past events

The Black Arts Festival at Bucknell University

Dreams of the Drum - Continuing the Legacy

April 11, 2010 - Screening of Countdown to Zero

Countdown to Zero outlines the dangers presented by nuclear weapons — some well-known and many not — and suggests a hopeful solution. The film was co-produced with Academy Award-winning producer Lawrence Bender and the team that produced the film "An Inconvenient Truth". It will be released internationally this summer, and the 7pm Campus screening on April 11th will be the *very 1st* of a hundred screenings that will be held around the country in April & May mostly, but not exclusively, in college towns.

March 30, 2010 - Lecture by Judy Shepard

The Student Lectureship Committee will present a lecture by Judy Shepard, founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation in the Weis Center for the Performing Arts on March 30 at 8 p.m. The foundation was established in memory of Matthew Shepard, Judy Shepard's son, who was murdered when he was 21 in an anti-gay hate crime.

The foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life - social justice, diversity awareness/education and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

For students who are interested in learning more about the Shepard's story, the LGBT Office, the Student Lectureship Committee and FLAG/BT are going to show the movie "The Laramie Project" (trailer), which details the Matthew Shepard story, on March 25th at 9 p.m. in the Gallery Theater.

Ticket information for the lecture will be advertised shortly.

March 27, 2010 - Women's History Month Film

The League of Women Voters of the Lewisburg Area will host a showing of Iron Jawed Angels to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the League and celebrate Women's History Month. The League was founded February 1920, six months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. The movie depicts the last days of the fight for women's suffrage.

March 23, 2010 - Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Lt. Dan Choi will discuss the U.S. military's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy, under which he served for 10 years. Choi is a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran, fluent in Arabic, who announced that he was gay on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show in March 2009. Despite being one of only eight soldiers from his graduating class who majored in Arabic, one month after his announcement, Choi was notified that the Army had begun discharge proceedings against him. He now resides in New York and has become a full-time activist for the LGBT community. In addition to The Rachel Maddow Show, Choi has appeared on The Daily Show, NPR and other media outlets. Sponsored by the SU Gender and Sexuality Alliance.

March 18 - 21, 2010 - Latino Symposium at Susquehanna University

The annual Latino Symposium is a multicultural event highlighting bi-cultural interaction and campus and community participation from area schools and service organizations. Each year's symposium includes a program of musical performances, dance workshops, cultural and political lectures and panel discussions, culminating in an evening gala organized by the Hispanic Organization for Latino Awareness (HOLA) student organization.

The Latino Symposium for 2010 explores the issue of Latino identity through voices heard from the Americas and from the Susquehanna Valley. This year marks the 15th consecutive year for Susquehanna's Latino Symposium, an event created in the joyous spirit of the “Quinceañeras”, which is celebrated throughout the Hispanic world.

Panel discussions by students and faculty members, a presentation of Ibero-American music by the University's Department of Music, sessions dealing service-learning, migrant education and teaching methods in the ELL classroom and a dance workshop are featured. SU students and visiting high school students enjoy a lively Latino dance workshop on Friday afternoon, followed in the evening by the Gala Dance, with music provided by a live dance band, YEARSÓN, which comes to us from New York.

A Sunday morning bilingual church service in Weber chapel will conclude the Symposium.

See flyer for a complete schedule of events.

February 28, 2010 - Thread

Filmed in 2005, Thread sensitively explores the lives of Afghan women who during decades of war in their country have supported their families by sewing. Current Bucknell University student Palwasha Siddiqi, featured in the documentary, was part of a group of seamstresses supported by Business Council for Peace. This international nonprofit network aids women in conflict areas to expand their businesses, create employment, and build a more peaceful future for their communities. Following the 53-minute documentary, Ms. Siddiqi will speak of her most recent visit to Afghanistan last month and the work she is doing to sponsor education for fatherless children in Kabul.

