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S o j o u r n e r Volume 3 u Issue1 u Winter2009 TruthEnd of an Era Letter from the Editor: Dr. Charles Mate-Kole retires u Who is the voice of the African Diaspora? Does it u Since the establishment of the CCSU Center for come from the left or the right? Is it Marxist-Leninists Africana Studies, Dr. Charles Mate-Kole has been the or privatization and globalization? Is it assimilation or face and the embodiment of the revolution? Does it come from ideals and goals of the center. In Minister Louis Farrakhan or the Summer of 2009, Dr. Mate- Reverend Al Sharpton? Does Kole, the founding Director of it come from Michael Steele or the Center, surprised everyone Harold Ford? Is it Jimi Hendrix by taking an early retirement or Jay-Z? Is it Oprah Winfrey? from CCSU. Is it President Obama? Is it a uDr. Mate-Kole joined CCSU Judeo-Christian, a Muslim, a as an associate professor of Traditional belief system, or is Psychology in 1996 and was it a miscegenation of them all? promoted to full professor in Who speaks for the dreams, 1999. Immediately upon his triumphs, tragedies, and appointment, he became a successes of a people that are member of the African Studies as diverse as each individual Committee. He became very snowflake? Who will tell the involved with the activities stories, the lamentations and of the committee and later Dr. Charles Mate-Kole psalms of a continent that gave birth assumed the position of chair. He to humanity? envisioned a larger mission and role for African Studies u The Sojourner Truth Newsletter strives to be an and therefore worked with other faculty members and outlet for all those voices. We want to bring issues the administration to establish the Center for Africana dealing with the Africana experience to the intellectual Studies. As the founding Director of the Africana Center, forefront, our barbershop conversations, and Sunday he has helped expand Central’s role in the community, morning sermons. enabling it to better serve students interested in African issues. u In this edition you will read, among others, about the “Ethics of Aid” - the theme of the Fall 2009 Annual u As the Director of the Center for Africana Studies, Conference of the CCSU Center for Africana Studies, Dr. Mate-Kole was responsible for organizing campus You will see images of laughter; you will see images of lectures and many other campus-wide activities, as love, and images of life. You will see images of a vibrant well as community activities sponsored by the Center. people with a vibrant culture. You will see images from The Center provides a home for students to complete 2009 Culture Shock, an international and intercultural assignments and get mentoring. It provides an after- event sponsored by the CCSU Africana Students school preparatory program to high school students Continue on page 16: Continue on page 16: Contents Editorial Board of the Charles Mate-Kole Cover Story Sojourner Truth News Guest editor’s notes Front page Conference report Page 3 letter Introduction 3 Fall 2009 Keynote address 3 Okey Ndibe 15 Mr. Michael Wilson, Guest Editor Amadu Seidu 12 Ms. Ramatou Sangare, Communication major Amistad 4 Ms. Tamika Harvey , Graphic design major Culture shock 5 Olufunke Adebayo, Biology major Deconstructing the myth of Jamel Cooper, Journalism major Diversity 6 Prof. Jerry Butler, Department of Art To become man enough 13 Prof. Peter LeMaire, Department of Physics & Student’s corner: Closing the achieve ment gap 9 Earth Science . Natural 10 Prof. Chengiah Ragaven, International Studies Poems 11/12 Program Professor Okey Ndibe Department of English Trinity College 2 Umoja 2009 by Jerry Butler 16th Annual Conference of the Center for Africana Studies, Fall 2009 he sixteenth PHRUUUUU! (16th) Annual C o n f e r e n c e The saviour of Tof the CCSU Kumbayaa Center for Africana BINYAVANGA WAINAINA Studies was held at the (Keynote Speaker Torp Theater of Central Connecticut State Introduction: Deep University on Friday voice, in an English Dr. Warren Perry Binyavanga Wainaina November 6, 2009. The theme of the conference was accent: “There is a beautiful valley, Kumbayaa, in a “ Ethics of Aid”. The conference brought together primeval forest, above the hills of Ixopo-on-Mara, experts in the field of Aid to the developing world. where elephants, for millennia, have come to eat Invited speakers included Mr. Binyavanga Wainaiana, rich minerals on the cliffs. This was before they found a well known African writer and activist, Dr. Timothy the diamonds. Now, greedy black miners-poacher- Rickard, professor emeritus of Central Connecticut mercenaries came and ruined everything!” State University, Dr. Adeyinka Banwo, a Nigerian political and social activist and visiting professor at Synopsis: The elephants of Kumbayaa are noble Westfield State College in Massachusetts, Dr. Okey and timeless, they do not have petty rivalries or Ndibe, a writer and professor of English at Trinity jealousies. The children don’t play -- they follow