Posts Tagged ‘Sankofa’

Week in Review

Sunday, November 20th, 2016

Cityview (Hester Street meets Salina Street)

Thursday, November 17th, 2016
Isella Ramirez and Casey Wang, program managers from the Hester Street Collaborative in NYC visited Syracuse yesteday to give workshops. Before their talks they took a brief tour of the Brighton Street Corridor. They are pictured here outside Dunk & Bright Furniture.

Isella Ramirez and Casey Wang, program managers from the Hester Street Collaborative in NYC, visited Syracuse yesterday for the Visioning Voices Community Speaker Series. Hester Street uses design as a tool for neighborhood planning and change. Before the presentations the two planners joined a small group of residents on a brief tour of the Brighton/Salina Corridor. They are pictured here resting outside Dunk & Bright Furniture.

NYU’s loss was SU’s gain

Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Gisele Marcus

Gisele Marcus Leans In

Syracuse University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs may have saved the best speaker for this year’s Black History Month Program for the last few days. Whitman School of Management and Harvard biz school grad Gisele Marcus was the inaugural speaker for the Sankofa Lecture Series on Friday afternoon.

In addition to giving her bio and educational journey, the Harlem-born Marcus also gave her secrets to the sauce that makes up success. Some of her ingredients include: seeing the world, networking, finding sponsors (as well as mentors), fighting against injustice and getting paid what you are worth.

She also encouraged those in attendance to find their own sankofa moments in life, she added.

Marcus’s presentation, enthusiasm and pearls of wisdom were worthy of a Power Networking breakout session, Google Talk or a City Club of Cleveland forum.

Hopefully the lecture was recorded so every incoming freshman can see it; hopefully she makes it back to campus soon to share more of her story.

Dreams of Africa (from Syracuse)

Saturday, November 22nd, 2014
Kofi Jacque aka One Black Voice

Kofi Jacque aka One Black Voice

Kofi Jacque, aka One Black Voice, was the featured artist for the Community Folk Art Center’s Journey Through Music of the African Diaspora series on Thursday.  He performed selections from his CD/DVD.  He also talked about his trips to Africa, his work as a performer with the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company, and his collaborations with Ellen Blalock.

Real Films, Real People

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

Filmmaker Haile Gerima (below) visited Syracuse to screen his film Teza last week during the Grassroots Media Convention.

I previously covered Chuck D when he spoke at the Convention a few years ago.

hailegerima-front

Haile Gerima

Teza is a very intimate portrait of a man who comes of age during the modernization of Ethiopia.

The deep exploration of character in Teza reminds me a lot of Charles Burnett’s films.

Gerima, who teaches at Howard University, says criticism and analysis are the bridge that joins the artist and the community.

“Cinema is not benign entertainment, but don’t confuse noise with culture,” he said.