Global Media <-> Diasporic Cultures

In 2008 AA&AS and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication are the primary sponsors of a speaker series: "Global Media <-> Diasporic Cultures." Corporations within the transnational media industry compete to capitalize upon traditions and popular cultural forms from around the globe. Simultaneously, artists and audiences from these cultural spaces continue to innovate and migrate in the shifting economic and social landscapes of the 21st century. Courting these multicultural, often nomadic, audiences, media makers seek to acquire, shape, and re-shape cultural materials in order to transmit products that draw upon and market to different racial, cultural, and national identities. The speakers in this series have produced cutting-edge research on this quickly changing landscape of media texts and cultures. Their work sheds light on genres, styles, and stars of this multinational media era, as well as the cultural, social, political, and economic phenomena that drive trends in this media landscape. Members of the university community, as well as communities within the Twin Cities, who attend these talks will be able to engage with the speakers about specific cases of media products and persona that reflect upon global media cultures, and discuss the often problematic deployment of race, ethnicity, gender, and national identities represented in many media trends.

The following speakers have been scheduled: Bambi Haggins (University of Michigan), author of Laughing Mad: The Black Comic Persona in Post-Soul America; University of Minnesota faculty member Jigna Desai, author of Beyond Bollywood: The Cultural Politics of South Asian Diasporic Film; Deborah Paredez (University of Texas, Austin), author of the forthcoming book Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory; Sean Jacobs (University of Michigan), South African journalist and scholar; and University of Minnesota faculty member Richard Martinez, who is working on analysis of news coverage of the 2006 immigration protests. Martinez will kick off the series on Friday, February 1, 2008 (12-1:10 in Murphy Hall 228).

Black Paris global seminar

In May, Professor Trica Keaton will lead a Global Seminar in Paris, France:

Paris is considered one of the most beautiful and exciting places in the world, and for over three centuries, diverse African American artists, intellectuals, musicians, writers, and everyday people have pursued various dreams in the "City of Light," particularly when denied opportunities in the U.S. African Americans are often held up as evidence of racial tolerance in France, even as the lived-experiences of other African diasporic peoples have challenged that very representation and the principles of inclusion upon which it is built. Through stimulating reading, workshops, tours, guest lectures, films, and residence in Paris, this seminar will acquaint you with the life, adventures, and times of those who comprise "Black Paris," as we seek to explore the many questions and paradoxes specific to the African diaspora in this fascinating and complex global city.

"Blue Door" play

The Guthrie and Emigrant Theater are offering 50% off tickets for any remaining performance of Blue Door by Tanya Barfield, now playing at the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie.

Don't miss what the Pioneer Press called "a powerful way to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day... vivid... effective... thought-provoking... None of us will ever gain freedom until we recognize what binds us, because only then can we begin to loosen the chains."

The Star-Tribune calls playwright Tanya Barfield "an exciting new voice in American theater, and Blue Door amply displays her stunning grasp of language and solidly crafted characterization, as well as her unwillingness to settle for easy answers. Emigrant Theater and the Guthrie are to be commended for offering such a fine opportunity to experience her work."

Emigrant Theater was named Best Independent Theater of 2007 by City Pages.

Blue Door
by Tanya Barfield
directed by Jessica Finney
featuring Eric Avery & David Wiles

Left alone by his wife after refusing to join the Million Man March, an African-American math professor watches as the ghosts of his ancestors arrive and shatter the silence of his insomnia, drawing him into a spiral of history, a crisis of identity and culture, and a powerful exploration of what it means to be black, then and now.

Only 4 More Performances:
Friday, Jan. 25, 7:30pm
Saturday, Jan. 26, 1pm (with a post-play discussion)
Saturday, Jan. 26, 7:30pm
Sunday, Jan. 27, 1pm

Call the Guthrie box office at (612) 377-2224 and quote price code "HA."

