Speaker Explores The Legacy Of Ralph Bunche, First African-American Nobel Peace Prize Winner, November 10

Chestertown, MD, October 23, 2003 — Washington College's International Week presents “The Legacy of Ralph Bunche,” a lecture by Badi Foster, president of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, on Monday, November 10, at 7 p.m. in the Casey Academic Center Forum. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Though few recall his name, Dr. Ralph Johnson Bunche (1903-1971) was the first African American and the first person of color anywhere in the world to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Bunche received the prize in 1950, hailed for his work as a United Nations mediator in Palestine from 1947 to 1949, the height of the bloodiest confrontations between Arabs and Israelis. After months of ceaseless negotiating, Bunche secured an armistice between the fledgling State of Israel and the Arab states. For more information on the life of Dr. Ralph Bunche, visit www.pbs.org/ralphbunche.
Dr. Badi Foster is an educator, an advocate for social change and development for the poor and underprivileged, and an innovative management professional. In November 2000, Dr. Foster was named the sixth president of the Phelps-Stokes Fund, America's oldest continuously operating foundation serving the needs of African Americans, Native Americans, Africans, and the rural and urban poor. The Fund has been a pioneer in pursuing equity for and unity among diverse ethnic and racial groups while promoting the core value of education for human development. Dr. Foster's life has mirrored those core principles. Born in Chicago, he spent his adolescent years in Africa and completed secondary school in Morocco. He earned an undergraduate degree in international relations with an emphasis on Africa from the University of Denver, and as a Fulbright fellow focused his doctoral research on the impact of rapid urbanization in Africa. Dr. Foster has served as consultant to the Ford Foundation for projects centering on higher education in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Tunisia. He received his Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University and has received many academic honors and served in numerous public service positions.
The lecture is sponsored by Washington College's Student Government Association Diversity Affairs Committee and Office of International and Diversity Affairs.

Cornel West to Speak on Race Matters

Chestertown, MD, February 23, 2001 — Dr. Cornel West, Harvard Professor of Afro-American Studies, will speak on the subject of race in contemporary American politics, economy and culture on Thursday, March 1, 2001 at 5:00 p.m. in the Gibson Fine Arts Center, Tawes Theatre at Washington College. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Dr. West is the author of Race Matters (Vintage Books, 1994) and Beyond Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism, winner of the American Book Award. A scholar, theologian and activist, Dr. West brings a bold, passionate voice and unique perspectives to American's ongoing racial debate. The New York Times has said of his writing: "A compelling blend of philosophy, sociology and political commentary... One can only applaud the ferocious moral vision and astute intellect on display in these pages."

For further information, contact the Campus Events Coordinator at 410-778-7849.

College Presents "Black History is American History"

Chestertown, MD, January 3, 2001 — February is Black History Month and Washington College will celebrate with a program of speakers, performances and student activities emphasizing "Black History is American History." The public is invited to attend the following events:

Thursday, FEBRUARY 1, 2001

AFRICA PAST AND PRESENT: STORIES, SONGS AND SLIDES, a presentation by Professor Harriet Masembe. Originally from Uganda, Professor Masembe holds a Ph.D. in African Languages and Literature from the University of Wisconsin and has performed African folktales as a professional storyteller on television and radio, as well as for numerous schools, universities and associations. Goldstein Hall 100, 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, FEBRUARY 7, 2001

BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Student presentations on famous African-American scientists and inventors. Goldstein Hall 100, 4:30 p.m.

Monday, FEBRUARY 12, 2001

The C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience presents HONOR'S VOICE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, a talk by eminent Lincoln biographer, Douglas Wilson, the George A. Lawrence Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at Knox College and the Co-Director of the Lincoln Studies Center at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Casey Academic Center Forum, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, FEBRUARY 17, 2001

Kent Youth, Inc., the Kent County Arts Council, and Washington College present KAREN SOMERVILLE, gospel, blues and jazz vocalist. Gibson Performing Arts Center, Tawes Theatre, 8 p.m. Tickets $12/adults and $5/children 14 years and under. Tickets are available at Twigs and Teacups and the Compleat Bookseller. For more information, call Kent Youth, Inc. at 410-778-1370.

Monday, FEBRUARY 19, 2001

Dance on Film Series presents FALL RIVER LEGEND, TROY GAMES, THE BELOVED, and JOHN HENRY. Casey Academic Center Forum, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 1, 2001

Dr. CORNEL WEST, Harvard Professor of Afro-American Studies and author of Race Matters and Beyond Eurocentrism and Multiculturalism (winner of the American Book Award), lectures on the subject of race in contemporary American politics, economy and culture. Tawes Theatre, 5:00 p.m.

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Chicago's Kuumba Theatre Founder Performs at Washington College

Chestertown, MD — In celebration of African American History Month, Washington College presents "My Soul Is A Witness," a one-woman show chronicling the African American experience. Performed by Val Gray-Ward, actor, director, producer, and founder of Kuumba Theatre in Chicago, the show takes place at 8 p.m., Wednesday Feb. 16 in the Norman James Theatre in William Smith Hall on the College campus.

In this dramatic production in three acts, Gray-Ward uses popular songs, blues, traditional spirituals and spirituals born of the civil-rights movement, poetry, prose, and original compositions to bring African American experience to life.

Gray-Ward, an accomplished actor, portrays 17 different characters, dramatizing the work of such writers as Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard, Wright, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and James Weldon Johnson, and composers such as W. C. Handy and Leadbelly, as well as works less well known but deserving of wider recognition.

Gray-Ward was born and reared in Mound Bayou, Miss., the oldest all-black town in America. Located in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, the area is rich in black history and culture.

"My Soul Is A Witness" and the reception in 110 William Smith Hall following the show are free and open to the public.