Purdue News

October 10, 2002 Black Cultural Center sponsors book discussion WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Black Cultural Center library at Purdue University is sponsoring a discussion on Haki Madhubuti's latest work, "Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating Exceptional Black Men." The discussion, to be led by Shy-Quon Ely and Samuel G. London, will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, and Friday, Nov. 1, in the BCC library. It is free and open to the public. Ely is an prepharmacy major from Indianapolis who works as a library aide in the BCC library. London is a first-year doctoral student in the Department of History and a graduate assistant in the BCC library. He earned a master's degree in history with concentrations in African-American history and religious history from Sam Houston State University. "Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating Exceptional Black Men" is Madhubuti's poignant advice to his sons, cultural sons and young men. Madhubuti, an activist, scholar, poet and publisher, was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1942. He earned his master's degree from the University of Iowa. In 1967 Madhubuti founded the Third World Press as a venue for publishing the works of little known African-American literary artists. Shortly thereafter, he co-founded the Institute of Positive Education (1969), the New Concept School (1972) and the Betty Shabazz International Charter School (1998) – all of which emphasize educating underprivileged youth. In addition to being a participant in the Black Arts Movement, Madhubuti also was active in the civil rights campaigns of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, the Congress of Racial Equality and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Madhubuti has authored many works, including: "Dynamite Voices I: Black Poets of the 1960s" (1971), "Book of Life" (1973), "Enemies: The Clash of Races" (1978), "Earthquakes and Sunrise Missions: Poetry and Essays of Black Renewal, 1973-1983" (1984), "Killing Memory, Seeking Ancestors" (1987), "Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?" (1990), "Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption" (1995), "Heart Love: Wedding and Love Poems" (1998) and "Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating Exceptional Black Men" (2002). Madhubuti also has received several honors and awards, including the 1991 American Book Award, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He currently serves as a distinguished professor of English and the director-emeritus of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at Chicago State University. Copies of "Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating Exceptional Black Men" are available for checkout in the BCC library. For more information, contact BCC Librarian Dorothy Washington, (765) 494-3093 or visit the BCC Web site. CONTACT: Dorothy Washington, (765) 494-3093, dwashin2@purdue.edu. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page