February 28, 2010 - Black History Month Film

The film "Safe Harbor", a story of freedom fighters — free blacks and whites — in northeastern Pennsylvania who supported the anti-slavery movement, will be presented by the Union County Historical Society at the Dale/Engle/Walker House, Strawbridge Road, off Route 192 just west of Lewisburg. Exhibits and house tours are included with the film showing beginning at 2:00pm.

February 27, 2010 - Facing RACE: A Multimedia Installation & Performance

Bucknell University's Center for The Study of Race, Ethnicity & Gender in collaboration with eight Bucknell Professors and their students will be be producing a unique public "happening" that creatively explores the theme of Race in the 21st Century. "Facing RACE: A Multimedia Installation & Performance" featuring the chair of the Northwestern University Department of Communications, performance artist E. Patrick Johnson will occur on Saturday, February 27th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, in Larison Hall, Bucknell University. For more information, please contact Carmen Gillespie at carmen.gillespie@bucknell.edu Admission is free.

February 20, 2010 - CARE Dance

People had such a good time at the Surrender Dorothy CARE dance last November at the Lewisburg Club, we have decided to hold another one so please, save the date and plan to come ready to rock ‘n roll. $5 admission at door. For more information contact Cindy Peltier at peltier@bucknell.edu or 570-577-3981.

February 15 & 22, 2010 - Workshop: "Stages of Spiritual Development"

Can a person be spiritually immature? The scriptures of all the world religions indicate such to be the case. What would be the characteristics of spiritual maturity, and how would it be attained?

Employing a developmental model, an evolving international and interdisciplinary consensus among theologians, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and neuropsychologists suggests a paradigm of six stages of spiritual development.

In this two-session workshop with Chaplain Karl A. Pölm-Faudré, Ph.D., Director of Education, Research and Outreach, Division of Spiritual Care, Geisinger Medical Center, we will examine this paradigm as it applies to the nature of the divine, human nature, good and evil, divine-human and human-to-human relationships, salvation and the meaningful existence. Illustrations of the six stages will be offered from Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity.

To register for this two session, 7:00-9:00pm workshop to be held at Geisinger Medical Center's Henry Hood Center for Health Research, Intermediate Conference Room #4, 100 Academy Ave., Danville, call Tina or the voice mail at 570-271-3700 and leave the workshop title, your name, contact phone number and email address in a slow, clear voice. Due to limited space registration is required.

February 14, 2010 - Black History Month Lecture

The lecture: "People as Property: Slavery and the Underground Railroad at the Dale House 1793-1840." will be presented by the Union County Historical Society at the Dale/Engle/Walker House, Strawbridge Road, off Route 192 just west of Lewisburg. Exhibits and house tours are included with the lecture portion of the program beginning at 2:00pm.

February 8, 2010 - Workshop: "Moral Dilemmas: Principles and Stages of Moral Development"

The complexity of life today has brought many people to reflect once again on how they make moral decisions. Morality, or ethics, pervades all domains of life, each within itself, as well as how the domains of life interrelate to yield a sense of wholeness.

On what, however, is your morality based – some universal values, revealed religious principles of conduct, a humanistic ethical code, well reasoned assertions, personal experience, or some combination of the preceding? Is there any moral system that is trans-cultural and globally relevant? By what criteria is any moral system evaluated? On the most immediate and concrete level, how do you make a moral decision?

Instructor Chaplain Karl A. Pölm-Faudré, Ph.D., Director of Education, Research and Outreach, Division of Spiritual Care, Geisinger Medical Center will lead consideration of these and related questions in light of a research packet of contemporary investigations, a review of developmental psychologists Kohlberg and Haidt's schemas of moral development, and selected case studies of moral dilemmas.

Please be aware that ‘moral’ development is distinct from stages of ‘faith’ development as for example articulated by James Fowler, or stages of ‘spiritual’ development as for example articulated by Ken Wilber or James Marion.

Handout materials will be provided for each registered participant.

