It will be a busy semester in the African American Cultural Center! The fall 2016 calendar includes nearly two dozen events that revolve around the 25th-anniversary celebration and theme of “Examining Wellness in African American Spaces: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Come celebrate with us!
August
The semester kicks off with What’s on the Table? – the African American Cultural Center’s weekly Friday afternoon roundtable discussion. Drop-in on the 3rd floor of Witherspoon Student Center from 3:00-4:30 p.m. on Fridays to have your say on the current week’s topic, which may coincide with current events or examine a deeply felt issue in the community. Also happening this month through September 15, 2016 is the KO-Alpha Kappa Alpha Backpack Drive.
September
Visit the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery for the first exhibit of the semester, “Black Man with a Horn.” This exhibit is in place now and throughout the month of September and features the work of Antoine Williams. Included are life-size figures made from wheat-paste and found objects that are a metaphor for larger systemic issues of a broken criminal justice system. The show reflects the specifics of Black life in the southeastern U.S. with echoes of contemporary issues we face as a nation.
On Thursday, September 8, 2016, please join us in the Coastal Ballroom of Talley Student Union at 5:00 p.m. for our annual Harambee! Celebration. This is a gathering of the community to celebrate the beginning of another great year at NC State.
Rounding out the month are a Faculty Lunch and Learn on “Connecting African American Graduate Students with Faculty through Scholarship and Research” on September 14, 2016 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. in Witherspoon 356 and a Gallery workshop with Antoine Williams on September 17, 2016 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. in the Art Gallery. Please contact Dr. Frances Graham to register.
October
Join us on Monday, October 3, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in Witherspoon Center, Room 126 for a talk and book signing by Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes, who is also the featured author for the African American Cultural Center’s Community Book Club this semester. The book club meets on Mondays at noon (see schedule) to discuss Too Heavy a Yoke: Black Women and the Burden of Strength.
Three additional presentations, “Beauty is Skin Deep,” “Education in the African American Community” and a presentation by author and alumna Tensie J. Taylor will also happen in October (see full calendar for times and locations). A special 25th Anniversary Gallery exhibit featuring the work of NC State alumni will open on Monday, October 17, 2016, and there will be a special Gallery walk-through for alumni on Friday, October 28, 2016 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
November
On November 15, 2016, join us for a walking tour of campus from 3:00-5:00 p.m. starting behind Holladay Hall with the legendary Ms. Toni Thorpe, who, together with NC State historians, created the unique campus experience known as the Red, White and Black Walk. Ms. Thorpe educates tour participants regarding the significance of campus buildings and locations with regard to African American History at NC State. Do not miss this rare opportunity to continue the oral history of your university.
The calendar year winds to a close with the Witherspoon and Clark Leadership Initiative Kick-Off Meetings on November 16-17, 2016, the final What’s on the Table roundtable discussion of the semester on Friday, November 18, 2016 and the annual Kwanzaa Celebration program on Wednesday, November 30. 2016 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. in Witherspoon Student Center.
More Information
For more information on these events, see the web calendar and/or contact Dawn Morgan, assistant director of the African American Cultural Center.