OFFICE OF MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
- Get ready for the annual Multicultural Resource Center Open House! Thursday, August 28, from 1 to 4 pm! Express yourself creatively by designing your own t-shirt! And enjoy ice cream and the music of Expresso Brazil! Don't miss this fun start to the new year!
- We’re looking for outgoing, creative students with Work Study to join our 08-09 Student Staff! Want to see the job description?
Want to submit your online application? Call us at 334.5090 if you have any questions. We’re looking forward to adding some new faces!
“Workshop Carnival”
A brief description of the workshops and presentations that participants can choose from
SPECIAL NOTE TO ALL STUDENTS: At the conclusion of each workshop you attend, show your student ID card and you will receive a ticket for you to drop into the “Workshop Carnival” fishbowl. At the end of the day during the conference closing ceremony, five (5) tickets will be drawn from the fishbowl and the ticket holders — provided they are five different attendees and they are present at the closing ceremony — will win some cool gifts!
“100% Black”
Kenya J. Harris, BSW, Leadership Connnections, Inc.
Why are we limited in opportunity because of lifestyle choice, beliefs, and race? This interactive workshop will address this question as well as allow participants to examine how one’s beliefs and lifestyle can create drastically different life experiences. This workshop will involve participants through role playing, critical thinking activities, and through the sharing of individual life experiences.
“Gangsta Rap: A Former Site of Social Change”
Armond Towns, Author & Graduate Teacher Assistant, UNCG
“Gangsta rap” was once used to illustrate the ills of inner-city, African American life and ultimately strive to change that lifestyle. Now gangsta rap has been “inverted” to glorify the ills of inner-city life and exploit it for financial gain. Through in-depth discussion and interaction, this workshop will focus on the characteristics of gangsta rap and how it was once used to create social change.
“Together but Separate?”
Etsuko Kinefuchi, Ph.D., UNCG
Through a series of questions, participants will examine and reflect on racial diversity and interracial relations on campus and in their lives. Participants will share their personal observations and move to what may be done individually and institutionally to enhance and understand interracial relations. In addition to discussion, an interactive activity on prejudice and expectation will engage participants.
“In Your Face”
Diversity Educators, Appalachian State University
“In Your Face” is an intriguing program in which participants will be able to explore perceptions of cultural identity and the idea of labeling. Through an energetic activity, participants will be able to discuss and understand different multicultural issues such as stereotypes, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and gender.
“The Invisibility of Privilege”
National Conference for Community and Justice
Privilege is often denied by individuals, because when we have it, it is difficult for us to notice. This workshop will explore some of the advantages we have — based on our race, gender, sexual orientation, and even our religious affiliation. The institutional and cultural effects of the “majority” are usually just seen as “average” or “normal” — resulting in opportunities that are not always equitable for all. This will be an interactive workshop, including both an activity and group dialogue.
“Knowing Me, Knowing You”
Theta Nu Xi Multicultural Sorority, Inc., UNCG
Our perceptions shape the way that we look at the world and also react to our surroundings. “Knowing Me, Knowing You” will provide a visual portrayal of how different experiences shape our perceptions and how our differences are not always race driven. This interactive workshop will focus on strengthening personal bonds by embracing and understanding differences between individuals and their cultures.
“A Focus on Undoing Racism and the Cancer Care and Racial Equity Study”
The Partnership Project
The Greensboro Cancer Care and Racial Equity Study (CCARES) is an NIH funded study that combines a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach with principles of undoing racism to understand factors contributing to racial disparities in breast cancer care. This presentation will provide an overview of the Undoing Racism training that has provided the foundation for our work as a collaborative (Greensboro Health Disparities Collaborative) effort, including the creation of a shared language to discuss racism, the historical and contemporary context of the racial categorization system used in the US and an analysis of power and its influence on the health of communities of color. It will also include a brief description the CCARES study.
“Becoming a Rhizomatic African American Woman”
Shani Foy-Watson, Doctoral Student, ELC, UNCG; Shuntay McCoy, Doctoral Student, HDFS, UNCG; Dara Nix-Stevenson, Doctoral Student, ELC, UNCG; Shawn Ricks, Doctoral Student, ELC, UNCG; April Ruffin, Doctoral Student, ELC, UNCG
This discussion will foreground how African American women negotiated their subjectivity to navigate with skill and artistry the worlds of education, work, and beyond.
“United States Diversity Lottery, African Immigrants, and the Re-coloring of Predominantly Black Universities.”