To register for this 7:00-9:00pm workshop to be held at Geisinger Medical Center's Henry Hood Center for Health Research, Intermediate Conference Room #4, 100 Academy Ave., Danville, call Tina or the voice mail at 570-271-3700 and leave the workshop title, your name, contact phone number and email address in a slow, clear voice. Due to limited space registration is required.

February 4, 2010 - JUSTICE, REPARATION, AND FORGIVENESS

Finding a Moral Vocabulary for America's Racial Future

2010 Douglas Sturm Dialogue Presents: Robin W. Lovin & Victor Anderson

Robin W. Lovin is Cary Maguire University Professor of Ethics at Southern Methodist University. His career includes service as Dean of Perkins School of Theology at SMU and thirteen years as a faculty member at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. His books include Reinhold Niebuhr and Christian Realism, Christian Ethics: An Essential Guide, and Christian Realism and the New Realities.

Victor Anderson (Ph.D., Princeton) is Professor of Christian Ethics, Vanderbilt Divinity School, African American and Diaspora Studies, and Religious Studies, The College of Arts and Sciences. He has devoted his career to the study of religion, ethics, and culture, seeking to understand the power that these disciplines have to influence human life and actions. Anderson is author of three books: Beyond Ontological Blackness: An Essay on African American Religious and Cultural Criticism, Pragmatic Theology: Negotiating the Intersections of an American Philosophy and Religion and Public Theology and Creative Exchange: A Constructive Theology of African American Religious Experience. A past co-editor of African American Religious Life and Thought Series, Anderson has contributed essays and articles to scholarly journals and edited books.

Sponsored by the Departments of Religion, Political Science and the Social Justice College; Bucknell University

January 19, 2010 - Martin Luther King Beloved Dinner

Buy your tickets ASAP!!! Tickets are $10 we will be accepting CASH, CHECK, BUID and MEAL CREDIT until Jan 15. Only cash and check at the door. Tickets may be purchased at the Multicultural Student Center located in Vedder Hall, Room 125. For ticket or general information contact mss@bucknell.edu or 570.577.1095 The MLK Beloved Annual Dinner will take place: January 19, 2010 at 6:30PM in the Terrace Room *Doors open at 6:15pm Featuring University Guest and Keynote: Reverend Kirby Spivey III He will present: "It was all a Dream" Bucknell Alumni, Kirby Spivey III' class of 98 is the Assistant Pastor of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, where he works side- by- side with the legendary Rev. Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood. He teaches Biblical Studies, Liberation Theology, and Christian Social Ethics at New York Theological Seminary. He is a high impact speaker and is an emerging nationally recognized voice.

November 21, 2009 - 6th Annual Blue Butterfly Fund Blues Night

From 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 on the second floor of the Lewisburg Hotel. Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 dollars at the door. A cash bar will be available for those 21 and over. Alternative beverages will also be available. More information is available at www.bluebutterflyfund.org.

Featuring:

November 1, 2009 - White Privilege; A Dialogue On Racial & Ethnic Difference

The public is invited to participate in a public issues forum designed to address the issue of “White Privilege” that will be held:

“White privilege” is a name recently coined to refer to forms of discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities where the privileging of white people harms nonwhites.

Following a potluck dinner (5:30), a brief DVD on white privilege will be viewed (6:15). Those attending will then break into several small interracial/interethnic groups to discuss the issue (6:35). Then the small groups with join together to share insights and concerns emerging from their discussions (7:20).

CARE's task forces on African American Concerns (under the leadership of Babbette Faison) and on Latino Concerns (under the leadership of Margie Torres) are collaborating with Doug Sturm in planning the dialogue.

The objectives of the dialogue are:

Those attending the dialogue are asked to bring a dish to share and their own table service for the potluck dinner.

For more information (including need for child care) call 524 4035.

October 15, 2009 - My Mother's Legacy, a 1,000 line poem on 1,000 bowls

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, artist Sarah Hutt will visit Bucknell University this week to speak about her project entitled "My Mother's Legacy: a 1,000 line poem on 1,000 bowls". A selection of her bowls are currently on display in the Bertrand Library.