MLK public art

The New York Times has posted a slide show about Martin Luther King Jr. public art. The photographer Camilo Jose Vergara provides the following summary: "In America's poorest ghettos, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s portrait is one of the most popular subjects of public art. These images, which I have been documenting since 1977, regularly appear on the walls of the liquor stores, auto-repair shops, fast-food restaurants, mom-and-pop stores and public housing projects of Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and many other cities across the country. The majority are the work of amateur artists. Though Dr. King is usually front and center, he is often accompanied by other inspirational figures: Nelson Mandela, John Paul II, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Pancho Villa. He is often accompanied by his famous phrase, 'I have a dream' -- a reminder that in many of the communities where these murals exist, the gulf between hope and reality remains far too wide."

student athletes and campus diversity

Even though we are in the year 2008, the African American male population on many college campuses is still significantly composed of athletes. We have much work to do in order to really diversify higher education.

MLK Day Breakfast

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a journalist with more than 40 years of experience in television, radio and print, will highlight the legacy of Dr. King's dream at the 18th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast on Monday, Jan. 21.

Hunter-Gault, the first black woman admitted to the University of Georgia and the first African-American reporter at the New Yorker, recently rejoined National Public Radio as a correspondent following six years as CNN's bureau chief in Johannesburg, South Africa. For two decades, she worked for PBS, where she served as national correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer," and anchored the award-winning newsmagazine on human rights, "Rights and Wrongs."

The Emmy award-winning journalist will share her journey in America and beyond with breakfast guests at the annual holiday celebration. The event -- including musical performances from Melinda Doolittle of "American Idol" fame -- will be broadcast live on Twin Cities Public Television beginning at 8 a.m.

With a theme of "Answering the Call," the 2008 MLK Holiday Breakfast will feature a new community service component that will encourage the 2,000 breakfast guests as well as television viewers to fill out commitment cards pledging to volunteer in the community in the coming year. The effort, with support from Hands On Twin Cities, is expected to generate thousands of hours of volunteer service in the Twin Cities in 2008. Potential volunteers can learn more about service opportunities -- ranging from mentoring a child to serving meals -- at www.mlkbreakfast.org.

Each year, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the General Mills Foundation host the annual MLK Jr. Holiday Breakfast, a Twin Cities tradition at the Minneapolis Convention Center that kicks off a day of metro-wide celebrations. The event honors Dr. King's contributions to the civil rights movement, which not only transformed American laws and life, but also inspired worldwide human rights reforms.

Although tickets for the breakfast at the Minneapolis Convention Center are sold out, the St. Paul Area Council of Churches again this year will host five simultaneous events in St. Paul and Duluth, where guests can enjoy breakfast and watch the live broadcast together. These community breakfasts -- held from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. -- are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Reservations are available online at the St. Paul Area Council of Churches Web site at www.spacc.org or by phone at 651-789-3877.


The host of ceremonies for the 2008 breakfast will be Angela Davis, reporter for "WCCO This Morning." Davis, a well-known Twin Cities journalist, has been on-air in the market for more than a decade. The breakfast also will feature Gregory Washington & Voices of Praise, as well as the annual Local Legends awards presentation.
This is the 18th year that General Mills and UNCF have collaborated on the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast. Previous speakers have included U.S. Rep. John Lewis, Juan Williams, Vernon Jordan, Alex Haley, Cicely Tyson, Yolanda King, Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III. This year's speaker, Hunter-Gault, replaces Tavis Smiley, who was unable to attend the event.
As the nation's oldest and most successful minority higher education assistance organization, the United Negro College Fund's mission is to provide financial support to its 39 member institutions and increase minority degree attainment by reducing financial barriers to college. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 25 percent of African-American baccalaureate degrees.
The General Mills Foundation, celebrating more than 50 years of giving, is a champion for stronger communities. In fiscal 2007, General Mills awarded $82 million to communities across the country, representing more than 5 percent of company pretax profits that year. Of the total, the General Mills Foundation contributed more than $20 million in grants in the targeted areas of youth nutrition and fitness, social services, education, and arts and culture.