Fuabeh Fonge, Associate of History, NC A&T
With a focus on recent American immigration laws, the paper examines the changing composition of African immigrants, that of African permanent residents in the US, the interactions between African American and African immigrants, and the place of African-born Americans in higher education. The purpose of the paper is to generate understanding among members of the wider community by seeking ways to achieve diversity in a race-neutral environment.
“Working Together in the Classroom”
George Dimock, Art Dept, UNCG
This paper will describe and comment upon the use of the theory and techniques of Re-evaluation Counselling in the teaching of an undergraduate course in UNCG’s African American Studies Program entitled “Race and Representation.”
“American Apartheid and African American Identity: Adrian Piper’s Vanilla Nightmare”
Megan Young, Visual Resources Curator, Department of Art, UNCG
Adrian Piper is an artist who has long been at the forefront of battling society’s classification of people of color as “other.” Using shock value to command viewer’s attention and incite discourse, she does not shy away from confronting racism and the public’s preconceptions — and misconceptions — concerning the placement of African American identity within the collective identity of American society. The Vanilla Nightmares series forces viewers to acknowledge the reality of having a viable identity within the American social construct.
“Nobody Mean More to Me Than You”: Black Intergenerationality and a Language of Love, June Jordan and Audre Lorde 1970-1990
Alexis Gumbs, PHD Candidate, English Department, Duke University
This paper seeks to create a theory of intergenerationality out of the yearning and reaching that Audre Lorde and June Jordan did in their least known work — their teaching.
“You Told Harpo to Beat Me”
Robert Randolph, African American Studies, UNCG
This paper will examine Oprah’s public persona and how she has portrayed black masculine angst, specifically her handling of homosexuality (Terry McMillan’s divorce scandal), traumatic male sexual violence (Laveranues Coles’s painful admission of his own sexual molestation and rape), and male hip hop artists (her on-going feud with Ludacris). With all of the hype about the maladies of hip hop, such as blatant misogyny, chauvinism, and homophobia, the paper asserts that Oprah offers a unique view of black men’s humanity, which admits and embraces frailty and vulnerability.
“Blade: Black Bodies as Spectacle”
Sabrina Boyer, Graduate Student, UNCG; Dr. Frank Woods, Director of African American Studies Program, UNCG
This paper will examine the presentation of black bodies in reference to superherodom, focusing specifically on the film series Blade, to examine black bodies as spectacle and the meaning of black identity in positions of power and how those bodies are read and assigned meaning.
“Negroes vs. Niggas: The ongoing Turf War for our Blackface”
Demetrius Noble, Spoken Word Artist, Greensboro, NC
Interactive lecture and discussion fusing spoken word into a multi-media workshop exploring the historical and current implications of the question, “What is Black?”
“Images of African American Educators on Prime Time Television:
The Bill Cosby Show, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper, and Boston Public”
Mary Dalton, Wake Forest University; Laura Linder, Marist College
This paper will focus on popular culture depictions of African American educators on three significant prime time television series: “The Bill Cosby Show,” “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper,” and “Boston Public.”
“Muslim Women in Film”
Debra Majeed, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Beloit College
This presentation will examine the role of African American Muslim women in film and other media.
“The African Diaspora and the Issue of Colorism: a Comparative Analysis with Brazil and the United States”
Andrea Patterson, Instructor of Speech Communication, WSSU and Communication Studies, UNCG; Dr. Robert Anderson, Associate Professor of Portuguese, WSSU; Michele Leverett, Instructor of English, WSSU; Dr. Michael Brookshaw, Associate Professor of Spanish, WSSU
In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois declared, “The problem of the 20th Century is the problem of the color line.” This panel presentation will examine the African diaspora in Brazil and the United States and provide a comparative approach on the issue of color. This discussion will challenge educators, in both countries, to view education as a practice of freedom and infuse culture across the curriculum. This will also compel educators to reexamine the philosophy of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire.
“Still in Love with Hip Hop”
Shelia Cooper, Graduate Student, NC A&T
This essay will demonstrate the need for a more critical approach to the critique of hip hop culture, examining it from social, political, and economic perspectives. Further, this study will expose the complexity of the role it plays in the lives of young, black America and suggest avenues for preserving the true essence of what the culture truly represents.
“This is My Mic: Hip Hop and the Media, 1970s to 1990s”
Jennifer Scism, Graduate Student, UNCG
This presentation looks at how the media, particularly the print media, influenced perceptions of hip hop and combined with traditional views of blackness to create the public’s opinion on hip hop.