When my mother died of breast cancer in 1965 she was 47 and I was 13. Over the years, I carried around a lot of memory fragments. But I could not fit them together to fully understand who my mother had been as a person. In 1995, to commemorate the anniversary of her death, I began to write down all the things I did remember. These are the lines that became "My Mother's Legacy".

- Sarah Hutt

Ms. Hutt has been represented in numerous solo shows and over 40 group exhibitions throughout the country. She serves as a panelist, visiting artist and lecturer to colleges, museums, galleries and organizations around America, as well as sitting on numerous boards of directors and community advisors groups. Ms. Hutt will discuss her work prior to the audience being invited to view her exhibit on the 1st floor.

Meet the Artist, Sarah Hutt: October 15, 2009 in the Bertrand Library Traditional Reading Room 7:30pm. Sponsored by the Samek Art Gallery and the Women's Resource Center. Questions? Please call 577-1375.

October 4, 2009 - "Out in the Silence"

Out in the Silence Poster

Out in the Silence is an uplifting documentary about courageous local residents confronting homophobia and the limitations of religion and tradition in their conservative small town in the hills of northwestern Pennsylvania. The aim of the film and community engagement campaign is to expand public awareness about the struggles GLBT people face in rural and small town America and to promote dialogue and action in communities around Pennsylvania and across the country that will help people on all sides of the issues find common ground.

Following the showing, filmmakers Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer will be with us to have a discussion along with Becca Glenn of the PA ACLU on the challenges facing the GLBT community in small town Pennsylvania and PA HB #300.

September 27, 2009 - "Prom Night in Mississippi: Loving Across the Color Line"

One of the recurring themes in Prom Night in Mississippi is love, and the film introduces us to Heather and Jeremy, a white teenager and black teenager who have fallen in love, despite resistance from their parents and community. As Chasidy explains in the film, "[it's about] the fear of your white daughter conceiving with a black man … that you're afraid of presenting, coming out, [that] you're white and have a mixed baby." This is a fear based on centuries of racist notions about white superiority and the inferiority of people of color and, in particular, the vile stereotype of the black man as an over-sexualized brute from whom white women need protection.

Official support for such beliefs crumbled in 1967 when the Supreme Court struck down state laws banning interracial marriage — "miscegenation" laws that not only targeted African Americans, but also tended to target Asian and Native Americans. In the aptly titled case, Loving v. Virginia, the Court determined that marriage is one of the 'basic civil rights of man' and proclaimed that the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State. In essence he Court affirmed our capacity to love and live across the color line.

Fast forward 40 years, and there is now a burgeoning multiethnic movement in the U.S. and an increasing number of artists sharing their experiences living across, and between, our nation's traditional color lines. Among these artists is Kevin Michael, an R&B musician on the Atlantic Records label. In 2007, Michael released "It Don't Make Any Difference to Me," which also features Wyclef Jean. Although the grammar may make some teachers cringe ("It doesn't make any difference ... !"), the song has been called a modern-day anthem of transracial life in the U.S. and serves as an excellent (and fun) vehicle to both explore love across the color line in contemporary times and validate the experiences of multiracial people.

For more information contact Cindy Peltier at peltier@bucknell.edu

September 25-26, 2009 - Fourth Annual Susquehanna River Symposium

Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 at the Dana Engineering Complex, Bucknell University and Shikellamy State Park. In partnership with the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies, the Susquehanna Colloquium for Nature and Human Communities, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership, Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail, and the Friends of Shikellamy Park, this year's symposium gathers together people from across the region, including both scholars and the general public, to discuss the topic "Cultures at the Confluence: Native Americans, Ecology, and the Susquehanna Valley." Near and at the Confluence of the river, please join us as we will examine ways in which the cultures of the past and present converge in the Susquehanna Valley, shaping the identities of those who live in it and our shared natural environment and landscapes.

