, the students will coordinate activities on such topics as DJs, MCs, graffiti and break dancing.  There also will be interactive stations to allow community members to participate in the various art forms.  Performances showcasing local talent will be featured throughout the event.

The "Hip Hop Culture" course is a collaborative offering involving Skidmore's departments of American Studies and Music. Faculty members Lei Ouyang Bryant and Joshua C. Woodfork team-teach the course, which is being offered for the first time this spring.  The class of 36 students is using an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the diverse experiences of the students enrolled.  The community event is the outreach component of the course. The class defines community as both people at Skidmore (students, faculty, and staff), as well as residents of Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region.

  • Dr. Priscilla R. Ramsey, "The Harlem Renaissance Movement, Its Art and Politics"
    April 22nd @ 3:40 PM in Tisch Learning Center 303

Dr. Ramsey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Afro-American Studies at Howard University. Her articles and reviews have been published widely in scholarly journals, and she regularly speaks to scholarly and community audiences. Dr. Ramsey's book of literary criticism on the works of contemporary Black author John Edgar Wideman (the second African American to win a Rhodes Scholarship and the first writer to be twice awarded the PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction), Postmodernism, Culture and Class in John Edgar Wideman's Selected Fiction is at press. Dr. Ramsey has a B.A. in Psychology from Temple University and a Ph.D. in Literary Studies from The American University. Off-campus dinner with Dr. Ramsey (April 22, following the lecture, off campus venue TBA)

  • Last Chance for Eden Film screening and Discussion (facilitated by SO219C: Race & Power Students)
    April 10th @ 6:30 PM in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall- second floor

"Last Chance for Eden is a documentary about eight men and women discussing the issues of racism and sexism in the workplace. They examine the impact of society's stereotypes on their lives in the work place, in their personal relationships and within their families and in their communities. In the course of their dialogue, they also explore the differences and similarities between racism and sexism - an area that has seldom been researched, but has heatedly become a very important issue needing to be understood and dealt with."

  • Black and Latino Male Student Workshop
    March 28th @ 2:00 PM

More details will be forthcoming.

  • The Boys of Baraka Film Screening and Discussion
    March 17th @ 7:00 PM in Gannett Auditorium

The Boys of Baraka focuses on four boys: Devon, Montrey, Richard and his brother Romesh. Their humor and explicit truthfulness give intimate insight into their optimistic plans, despite the tremendous obstacles they face both at home and in school. Through extensive time with the boys in Baltimore and in Africa, the film captures the kids' amazing journey and how they fare when they are forced to return the difficult realities of their city.

2007 FALL EVENTS: 

  • Race, Speech, and Place: A Roundtable discussion of Recent Events
    April 26th @ 7:00 PM in Gannett Auditorium
  • Discovery Days Dinner and Dessert Night
    April 19th @ 6:30 PM in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall (dinner) and the Faculty Staff Club (dessert)
  • Junior Black Faculty Dinner
    February 28th @ 6:30 PM at The Cheesecake Factory

  • Sonia Sanchez Lecture
    February 20th @ 7:00 PM in Gannett AuditoriumFilm Screening of

  • Akeelah and the Bee (2006) and Reception
    November 29th @ 7:00 PM in Gannett Auditorium

    Website: http://www.akeelahandthebee.com/

  • Dr. Sarah S. Willia Lecture, "Starting from Black: Performing Identity on today's College Campus"
    October 17th @ 7:30 PM in Gannett Auditorium

Each fall the sociology program invites a major sociologist to campus for a two to three day residency; during this time, the visiting sociologist gives a keynote lecture, visits classes, and engages with the community over meals. This fall, October 16-18th, Sociology has invited Dr. Sarah Willie, associate provost and associate professor of sociology at Swarthmore College and author of Acting Black:  College, Identity, and the Performance of Race (Routledge, 2003).  

Dr. Willie will present her keynote lecture to a campus wide audience.

  • October 16th
    • 5:15 pm - dinner with Dr. Sarah Willie at the Olde Bryan Inn
    • 7:00 pm - dessert reception with Dr. Sarah Willie in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall
    • 8:30 pm - Chuck D lecture, "Starting from Black: Performing Identity on today's College Campus"
       
  • Dr. Mary Helen Washington Lecture and Reception
    September 28th @ 5:15 PM in Gannett Auditorium

With the generous support of the Intercultural and Global Understanding Task Force (IGUTF), the American Studies Department has invited Professor of English at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Mary Helen Washington will speak to the Skidmore community on the topic of her forthcoming book focusing on "African Americans Writers and the Cold War." Professor Washington has written extensively on African American women writers and has served as president of the American Studies Association (ASA). There will be a reception held in Professor Washington's honor immediately following the lecture (6:30 pm), sponsored by the Black Faculty and Staff Group. We hope you will be able to join us for these events, both affiliated with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department of American Studies at Skidmore.

2006 Events: 

What's Race Got to Do with It?
Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.  

We are pleased to partner with different campus units (including the IGUTF, AM, SASW, and DOF's Office) and are grateful to the President and President's Cabinet for funding. Please contact us with any questions. Our events are free and open to the public.

Please attend and bring people with you! 

 -Joshua Woodfork (American Studies) and Kristie Ford (Sociology)