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No.3 April, 2012 AARC Newsletter AFRICAN AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER YORK COLLEGE OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK New Black Studies Major approved by State, Begins 2012-3 school year – two new courses offered Resulting from a two-year This course introduces the con- a new introductory level course process by an inter-disciplinary tributions of Africa and Africans taught by a veteran instructor for group of scholars, York College to the Columbian exchange-the both Cultural Diversity and the revised the African American global transfers of people, cul- African American Studies pro- Studies major. The new Black ture, plants, animals, and micro- gram. Dr. Sharada Devi, a psy- Studies major reflects changes bes that were initiated with the chologist focusing on psycholog- within the field based on new “discovery” of America. It ex- ical impacts of racism, is looking knowledge and perspectives in plores social and environmental forward to launching this course. the 21st Century, particularly tak- transformations set in motion ing into account the transforma- then are still unfolding, while This is a course about race and tions, connections and disloca- today’s appropriations and global racism in the Americas, with par- tions triggered by globalization, transfers of commons by transna- ticular emphasis on the Black the intervention of Black femin- tional corporations inspire new experience in the U.S. We will ists, and certainly the recent elec- forms of conflict and resistance. make use of several approaches – tion of the nation’s first Black including critical race theory, the president. As people, technolo- As the world is becoming more experiences of everyday people, gies, and ideas are moving across aware of globalization and envi- and the politics of popular cul- the globe, there is a greater un- ronmental issues, this course of- ture - to understand the institu- derstanding of Diaspora in gen- fers students the tools to under- tional and structural power of eral, the African Diaspora in par- stand how we got here and where racism, as well as the ways in ticular. The new name reflects we are going. The Columbian which ordinary people have arti- this greater inclusivity of people contact created the modern “New culated extraordinary resistance from Africa and the Caribbean, World” as we know it, including to the material, social, and psy- student populations that are large the U.S. and New York City. Un- chological effects of racism. and increasing at York. See page fortunately given European set- 9 for the mission and goals. tlers’ ethnocentric, even white Racism has very powerful im- supremacist, biases, the contribu- pacts on many individuals, from Two of the new courses will be tion of Africans has typically the psychological, symbolic, to rolled out in the Fall 2012 seme- been erased. Nonetheless African the material: economic and polit- ster. Black Studies 286: Africa peoples and cultures have played ical marginalization. Racism has and the Columbian Exchange an integral role in the Americas changed faces since the election will be offered as an online and the modern world system as of the first African American course. Dr. Jackie Southern, a we know it. president of the U.S., but it is still geographer who regularly takes impacting the vast majority of students on field trips to African Black Studies 102: The Unfor- York students, as members of heritage sites throughout the giving Mirror-Race and Rac- minority groups. City, will be teaching the course. ism in Contemporary Society is 1 No.3 April, 2012 The African American Resource Center promotes the study of the history, culture, and society of Africa and the African Diaspora. The Center is a resource, community space, and forum for colloquy, presentations and discussion. The Center is available to facul- ty, students and community groups in service of this AARC mission. Stevie Wonder Mini-Symposium Rocks the College Tom Zlabinger, Fine and Performing Arts Photo (l to r): Profs. Martin Atangana, George White, LaForrest Cope, Tom Zlabinger, and Mychel Namphy. I firmly believe that Stevie Wonder is currently the wanted to get involved. What was originally a night world’s greatest, living composer. His composi- of music became a week-long celebration simply tional contribution is immeasurable. He has incor- known as the Stevie Wonder Mini-Symposium. porated sophisticated harmonies with some of the grooviest rhythms. But if you also include his abili- To kick off the event, the York College Music Club ties as performer, the man becomes superhuman. hosted a screening of Stevie Wonder’s latest con- cert film Live at Last (2009) recorded in London at I had always wanted to do a tribute to Stevie Won- the O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) on der with the York College Big Band. But at a