This year's theme, "Cultures at the Confluence: Native Americans in the Susquehanna Valley," culminates last year's university focus year. Our keynote speaker is acclaimed Native American writer and environmental activist Linda Hogan. Participants will include the Native Nations Dance Troupe, current Native American residents of the valley, historians, WVIA, and environmental conservationists tying their work to early history of the area, including a direct descendant of James Fenimore Cooper.

The symposium is made possible by generous support from the Henry M. Luce Foundation to the Bucknell Environmental Center's Susquehanna River Initiative, the Office of the Provost, and the Susquehanna River Heartland Coalition for Environmental Studies. This year it is coordinated by the Nature and Human Communities Initiative of BUEC, which focuses on environmental humanities and community studies of the region, and the Susquehanna Colloquium, a regional consortium. For more information visit the website.

If you and your students have an interest in the poster session or questions about it, please contact either Dione Mercer at Geisinger's research institute (dmercer@geisinger.edu) or Pam Pollini, the office manager at the Environmental Center (ppollini@bucknell.edu).

We hope to see you at what promises to be a special regional gathering of cultures (academic and community, native and non-native, sciences and non-sciences) by the river this year.

Susquehannily,
Katie Faull and Alf Siewers

…Announcements for Upcoming Events

September 21, 2009 - 11th Annual Unity Rally: Stop the Hate

The rally is part of a national effort calling fore people of good will to act nonviolently as agents of healing in their communities, to speak up for the victims of hatred and intimidation, and to raise a untied voice against hate inspired violence. The national rallies began the year after the hate crimes & killings of James Byrd, Matthew Shepard and others.

The "Stop the Hate" title for the event was originally adopted from a national event organized after murders and other hateful acts during the late 1990s. National religious leaders of different faiths participated in the first annual STOP THE HATE: Interfaith Vigils Against A Hate Violence, organized by the Interfaith Alliance and the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Endorsed by 223 national and local organizations, people of faith organized vigils in over 350 communities in more than 30 states.

The "Unity Jam" part of the title was added in 2006 in order to highlight the focus on unity and the partnering of the university and the local community.

To enhance the feeling of a true town/gown experience, we are asking community folks to consider marching from Soldier's Park to Hufnagle Park where we will meet a Bucknell University group that will have marched from Bucknell.

For more information contact Cindy Peltier at peltier@bucknell.edu

September 13, 2009 - Dialogue on LGBT folks living in the Susquehanna Valley

Our topic this meeting will be the isolation of LGBT folks in our area. Please join us for what we hope to be a very spirited and enlightening discussion.

Few resources for addressing the needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) individuals have existed in central Pennsylvania. GLBT youth must look for support from outside the region if they cannot find help from teachers, family or friends to deal with bullying. Adults seeking GLBT-friendly services from various social-service providers often find safety by hiding in the closet to escape condemnation and criticism from peers in these programs. GLBT individuals fear losing their jobs if they advocate too much for their rights, and even supporters of the gay community risk retaliation for speaking up on behalf of their GLBT brothers and sisters while working or volunteering. This forced inaction results in weak ties among GLBT persons in the central Susquehanna Valley as they struggle to avoid being noticed. The continued invisibility of the GLBT community in our region of Pennsylvania contrasts with the increased visibility of GLBT individuals in the national media over the past decade. This new focus on GLBT people on television and elsewhere has prompted local youth to come out at earlier ages than ever before-often as early as middle school. Teachers, community leaders, and parents are ill-equipped to deal with the complex issues involved in these situations. Local role models are lacking. Although some positive media attention is occasionally directed to GLBT subjects in our area, the message sent by many organizations and individuals is: “Gay issues are inappropriate for conversation.”

