Inside the August 2008 issue:
In the 2008 Givens Foundation NOMMO series, AA&AS professor Alexs Pate interviews and moderates discussions with prominent African American literary figures. In our African Diaspora series our faculty will interview and moderate discussions with prominent scholars about rethinking and redeploying understandings of the African Diaspora:
Several prominent members of the Twin Cities African American and African communities are widely known and praised as intellectual leaders, even though they might not have formal college educations. Professor Rose Brewer will moderate a series of events held at various community sites where these organic intellectuals will debate ideas and possible solutions to pressing socioeconomic issues with AA&AS faculty and other community members.
In 2007, the magazine n+1 published a pamphlet, What We Should Have Known: Two Discussions, that contains transcriptions of two conversations among authors discussing books they should have read in college. Professors John Wright and Alexs Pate will convene two panel discussions (of academics, authors, and community educators) to generate two lists of books that African Americans should read. One list will be for children, the other for adults.
Documentaries about African and African American experiences will be purchased and screened in monthly sessions that will include a panel discussion of faculty, students, and artists. Professor John Wright will moderate this series.
The January conference will contain at least one student event (a panel of students discussing Nerve Juice, a memoir about the Morrill Hall takeover) and one event for members of the community. After the conference at least one additional student event will be scheduled in the Black Student Union, to which the public will be invited.
A play will be commissioned and performed about the history and evolution of African American & African studies at the University of Minnesota. The play might be modeled on Peace Crimes: The Minnesota 8 vs. The War.
Public art will be purchased and installed. One possible piece might be “Walking Warrior I,� created by sculptor Melvin Smith, who was a student in 1969. Another option might be painting a mural on the 8th floor of the Social Sciences Tower (home to the Department of African American & African Studies).