This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
This year’s theme for Lafayette’s annual celebration of Black History Month, “Picturing Us: Then and Now,” will explore the various perceptions and representations of Africans, African-Americans, and the Diaspora across generations from a pictorial perspective, and will illustrate the many different ways that students of color have been and continue to be a part of the Lafayette community.
The Williams Center for the Arts gallery will showcase pictures from Bruce Davidson’s 2002 book, Time of Change, Civil Rights Photographs 1961-1965, in an exhibition running Feb. 4-March 22. One of the leading documentary photographers of the last century, Davidson will give a lecture 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, at Williams Center room 108. A reception and book signing will follow the talk.
DanceBrazil, the cultural ambassador for both traditional and contemporary Afro-Brazilian dance, will begin the month-long celebration with Retratos de Bahia, a performance that celebrates the company’s native state, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1, at the Williams Center for the Arts. Director Jelon Vieira will present a pre-performance talk one hour prior to the show, and the company will offer a percussion workshop 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31.
Inspired by the best-selling Putumayo recording Mali to Memphis, Malian guitarist and singer Habib Koité and American blues star Guy Davis will come together to invoke the musical legacies connecting the heart of an ancient West African kingdom with the crucible of American blues 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in the Williams Center for the Arts.
Charles Finch, director of international health at Morehouse School of Medicine, will speak on “African Origins in Medical Science” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, in Kirby Hall of Civil Rights room 104. A graduate of Yale and Jefferson Medical College, he has conducted independent studies in African antiquities, comparative religion, anthropology, and ancient science since 1971.
Deborah Willis, professor of photography and imaging at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, will use her book Picturing Us: African-American Identity in Photography as the basis for her lecture of the same title 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 23, in Williams Center for the Arts room 108. Winner of the International Center for Photography’s 1995 Award for Writing on Photography, Wills’ book brought together a diverse group of African-American writers, scholars, and filmmakers in the first concerted effort to analyze and respond to the photographic images of blacks through history.
Following in the path of Willis’ idea, students will be invited to participate in a campus-wide photography project that will document the experiences of and with students of color. Participants will be given a one-time use camera to portray their experiences at the College and a committee will select the photographs to be used for public display. The exhibitions are intended to be part of a larger conversation about how students of color see themselves at Lafayette, as well as how others perceive them. The project will conclude with a brown bag discussion entitled “A Picture’s Worth” noon Friday, Feb. 25, in Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall.
The full schedule of events:
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 8 p.m.: DanceBrazil will perform Retratos de Bahia, Williams Center for the Arts. Tickets are required in advance and cost $20 (Student tickets free with I.D.); call the box office at 610-330-5009. Sponsored by Williams Center for the Arts.
Thursday, Feb. 3, 12:15–1 p.m.: “Self-Portrait,” brown bag lecture with artist-in-residence James Rose Jr., David A. Portlock Black Cultural Center. Exhibition dates: Jan. 17–Feb. 26. Sponsored by Black Cultural Center and the Experimental Printmaking Institute.
Thursday, Feb. 3, 10 p.m.: Spoken word artist Thea, Gilbert’s Coffeehouse. Sponsored by Lafayette Activities Forum.
Friday, Feb. 4, 8 p.m.: Mali to Memphis concert featuring Habib Koité and Bamada, with special guest Guy Davis, Williams Center for the Arts. Tickets are required in advance and cost $22 (Student tickets free with I.D.); call the box office at 610-330-5009. Sponsored by Williams Center for the Arts.
Monday, Feb. 7, 7–8:30 p.m.: Hip-Hop dance instruction (Every Monday, Feb. 7–April 4, except March 14), Kirby Sports Center room 136. Cost is $15 for eight weeks of class. For additional information, call (610) 330-5772. Sponsored by Recreation Services.
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 6–7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: Dinner, Foundation Room, Marquis Hall, and guest lecturer Charles Finch III, M.D. will speak on “African Origins in Medical Science,” Kirby Hall of Civil Rights room 104, respectively. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development.
Friday, Feb. 11, noon–1 p.m.: “Kiafrika Safari” brown bag discussion, Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development, Association of Black Collegians, Africana studies program, and Office of Religious Life.
Friday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m.: Jack DeJohnette’s Latin Project, Williams Center for the Arts. Tickets are required in advance and cost $20 (Student tickets free with I.D.); call the box office at 610-330-5009. Sponsored by Williams Center for the Arts.
Saturday, Feb. 12, 10 p.m.: Comedian Romont Harris, Farinon Center Snack Bar. Sponsored by Lafayette Activities Forum.
Monday, Feb. 14, noon–1 p.m.: “White Privilege,” a documentary by art major Maya Freelon ’05(Durham, N.C.), Limburg Theatre, Farinon Center. Sponsored by Nia, a multicultural women’s group.
Wednesday, Feb. 16: Student project “Picturing Us” will be unveiled, Farinon Center, Gilbert’s, and Williams Center for the Arts. Sponsored by Black History Month Committee.
Friday, Feb. 18, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.: African Market, Farinon Center Atrium. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development.
Feb. 18-19, 7–10 p.m., and Feb. 20–22, 10 p.m.: Movie of the Month, Ray, Limburg Theater, Farinon Center. Cost is $2. Sponsored by Lafayette Activities Forum.
Saturday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m.: “Through the Years” fashion show, Farinon Center Atrium. Sponsored by Lafayette Intercultural Networking Council, Association of Black Collegians, Nia, and Brothers of Lafayette.
Sunday, Feb. 20, 5:30–7 p.m.: “Reflections,” a dinner for prospective students, families, and invited guests, Bergethon Room, Marquis Hall. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development and Office of Admissions, as part of Prologue 2005 (Feb. 20–21), a visitation weekend for African American and Hispanic American prospective students.
Sunday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m.–midnight: Prologue social, David A. Portlock Black Cultural Center. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development and Association of Black Collegians.
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 4 p.m.: “Life Lessons,” presented by photographer Larry Fink, David Bishop Skillman Library. “Diminishing Returns”exhibition dates: Feb. 1–June 30. Sponsored by Skillman Library.
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6–8:30 p.m.: “Picturing Us: African-American Identity in Photography,” by guest lecturer Deborah Willis. Dinner will be held 6–7 p.m. in the Foundation Room, Marquis Hall, and the lecture will follow in Oechsle Hall auditorium (room 224) until 8:30 p.m. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development.
Thursday, Feb. 24, 4 p.m.: Williams Center Art Gallery lecture, “Time of Change, Civil Rights Photographs, 1961–1965,” by photographer Bruce Davidson, Williams Center room 108. Exhibition dates: Feb. 4–Mar. 22. Sponsored by Williams Center for the Arts.
Friday, Feb. 25, noon–1 p.m.: “A Picture’s Worth” brown bag discussion, Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall. Sponsored by Office of Intercultural Development, Association of Black Collegians, and Office of Religious Life.