February 3, 2003

Campus celebrates Black History Month

By Louise Donahue

February is Black History Month, and UCSC is celebrating with a variety of special events.

The African-American Theater Arts Troupe, now in its twelfth year, will delve into American history in the postwar period with several performances of Seven Guitars, by noted African American writer August Williams. The play takes audiences on a journey through the lives of seven African Americans in a Pittsburgh, Pa., back yard.

"It's a re-creation of life in 1948," said director Don Williams, Theater Arts Center Facilities Supervisor. "You'll discover who these people are—their good times and their bad times."

On-campus performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 14, and Saturday, February 15, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 16, at the Theater Arts Second Stage. Admission is $10; $6 for senior citizens and students. The play will also be performed at 8 p.m. on March 1 at Cabrillo College; 8 p.m. on February 22 at Western Stage in Salinas, and 7 p.m. on March 15 at the Odemeyer Center in Seaside. The troupe is sponsored by the UCSC Theater Arts Department.

Other Black History Month events—and some others touching on related African American themes, include:

• Nikki Giovanni. Poet Nikki Giovanni will be at the UCSC Women's Center for a welcome reception, reading, and book-signing from 2 to 4 p.m. on February 16. Nikki Giovanni is the author of 16 books of poetry for adults and children, including Black Feeling, Black Talk/Black Judgement, Re: Creation, My House, The Women and the Men, Those Who Ride the Night Winds, The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni, Love Poems and her most recent Blues: For All the Changes. Nikki is a University Distinguished Professor/English at Virginia Tech.

• Steven Roby. Steven Roby; author of Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix, will be at Kresge Town Hall in Kresge College from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feburary 5. Roby's biography authenticates lost sessions, previously unknown recorded collaborations, and rare film/video documents of one of the most innovative and influential rock guitarists in music history. The talk is free for UCSC students, and $2 for others. For additional information, call (831) 459-4434.

• Dialogues. On February 13, "Dialogues on Race and Racism in the Americas" will present professor Angela Gilliam, a specialist in Brazilian race relations and African Diaspora Studies in the Americas. Gilliam will speak from 4 to 6 p.m. at Charles E. Merrill Lounge at Merrill College. The free event is sponsored by the Hemispheric Dialogues 2 research cluster. For additional information, call (831) 459-3789.

• Nonviolence. George Houser, activist and scholar-in-residence with the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, will talk on February 26 about the reasons for nonviolent civil disobedience and his experience using it in American and African movements for civil rights. Houser was a World War II conscientious objector, and a founder of CORE--the Congress On Racial Equality--and the American Committee on Africa. His talk will be from noon to 1 p.m. in Conference Room A in BayTree Bookstore. The free event is open to the campus community and includes light refreshments. It is sponsored by the United Campus Christian Ministry. For additional information, call (831) 427-2620 or e-mail the campus ministry.

• Paul Ortiz. "Howard Thurman: Christianity and the Struggle Against Oppression," is the topic of a talk by Paul Ortiz from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, February 24 in the Cowell College Conference Room. Ortiz is an assistant professor in the Department of Community Studies and an affiliated faculty member in Latin American and Latino Studies and History. Rev. Thurman struggled to transform Christianity from being a religion that supported the status quo into a religion that stood on the side of the oppressed. Students, staff, faculty and community members are welcome to the talk, sponsored by Lutheran Campus Ministry. Beverages will be provided. For more information call Pat Puder at (831) 247-6145.

• Africa series. Viewers will have the chance to explore the people, countries and environments of eight African regions during the Africa series presented by the Crown College Programs Office. The series, which begins on February 3 and continues through the rest of winter quarter, is offered on Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Crown Fireside Lounge. It is a joint venture between Thirteen/WNET New York's NATURE and National Geographic Television. Africa is an eight-part series, shot in widescreen, super 16mm format. According to its web site,the series "takes viewers on a kaleidoscopic adventure across Africa's major regions and into the homes of the people who live there." Refreshments will be provided

Hip Hop Weekend. Art, music and dance will be showcased during Hip Hop Weekend from February 20 to 22. Events are sponsored by Oakes College, College 8, and Steveson College, in collaboration with the African/Black Student Alliance and the Filipino Student Association.

An art showing by Justin Bua will start off the celebration from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, at Media Arts. Dance, breaking, and DJ workshops will be offered on Friday, February 21, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in College Eight Student Commons Building. Saturday's activities include a Step Show and Dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Stevenson Dining Hall. "During slavery, when drums were discouraged or prohibited, African Americans responded by using their bodies as drums: clapping, slapping the hands against different parts of the body, stomping the feet, to produce a rhythmic foundation for dance," organizers of the weekend events noted. "Since the mid-twentieth century, African American fraternities and sororities have incorporated these historical roots with popular artistic forms: call and response, military drills, cheerleading, acrobatics, hip hop dance, and tap dance, to develop the art of stepping." Fraternities and sororities from UCSC and nearby universities have been invited to compete. After the step show, the crowd is invited to stay and dance.

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