Black Cultural Center announces Cultural Arts Series for Fall
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The "Black Power Movement" is the theme for the fall Cultural Art Series at the Purdue University Black Cultural Center.
"Black Power Movement: The Art, Politics and Empowerment of Black Identity" will feature a re-enactment, speakers, information fair, music and other performances.
"The theme for this always popular series is selected based on topics that can help Purdue students, as well as our campus community, better understand African-American heritage and at the same time relate to their lives today," said Renee A. Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. "A great example of this will be the students' October tour of the Black Power Movement in Philadelphia. Students will learn about history and also the movement's effect on intellectual and cultural life in the country. The students also will share what they learned with the campus community in two artistic performances following the trip."
The Black Power Movement instilled a sense of racial pride and the creation of black political and cultural institutions, Thomas said. The establishment of the Purdue Black Cultural Center was a direct result of the Black Power Movement. Today, the BCC is nationally recognized and acknowledged by the Association of Black Cultural Centers as one of the best university cultural centers in the nation.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Upcoming events include:
Roger Guenveur Smith
* Aug. 26. 4-6:30 p.m. Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St. 14th annual Boilerfest New Student Orientation. The new student orientation festival introduces new students to the Black Cultural Center, campus leaders, various student organizations and support services. The event will feature live entertainment by the center's Performing Arts Ensembles.
* Sept. 9. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. Frederick Douglass Now Featuring Roger Guenveur Smith. Smith, an actor and writer, will perform a monologue about Douglass' life and legacy in contemporary cadences through a creative use of 19th-century letters, editorials and speeches.
* Sept. 18. Immediately after the Purdue and Ball State football game. Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St. BCC Friends and Family Day will feature a historical re-enactment by Freetown Village. The re-enactment will focus on the era of Reconstruction and share the feelings of people who were newly emancipated.
* Oct. 6. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. "Fight the Power with Black Power: Black Music and Political/Social Activism," by Portia K. Maultsby, professor of folklore and ethnomusicology and director of the Archives of African-American Music and Culture at Indiana University. The presentation will examine the ways soul and funk musicians promoted the ideology of Black Power among African-Americans to help unify, rebuild and sustain the community during an era of political and social change.
* Oct. 8-12. BCC Research Tour in Philadelphia. Students will explore the Black Power Movement in Philadelphia by examining its core values of racial solidarity, cultural pride and self-determination. Research tour participants will study the ideologies, personalities and outcomes of the movement and the impact the movement had on intellectual and cultural life in the country.
Omari Dyson
* Oct. 15-17. Homecoming Weekend - Looking Back to Move Forward! A Tribute to the Decades of Black Purdue. The Purdue Black Alumni Organization in partnership with BCC and men of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity are planning a weekend of activities, including a "Welcome Back" reception, business meeting, dance, golf outing and gospel brunch. Information is available at https://www.pbao.org
* Oct. 22-23. 7 p.m. Black Cultural Center, 1100 Third St. BCC Coffee House featuring Performing Arts Ensembles. The performing groups will present a glimpse of the material acquired during the research tour to Philadelphia.
Sonia Sanchez
* Nov. 3. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. BCC Alumni Speaker Series - "Felidelphia: The Social Transformation Efforts of the Black Panther Party in Philadelphia." Purdue alumni Omari Dyson and Kevin Brooks will offer an analysis of the social relief efforts of the Philadelphia Black Panther Party. They will provide an examination of the organization's complexity, the resistances of former members and community residents and the transformation efforts implemented.
* Nov. 9. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. An Evening with Sonia Sanchez. This prominent black arts movement poet will turn Fowler Hall into an enchanted, hip oasis of poetic expression, cultural awareness and social justice truths. Sanchez is the author of more than a dozen poetry books, along with children's books and plays.
* Dec. 3. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Cultural Arts Festival. The BCC Performing Arts ensembles will present an evening of revolutionary thought, sound and artistry. Admission for the general public is $7 and is $5 for Purdue students.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Renee A. Thomas, 765-494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu