Purdue News

January 14, 2000 Civil rights leader kicks off BCC Cultural Arts Series WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A leader in the civil rights movement will speak Wednesday, Jan. 19, at Purdue University as part of this semester's Black Cultural Center Cultural Arts Series. The Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, retired member of Congress, will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture at 7 p.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Admission is free. The lecture is co-sponsored by the Human Relations Office. Fauntroy's career in public service began in 1961 when Martin Luther King Jr. appointed him director of the Washington bureau of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He coordinated the historic March on Washington in 1963 and the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965. He was the national director of the 20th Anniversary March on Washington in 1983 and launched the Free South Africa Movement with his arrest at the South African Embassy in 1984. In 1971, Fauntroy became the District of Columbia's first elected representative in the United States Congress in nearly a century. He served 10 consecutive terms, retiring in 1991. The other events in the spring BCC series: • C. Lamont Gibson is the BCC's alumni guest speaker at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, in the BCC Multipurpose Room. Gibson founded the Sao Paulo Group as a means of providing enabling technologies and infrastructure to developing countries. In addition to cultivation of domestic market opportunities, the firm plans to leverage strategic alliances with Fortune 500 companies in the public and private sector. The lecture is free and open to the public. • On Thursday, Feb. 10, Molefi Kente Asante will deliver the Black History Month Keynote Address at 7 p.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Asante is professor and former chair of the Department of African American Studies at Temple University. He created the first doctoral program in African-American studies at a major university and is the founder of the theory of Afrocentricity. He is the author of 40 books and more than 200 scholarly articles for journals. The lecture is free and open to the public. • Music and theater collide on Wednesday, Feb. 16, with "The Gathering: A Hip Hop Journey to the Meeting Places of Black Men." Written and performed by playwright/rapper/actor Will Power, "The Gathering" blends hip hop lyricism, African-American folklore, and innovative musical and rhythmic sound distortion techniques. The free event will be at 7 p.m. at Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. • Students, faculty, staff and the public can experience an evening of African-American theater, poetry, dance and music Saturday, Feb. 19, at the BCC Coffee House. All four BCC performing arts ensembles – the Jahari Dance Troupe, the Black Voices of Inspiration Choir, the New Directional Players and the Haraka Writers – will perform at the Coffee House beginning at 7 p.m. at Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the public. • "Celebrating and Validating Healthy Self Esteem" is the title of a free talk to be given by author, psychotherapist and master motivator Dr. Julia Boyd on Thursday, Feb. 24. Co-sponsored by the Purdue Student Wellness Office and SHAPE, the lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at Elliott Hall of Music. Boyd is the author of "In the Company of My Sisters," "Girlfriend to Girlfriend," "Embracing the Fire: Black Women and Sexuality" and "Can I Get a Witness? For Sisters, When the Blues Is More Than a Song." • Students, faculty, staff and the public can spend "An Afternoon With Tavis Smiley" on Sunday, March 5, beginning at 4 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Smiley is the host of "BET Tonight," a one-hour program that combines news with edifying interviews. He also regularly appears as guest host of CNN's "Both Sides" and can be heard providing listeners with biweekly radio commentary on the syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show." He is the author of three books of political commentary. The event is free. • At 7 p.m. Saturday, March 25, the Haraka Writers, a group of student poets, will read original poetry for "Haraka Fest 2000" in the LaPosada Room of the Purdue Memorial Union. The event is directed by Sporty King, the group's artist in residence. Admission is free. • On Sunday, April 2, the Black Voices of Inspiration Choir holds its spring concert at 3 p.m. at Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Directed by Marshall White, its artist in residence, the choir specializes in gospel music, spirituals and contemporary songs by African-American composers. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the public. • The Jahari Dance Troupe's Spring Revue is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8, in Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. The troupe performs a repertoire including African, ballet, folk, jazz, tap and modern dance. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the public. • The New Directional Players will showcase the contributions of young African-American men and women with their spring production at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 15, in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The show is directed by Don Burrus, the thespian group's artist in residence. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the public. CONTACT: Renee Thomas, BCC director, (765) 494-3091; rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page