plan- Thursday, March 15th. Wonder performed all his ning meeting at the African American Resource classics spanning over five decades of hits with a Center I brought up the event and instantly others large band that was thinking and feeling with one 2 No.3 April, 2012 spoke about poetry and Stevie Wonder. She examined Won- der’s lyrics and also related a story about meeting Wonder in Los Angeles and having dinner with him. She also read a very moving poem in honor of the recently departed Whitney Hou- ston, whose first hit song “You Give Good Love” was written by Prof. Cope. This poem is to be the epilogue in the novel that Cope workshopped in Fall 2011 as part of the Africana Collo- quium Series (see story, page 8). The panel opened the floor to questions that led to a lively, interdisciplinary discussion. Photo: T.K. Blue performing with the York College Big Finally, the festivities closed Friday night, March Band, Tom Zlabinger conducting 23, with a performance by the York College Big Band featuring saxophonist T.K. Blue at the York mind and heart. Wonder even included jazz stan- College Performing Arts Center. The Big Band dards like Miles Davis’ “All Blues” (on harmonica) prepared an evening of music including such Stevie and Chick Corea’s “Spain.” Wonder hits as “Isn’t She Lovely,” “My Cherie Amour,” “Don’t You Worry About a Thing,” “Too On the following Monday evening, March 19th, I High,” and “Superstition.” The large auditorium had the honor to host a panel with four other York was filled with over five hundred audience mem- College faculty. The African American Resource bers. The evening concluded with a resounding ver- Center was literally standing room only with over sion of Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” A review of 85 people in attendance. We each spoke about a the performance in the Jamaica Examiner had only theme and how it related to Stevie Wonder. As one criticism of the performance: it was too short! moderator, I began the discussion on Stevie Won- der and jazz focusing on Wonder’s first album The Looking back on the festivities, I am thrilled to Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Wonder (1963). George have been able to open this small idea and have it White gave an inspired talk on hip-hop and Stevie embraced by the campus at large. I want to thank Wonder relating images in Wonder’s lyrics to those Ayush Prasad and the York College Music Club for of modern MCs. White also talked about Wonder’s hosting the concert film. I want to thank Mark challenging notions of black identity. Mychel Schuller and the African American Resource Cen- Namphy spoke next on rhythm and blues and Ste- ter for hosting the panel. And I want to thank the vie Wonder, specifically comparing two strikingly panel for taking an idea, investing their time and different versions of Wonder’s first single “I Call It talent in it, and creating some fantastic moments of Pretty Music But The Old People Call It The insight and discussion. And last, I want to thank Blues” (1962) that emphasized Wonder’s ability to T.K. Blue, the York College Big Band, the York dig deep into the rhythm and blues tradition. Martin College Performing Arts Center, and all who at- Atangana spoke next on Africa and Stevie Wonder, tended for literally taking the music of Stevie Won- emphasizing Wonder’s fight against apartheid and der to a higher ground. Music is a social activity his participation in USA for Africa (1984). Atanga- and it should not be done alone. We at York Col- na also pointed out how many African pop musi- lege not only celebrated the man and his music, cians used Wonder’s music and image as a source Stevie Wonder inspired us to come together and of inspiration. Finally, LaForrest Cope (a.k.a. LaLa) celebrate ourselves. 3 No.3 April, 2012 Bad Friday: Rastafari after Coral Gardens Kelly Josephs, English 2012 marks the 50th anniversary ca who annually commemorate Violence: Embodied Citizenship of Jamaica’s independence. This the 1963 Coral Gardens “inci- in Transnational Jamaica, Mod- semester to prepare the African dent” popularly dubbed “Bad ern Blackness: Nationalism, American Resource Center has Friday.” This occurred just after Globalization, and The Politics planned two activities. The first, independence when the Jamaican of Culture in Jamaica. It was “Ode to the Downpressor,” is government rounded up, jailed during research for her most re- listed below (page 6). and tortured hundreds of Rastafa- cent book publication (Excep- rians. It chronicles the history of tional Violence) that she began On Thursday, May 3rd, the Afri- violence in Jamaica through the recording footage about “Bad can American Resource Center, eyes of its most iconic communi- Friday,” footage that she even- in conjunction with the Male In- ty, and shows how people use tually extended and to co- itiative Program, will present their recollections of past trau- produce the documentary film.