CARE would like to pull these concerns out of the closet for public discussion. As the next era of the civil rights movement swells at the dawn of the twenty-first century, CARE hopes to facilitate the integration of GLBT central Pennsylvanians into our communities as fully respected, equal members. The words of Martin Luther King, Jr., remind us: History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

September 13, 2009 - Screening of "Beyond Our Difference"

Religious Faith: Force for Violence or Peace? Isn't it obvious that religious faith of all kinds incites acts of hatred and violence? Consider cases of Protestants & Catholics in Ireland, Hindus & Muslims in India.

That important question is addressed in a new DVD, Beyond Our Difference - to be screened at a Public Issues Forum on Sunday, September 13, in Fellowship Hall, Beaver Memorial Church, 3rd Street, Lewisburg, PA. Everyone is encouraged to attend. It is free and open to all.

Following the film (72 minutes), a panel from three different religious traditions will respond:

Schedule:

Those needing child care should call in advance at 523-3132.

In this film, religious leaders, politicians, and others, representing diverse traditions of faith, respond directly to the question above. They address central problems of our day: war, poverty, degradation of the environment, desperation. They declare the need for peoples of faith to work together, assuming a constructive role in their resolution. They reject the way their respective forms of faith are too often exploited to serve the forces of hatred and violence.

September 12, 2009 - LGBT & Friends Dance

This event is another attempt to bridge the isolation for many LGBT folks. We have received reports from many who feel very alone here in the Susquehanna Valley and think there is nobody else but them. That could not be further from the truth. If you are not a dancer, there is plenty of room to sit and chat as well. There will be food and a cash bar equipped with non-alcoholic beverages as well. For further information email Cindy Peltier at peltier@bucknell.edu. We will be asking for a $5.00 donation to CARE for this event

Help CARE put our best self forward assure smooth running of the dance and social extravaganza. Volunteer to be a greeter or “floating” CARE ambassador during any of the five hours of this celebratory event. We would like to have 2-3 volunteers for each hour, allowing plenty of time for dancing, socializing, sipping and munching. Volunteers are also needed for clean-up at midnight. E-mail Iris Rifkin-Gainer if you would like to volunteer ~ Please note first & second choice of the hour in which you'd prefer to serve. Thank You.

May 20, 2009 - YWCA Kickoff - Williamsport

Dr. Ben Carson, free lecture starts at 6:00 pm, followed by Q&A session. Reception starts at 4:45 pm and is a ticketed event. Tickets for the reception can be obtained at the YWCA.

May 18, 2009 - Premiere Beyond the Wall: Homeless Zone - Wiliamsport

Beyond the Wall: Homeless Zone Free Movie Premiere, Community Arts Center, 7:30 pm.

May 12, 2009 WSO-Pops: From Buenos Aires to New York - Williamsport

The Williamsport Symphony Orchestra at the Community Arts Center, 7:30 pm. Composer, educator and pianist Mike Garson will perform. Tickets can be purchased online at www.calive.com or by phone at (570) 326-2424 or (800) 432-9382.

May 9, 2009 - Fiesta De Maya - Milton

CARE booth at Lewisburg Arts Festival

Folks at the CARE table at the Lewisburg Arts Festival on April 25th.

The Milton community is making plans to host the second annual Fiesta de Mayo, a celebration of Hispanic/Latino culture and connections with other cultures! Fiesta de Mayo celebrates the rich diversity in the Susquehanna Valley. It's really just a lot of fun. It's an opportunity to enjoy food and a variety of crafts, music, and dance, and to socialize. said Joe Rosa, cofounder and chairman of Fiesta de Mayo. Vendors and exhibitors open to the public at 10 am and should remain open until 6 pm or so depending on the vendor. Still, it might be possible to get a cup of coffee early in the morning.

The purpose of the event is to build bridges between different cultures through a time of interaction, food and fun. This event happens rain or shine! As with the Arts Festival in April look for us at the CARE table. It is advantageous for us to have more than one volunteer for each shift, so please join us.

April 17, 2009 - Music - Williamsport

Lycoming College Jazz Ensemble Concert, Clarke Chapel, 8 pm. Works by Chick Corea, Kris Berg, Adrien Re, Les Hooper and others.