College, Hartford, Connecticut, Dr. Evelyn Philips, their mothers, trunk on tail in a long noble line. They professor of Anthropology at CCSU, and Mr. Amadu walk to face their death at the hands of the dirty, Seidu, a community organizer in Ghana and currently a evil miners of Kumbayaa, who have been cobbled graduate student in International Studies at CCSU. The together by a dirty old mercenary, Leonardo, who conference was opened with remarks from Dr. Jack lost everything when his wife left him, his heart Miller, President of CCSU, and followed by remarks dried out and he got on a plane with some French by Dr. Zdzislaw Kremens, Dean of the CCSU School of adventurers to Kenya, to lead a life of debauchery Engineering and Technology. Dr. Carl Lovitt, Provost and and khaki and greed in Africa . Vice President for Academic Affairs, provided opening remarks for the afternoon session of the conference. As the elephants walk towards their annual licking The conference was moderated by Dr. Warren Perry, ground, ancient drums warn, acacias tremble, all the professor of Archeology and Co-Director of the Center world music of African indigenous deserts gathers for Africana Studies, Dr. Olusegun Odesina, Associate momentum, as all the indigenous peoples of Africa, Dean of the CCSU School of Technology, and Dr. Peter watching the movie, are sending desperate ancient LeMaire, professor of Physics at CCSU. Mr. Wainaina musical text messages to the elephants, saying gave the keynote address, Dr. Rickard spoke on the nooooo, noooo. Don’t gooooooo. “Ethics of Grassroots NGOs” with reference to the Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI), a But, alas, the elephants are timeless people. They grassroots foundation, founded by his daughter and trumpet their message back to the rest of the an alumna of the CCSU Center for Africana Studies’ timeless people: “Ancient brothers, we will face our Ghana Program, Dr. Diana Rickard. Information on fate with dignity. Continue on page 14: GHEI can be found at www.ghei.org. Dr. Philips gave an overview of the Center’s Ghana Program. Find in this issue, excerpts from some of the speakers at the conference. uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu President Miller Dean Kremens Dr Rickard 3 Amistad Lecture and Banquet demand by the captives to be taken back to Sierra- Leone. The Amistad ship was captured by the crew Dr. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza & Dr. Olusegum Sogunro Dr Johnson, Dr. Harris, Dr. Emeagwali, Dr. Tuyambe, The Amistad Lecture and Banquet is Ms. Richardson, Dr. Sogunro organized yearly by the Amistad Committee, an of U. S. S. Washington off of Long Island, New York affiliate of the Africana Center. Other than the and re-directed to New London. Captives were taken first lecture which was held in November 2003, to New Haven, tried in Hartford Courts, and finally subsequent lectures and banquets have been held in set free to go back to Sierra-Leone, their homeland. February as part of the Black History Month activities. During this critical time, some human rights activists The Amistad Committee’s mission statement includes in the state offered humanitarian assistance and gave the following: helping hands to the survivors of this traumatic event. -To preserve and protect Notably, the town of Farmington played the history and legacy of the a prominent role in the rehabilitation Amistad. of the Amistad victims. -To honor the experience History has it that the of the captives aboard the Amistad events of 1839 and the Amistad to the universal aftermath, constituted the most aspirations for human dignity famous landmark slavery case in the and freedom. United States, setting the stage for -To foster intellectual inquiry freedom, social justice, and equality. relating to the events of the Between 2003 and 2009, Amistad through lecture the committee has successfully series, workshops, research Dr.Walton Brown-Foster organized six lectures and four and community outreach activities. banquets. Members of the Amistad Committee The Amistad saga which spawned 1839-1842 include Drs. Gloria Emeagwali (History), Katherine involved the illegal capturing of 53 Africans from Harris (History), Beverly Johnson (English), Walton Sierra-Leone to the Americas and their enslavement Brown-Foster (Political Science), and Olusegun in Havana, Cuba. They were first shipped in the Sogunro (Educational Leadership). Tecora slave ship to the Americas with the aim of Should further information be required, being transported in the Amistad ship to a plantation please contact Dr. Olusegun Sogunro (Co-Chair) at in Cuba. A bloody revolt ensued enroute with a 860- 832-2131 or Dr. Gloria Emeagwali (Co-Chair) at 860- 832-2815. 4 Students, faculty & committee members Dr. Zeleza & Dean Sakofs Fourth Annual Culture Shock Africana Students Organization By Ramatou Sangare, CCSU Senior, majoring Throughout the night students and community in Communication members enjoyed themselves.

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