Professor Rose Brewer honored as the 2014 CLA Dean's Medalist

Congratulations to Professor Rose Brewer for earning the 2014 CLA Dean's Medal. On April 8th, she was honored and presented the address, "Black Life in the 21st Century U.S.: Complexities of Political Economy, Race, and Ideology" at Northrup Auditorium. The CLA Dean's Medal was created by an anonymous donor to reward a faculty member's excellence in scholarship or creative activity.

Award-winning poet Patricia Smith and Young Adult novelist Rita Williams-Garcia at the Minneapolis Teachers Institute Year-End Colloquium, Saturday, May 17 at STSS Building. Learn more.

MLK Day Concert

"Tapestry of Dreams," an annual concert remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dr. Reginald Buckner (founder of the concert), will be held on Sunday, January 23, 2011, 4:00-6:00 pm, Ted Mann Concert Hall. The event is jointly sponsored by the Office for Equity and Diversity and the School of Music. For event details, contact: Ralph Blanco, Office for Equity and Diversity, rblanco@umn.edu, (612) 625-8680; or visit http://z.umn.edu/MLK2011. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Value of Kwanzaa

On December 26, 2010 Associate Professor Keith Mayes was interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR) about The Value of Kwanzaa.

Somalis in Minnesota

According to December 2010 American Community Survey data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, about 30% of Americans with Somali ancestry live in Minnesota: approximately 25,000 out of about 85,700.

"Wigger" screening and discussion

The movie Wigger will be screened at the University of Minnesota's Coffman Theater on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 6:30-9:00 pm. This spellbinding urban drama chronicles the life of a young, White male named Brandon who totally emulates and immerses himself in African American life and culture. Shot in North Omaha, Nebraska, Brandon struggles to find a place for himself in a world in which he rejects his Whiteness, but is not always fully embraced by African American culture.

Join us for an evening with Dr. Omowale Akintunde, writer and director of Wigger for the film's premiere in Minnesota, followed by a discussion and Q&A session, facilitated by AA&AS faculty Keith Mayes and Alexs Pate.

The event is free, but registration is required online, or call Thien Nguyen-August at 651-772-4254.

For more information visit http://www.minnesotahumanities.org/wigger, or contact
James Zacchini, 651-772-4249, james@minnesotahumanities.org

The University District

The University District is an alliance established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2007 to define a vision for the future development of four historic neighborhoods surrounding the University of Minnesota. In Voices of the University District residents and business owners describe life near a major urban university.

Nollywood

The blog for Afar magazine has an interesting post about Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry.