Purdue News

September 17, 1999 Building dedication highlights BCC Cultural Arts Series WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A trip to Detroit, a new building dedication and a sprinkling of diverse speakers are on the lineup for this semester's Cultural Arts Series, sponsored by Purdue University's Black Cultural Center. The Cultural Arts Series presents the play "Beneath the Dark Sky – Afrikan Centered Theatre" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30. "This work poetically ponders life's contradictions," BCC Director Renee Thomas said. "It's a familiar tale about a young African-American girl coming to terms with issues and identity in a rural Southern town." The free performance will be in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. On Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9, the Black Cultural Center sponsors a tour of the Museum of African-American History and the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit. Participants will visit the world's largest historical and cultural museum dedicated to the preservation and presentation of African-American history and culture. Afterward they will visit the Motown Historical Museum, which stands today as a tribute to those earlier days of music magic. The historic site remains very much like it was in the early '60s when Motown's founder, Barry Gordy, purchased the house. Tickets are $50 and include transportation, admission to the museums and lodging. The registration deadline is Friday, Oct 1. For more information, call (765) 494-3094. Theophile Obenga, the chair of the Department of Black Studies at San Francisco State University and co-founder of the Association for Nubian Kemetic Heritage, will deliver a free lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, in Room 214, Stewart Center. As part of his slide-show presentation entitled "African Masks: Their Aesthetics and Philosophy," the political activist and scholar will discuss various types of masks and the meanings behind each one. A number of events are scheduled for Purdue's Homecoming Weekend, beginning with a welcome reception with light refreshments at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, at the new Black Cultural Center at 1100 Third St. Later that evening, students, visiting alumni and the public can enjoy an evening of theater and dance as part of the BCC Coffee House. Two of the BCC's four performing arts ensembles – the Jahari Dance Troupe and the New Directional Players – will perform "New Beginnings – An Evening of Celebration" at 8 p.m. in Fowler, Hall Stewart Center. Admission is $3 for students and $5 for the public. Tickets are available at the door. On Saturday, Oct. 16, Purdue President Steven Beering will officially dedicate the new Black Cultural Center at a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Assisting Dr. Beering in the dedication ceremonies will be Mamon Powers Jr., university trustee from Gary, Ind., Renee Thomas, BCC director, and Vivica Fairbanks-Henderson, president of the Purdue Black Alumni Organization. Following the ceremony, student guides will host tours of the facility highlighting the African-inspired architectural elements. Guided tours will be available at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Then it's off to a tailgate party sponsored by the Purdue Black Alumni Organization at 1 p.m. Kickoff of the Purdue-Michigan State football game is at 2:30 p.m. "Now and Then: Facilitated Story Telling" is the title of a Cultural Arts Series free event scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, at the Black Cultural Center. The BCC invites students and the public to join in guided discussion groups exploring the evolution of the center since its inception in 1970. Walter Blackburn, architect for the new BCC facility, will be available to meet and talk with students and faculty during the Old Master's Reception at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at the BCC. The next event in the Cultural Arts Series will be a lecture by former ABC news correspondent Farai Chideya on "Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African-Americans." Her talk at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center, is free and open to the public. Chideya is the author of "The Color of Our Future." She is a contributor to Time, Essence, and Vibe magazines. Along with covering a wide range of issues for ABC News, she has been a writer for MTV news and has served as a political analyst for CNN. "Culture and Technology: Moving African Communities Toward a Position of Strength for the Next Millennium" is the topic of a free lecture at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18, in the BCC Multipurpose Room. Among the presenters are Esther Lwanga-Semakula, head of Agricultural Research Information Services in Uganda, and Grace Jackson-Brown, the librarian at Indiana University's Black Cultural Center. The four BCC performing arts ensembles – the Jahari Dance Troupe, the Black Voices of Inspiration Choir, the New Directional Players and the Haraka Writers – will present the BCC Cultural Arts Festival at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, in Loeb Playhouse. Admission is $3 for students, $5 for the public. The 1999 Cultural Arts Series will conclude with a showing of "Skin Deep" at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at the Black Cultural Center. The film chronicles the journey of a diverse and divided group of college students as they awkwardly confront each other's racial prejudices. Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page