OBERLIN CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2001 WITH TALKS, PERFORMANCES, AND EXHIBITIONS

FEBRUARY 5, 2001--Talks by noted human rights advocates, a concert by an internationally renowned choral ensemble, exhibitions of outstanding African art, a special Spike Lee film screening, and a number of other related events highlight this year’s Oberlin College and community observance of Black History Month.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public.

The College, a historical leader in the education of African-Americans, ranks 11th out of 482 in the just-published Black Enterprise guide to the top 50 U.S. colleges and universities for African Americans. Oberlin followed seven historically black colleges and universities--and Stanford, Georgetown, and Columbia universities.

"Reckoning with the Past: Looking to the Future" is the theme of the College program, which leads off with four events February 6-10.

The area premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 1996 cutting-edge play Venus will take place February 8, 10, and 11. The confrontational drama tells the story of beautiful Sarah Baartman, the "Venus Hottentot" brought to London from South Africa to appear in a 19^th-century freak show. "While her exhibition as a freak of nature was exceptionally successful, it ignited a debate as to whether the humiliating show constituted a form of slavery," says Northern Ohio Live, which describes the adult play as "equal parts Elephant Man, Cirque de Soleil, and Ma Rainey."

On Friday, February 9, speaker and civil-rights activist Owen Brooks will discuss "Mississippi: My Southern Journey" at 7:30 p.m. in Afrikan Heritage House. Brooks was involved in the public school desegregation efforts in the Mississippi delta, where he spearheaded voter registration and education drives and economic development projects. He has traveled extensively abroad in the cause of human rights and directed the recent Delta Oral History Project.

Bamboozled, Spike Lee’s dark, biting satire of the television industry starring Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, and Jada Pinkett will receive a special screening at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, February 10 at the Apollo Theater, 19 E. College St.; tickets will be $1 at the door.

On Thursday, February 15 Maghan Keita ‘72, associate professor of history at Villanova University, will present a talk titled "Return of the Black Knight: Africans in Arthurian Lore" at 4:30 p.m. in Room 106 of the College’s King Building, 10 N. Professor St. Keita is the author of Riddling the Sphinx: Race, the Writing of History and America’s Culture Wars; Working for the Food of Freedom: and African Initiatives in Chicago, and South Africa Education and Resource Guide. He also will discuss "Race and the Writing of History: Riddling the Sphinx" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 16 in Afrikan Heritage House.

The month’s keynote speaker is internationally respected human-right advocate Randall Robinson, who will present an address at 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 20 in the Root Room on the second floor of the College’s Carnegie Building, 52 W. Lorain St. Widely recognized for his leadership of the Free South Africa movement, he is the author of The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks and Defending the Spirit. He also is the president of the Washington-based TransAfrica and TransAfrica Forum, which promotes enlightened U.S. policies towards African and the Caribbean.

A gallery talk on the life and work of Edmonia Lewis, a highly successful 19^th-century African-American sculptor and Oberlin alumna who has been rediscovered by the art world, will be presented 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 13 at the College’s Allen Memorial Art Museum.

The Museum is also hosting a day trip to the Dayton Art Institute Wednesday, February 21 to see the exhibition Out of Africa: Sub Saharan Traditional Arts, which encompasses more than 250 traditional forms of African art from local and regional private collections. The show provides a new view of some of the most vital and compelling works created during the last two centuries. For more information, contact Oberlin Travel at (440) 775-0348.

The Dayton trip will introduce the Allen's exhibition of its African collection, which opens Tuesday, February 27. A Matter of Taste: the African Collection at the Allen Memorial Art Museum will highlight approximately 20 works, all of which are from the Museum’s permanent collection. These works date from the mid-15^th century to mid-20^th century and represent traditional art making in West and Central Africa. The exhibition continues through June 3.

The community of Oberlin will observe Black History Month February 12 and 18 with two events at the Oberlin Public Library. The Lorain County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will present living history re-enactor George Abrams at 7 p.m. Monday, February 12. Abrams will chronicle the life story of a man who escaped slavery and settled in Oberlin. The re-enactor is an Oberlin resident and a member of the Oberlin Historical Improvement Organization (O.H.I.O.), which is co-sponsoring the program.

The College's Afrikan Heritage House will be the site of a number of related events for Oberlin students, including a dinner at 6 p.m., February 9; a study-break party at 9 p.m., February 14; a Soul Session at 9 p.m., February 23; and "The Power Shuffle: An Unlearning Prejudice Workshop" at 7:30 p.m. on February 28. Oberlin students and faculty also will meet with Randall Robinson at 4:30 p.m., February 20 in Wilder 101, and a Black Scholars Workshop is scheduled for February 24; time and place tba.

Future events scheduled by the African American Studies Department include a reading and discussion by David Bradley, author of South Street, The Chaneysville Incident and a forthcoming collection of essays on race and racism, and a performance by poet and artist Dorthea Smart; details will be announced.