The Wiz

The University of Minnesota Theatre will perform The Wiz in April of 2008 under the artistic team of director Dominic Taylor, assistant director T. Mychael Rambo, musical director Sanford Moore, and choreographer Uri Sands. This tour de force artistic team will explore Oz like never before, leading a cast comprised of students from many disciplines throughout the University.

WHAT: The Wiz
WHEN: April 11-19, 2008
WHO: University of Minnesota's Department of Theatre Arts and Dance students under the direction of Dominic Taylor, with T. Mychael Rambo, musical direction by Sanford Moore, and choreography by Uri Sands.
WHERE: Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust Theatre, West Bank Arts Quarter, University of Minnesota. 330 21st Ave. S, Minneapolis
TICKETS: $12 - $17 and $2 at the door. U of M Arts Ticket Office 612.624.2345.

THE TRADITION OF OZ
Through the trials and tribulations of Dorothy, The Wiz tells a tale of finding one's place in the world. The universal themes of courage, intelligence, love, and the importance of home are personal journeys that each character takes on their own. Even while the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy all travel together, their journey is one of finding what each are missing as individuals: a heart, a brain, courage, and a home.

The University Theatre is proud to be a part of the long history of The Wiz. In 1975 The Wiz opened and ran for 1,672 performances on Broadway. Two subsequent national tours and one big-budget/big star film adaptation later, The Wiz became known for its electric musical score and its all African American cast, which was a first for Broadway. More than 30 years later, The Wiz is poised for a possible return to Broadway with the recent success of the Los Angeles based Ja Jolla Playhouse's re-imagining of the tale, and an overwhelming renewed interest in the Land of Oz.

Despite the many adaptations of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the heart of the story remains the same. Wherever Oz may be to you -- whether as a new student at the University of Minnesota, in a new job, or the deserts of Iraq -- if you believe in yourself, you can always find home.

TICKET/PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
The Wiz runs April 11th - 19th, 2008, at the Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust Theatre in the University of Minnesota's West Bank Arts Quarter. For ticket information, call the University Arts Ticket Office at 612.624.2345 or visit the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.. For group sales information, call 612.625.8878. For additional information please contact Sean M. Nolan at utheatre@umn.edu or call 612.625.4001.

Save Yar Campaign

Ajak Mading and her sister Yar were abducted on October 3, 2007, from a village in southeastern Sudan. Ajak will turn two years old on Monday, January 14, but her parents still do not know where she and her sister are. The two girls are among hundreds of young children who have been abducted by armed groups in southeastern Sudan in the last two years because of their future value as brides. That the local government has taken no steps to find Yar and Ajak reflects how children's rights have been overshadowed by power struggles between ethnic groups in southeastern Sudan.

The University of Minnesota Human Rights Program and its Save Yar Campaign invite you to gather at noon Monday, January 14, in the Rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol to commemorate Ajak's second birthday. Moreover we will issue an appeal to Sultan Ismail Konyi, the leading public official from the Murle ethnic group. (Yar and Ajak are believed to have been abducted by one of several remotely located armed groups of Murle ethnicity.) Sultan Konyi has publicly condemned child abduction, but we will call upon Sultan Konyi to take a personal role in working with local Murle leaders to find Yar, Ajak, and other young abductees, and to negotiate for their release.

The University of Minnesota Human Rights Program and student groups have taken up this cause in solidarity with Minnesota's growing African population including Gabriel Kou Solomon of St. Paul, the uncle of Yar and Ajak. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum and U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar have issued official statements on this crisis: Visit www.save-yar.org for details. Monday's event will be attended by state and federal legislators and their aides. For more information on the event, contact Daniel Lynx Bernard, coordinator, Save Yar Campaign, dbernard@umn.edu.

MLK event

Northwest Airlines is sponsoring a January 9, 2008 event about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
"Courage to Live the Dream: Commitment, Community, Opportunity.