“Nobody’s Mammy: Embracing Pedagogies of Mothering that Challenge Negative Stereotypes of Black Women”
Sabrina Ross, PhD, Lecturer for African American Studies and Religious Studies, UNCG; Donyell Roseboro, PhD; Karen Meadows, PhD; Tracy Snipes, PhD
This panel of black women educators presents aspects of what we term “black women’s transgressive pedagogy” (BWTP) — ways in which black women transcend negative images of blackness and educate for racial uplift, equality, and social justice. The aspects of BWTP to be discussed include (1) notions of care, compassion, and nurture; (2) reliance on the wisdom of black foremothers to guide present-day actions; (3) a hermeneutic of suspicion (i.e., framework of mistrust) that informs educational practice and; (4) a commitment to challenging the status quo that is also sensitive to the unique social and emotional concerns of black women. This panel engages in a critical discussion of BWTP and the implications of this framework for challenging negative stereotypes of black femininity.
“Rapping about Hip Hop Culture”
Dr. Michele K. Lewis, Associate Professor, Psychology, WSSU; Crystal Winston, Mass Communications major, WSSU; Nathaniel Woods, Mass Communications major, WSSU
In Fall 2007, Black Entertainment Television (BET) network aired a three part series entitled “Hip Hop vs. America.” The series addressed such issues as hip hop’s possible influence on the continuous use of the “N” word, the portrayals of black female images in print and music video, and the need for positive change in the representation of black images in the genre’s various art forms. A short, student-professor collaboratively created documentary inspired by the network series will be reviewed and discussed by audience members and a panel of students who appear in the documentary.
“Transgressing (Hetero) Sexist (Re) Presentations of Black Masculinity:
Leading and Living for Social Justice: A ’Brotha’ Speaks!”
“Powers, Pennies, Politics: What’s Happening to the Prophetic Movement in the
Black Church”
“An Epistemological Approach to the Lives and Times of Black Women”
C.P. Gause, Assistant Professor of ELC, UNCG; Robin Gillespie, Doctoral Student, UNCG; Winsora Blanford, Doctoral Student, UNCG
Panel Presentation that investigates issues regarding the intersections of race, class, gender and spirituality.
“Images of Black Women”
Elwanda Ingram, Professor of English, WSSU ; Dr. Adnee Bradford, WSSU; Dr. Rose Sackeyfio, WSSU; Tanya Walker, WSSU; Dr. Lavie Leasure, WSSU
The image of black women in the African diaspora is diverse and multifaceted, shaped by historical, political, social and economic factors. The importance of Black women’s image, whether self defined or projected by society, is evident in the evolution of personal empowerment, survival of the family, the political arena, and response to sexual objectification of the Black female body.
“The ’N’ Word, Hate Speech, and Conflict in the College Experience”
Pete Kellett, Head of Department of Communication Studies, UNCG; Cherie Avent, Graduate Student, Communication Studies, UNCG ; Sarah Blizzard, Undergraduate Student, Communication Studies, UNCG; Libby Jeter, Graduate Student, Communication Studies, UNCG
Georgette Leary will perform her personal narrative, “My UNCG freshman experience: How the ’N’ word ruined my first year of college.” The panelists will then present responses and lead audience discussions of the following key issues that her personal narrative evokes:
- A critical theoretic/cultural understanding of Leary’s conflict experience and response behavior
- Race, culture/media, and the college experience — an absence of media coverage
- The “N” word, conflict, and hate speech in college culture and broader society
- Implications for changing college/campus culture and practices
OPEN STUDENT ROUND TABLE
“Student Roundtable, Various topics: Hip Hop, Light vs Dark, Good Hair vs Bad Hair”
Melinda Alston, Student, UNCG; Brittany Maul, Student, UNCG
“The ’Good Hair’ Epidemic” — An interactive workshop with a critical analysis on the division between dark-skin and light-skin within the Black community.
“Who You Calling A Bitch” — A closer look at misogyny in hip hop and its effects on the black community. Topic will be provided in speech form with a brief PowerPoint presentation.
“The Death of Tupac”
AJ Armstrong, Student, NC A&T
This paper will examine if the government’s actions toward Tupac’s murder were an indicator of their attitude towards the people that shared so many commonalities with him.
“Progress Toward More Positive Images of African American Women”
Glenda Clark, Student, NC A&T
Despite more recent visibility in media and popular culture, there has still not been significant progress toward projecting more positive images of African American women.