March 26-27, 2008 - Symposium on Death Penalty - Selinsgrove

Susquehanna University will hold a two-day symposium to examine whether the death penalty should be abolished. The tentative schedule and list of committed participants follows:

Feb. 29, 2008 - Weis Center for the Performing Arts - Lewisburg

the 51st (dream) state is nationally acclaimed poet Sekou Sundiata's contemplation of America's national identity, of its power in the world, and of its guiding mythologies. This multi-media performance features a cycle of songs, poems and monologues supported by still and moving projected images. Performed by an all-star ensemble of singers and musicians, including keyboards, trumpet, drums, bass and guitar, the 51st (dream) state is a quest to find a vision of what it means to be both a citizen and an individual in a deeply complex, hyper-kinetic society. Some of the project's implied questions are:

the 51st (dream) state was created with the specific purpose of joining art and civic dialogue. It is designed to initiate and illuminate public discussions related to the questions outlined above, among others. This performance piece was developed through Sundiata's America Project, composed of a series of community dialogues held throughout the country. The dialogue activities included community sings, which are public events featuring cast members and community members singing and discussing their relationships to a variety of American folk, popular, traditional and patriotic songs. Community sings and similarly structured poetry circles, along with citizenship dinners, workshops and discussion forums will continue to be offered as the 51st (dream) state tours.

February 4-8, 2008 - Citizenship: A Week of Arts & Ideas - Lewisburg

Based on American poet and performer Sekou Sundiata's America Project† and presented in conjunction with the February 29, 2008, Weis Center Series performance of the late Sundiata's the 51st (dream)state; These campus and community based events surrounding the 51st (dream) state are intended to inspire fresh perceptions on the most essential ideas that link imagination, democracy and citizenship.

† Conceived of by Harlem poet Sekou Sundiata, the America Project is composed of public engagement activities designed to involve participants in honest and critical conversations about citizenship and civic consciousness and to trigger critical conversations and encounters in the service of teaching, learning and art.

November 2007 - Latino Symposium Program - Selinsgrove

The XIII Latino Symposium explores the exile and immigration experiences of Spanish speakers who have crossed many borders to enter the United States. It also celebrates the numerous ways in which Susquehanna University students have themselves crossed linguistic, cultural, and geographical borders in order to create bonds of support with Latinos in this region and beyond.

February 26, 2007 - Alice Pope Shade Lecture - Selinsgrove

Jim Wallis, author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It," will present the Alice Pope Shade Lecture on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 7:30 PM in the Weber Chapel Auditorium on the Susquehanna University campus.

Jim Wallis is a leading figure at the crossroads of religion and politics in America today. He is a public theologian, nationally renowned preacher, faith-based activist, author of seven books, and the founder of Sojourners, a nationwide network of progressive Christians working for justice and peace.

- HarperCollins

Wallis is also co-founder of a new group, Red Letter Christians, a network of Christian communicators committed to advancing the message that our faith cannot be reduced to only two hot button social issues—abortion and homosexuality. Fighting poverty, caring for the environment, advancing peace, promoting strong families, and supporting a consistent ethic of life are all critical moral and biblical values.

The lecture is free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

Spring 2007 - Children's Tour of Religions

The Children's Tour of Religions will begin on Sunday, February 4th. Once a month for 6 months, a group of 11 children will visit a different house of worship for a one hour program. Programs will last approximately one hour and include a tour of the building, a brief description of the religion, and a question and answer session. The religions include Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Unitarian Universalism.

We are thrilled that there has been great interest in this program. We'll keep you updated as the children make their visits.

We offer our thanks to the clergy who volunteered to run the programs.

February 11, 2007 - Special Interest Meeting for People of Color - Lewisburg

CARE is in the process of transforming its work so that it can make a much bigger difference in the lives of others, including people of color. We are having a meeting on Sunday February 11, 2007 at 4 p.m. at The Donald Heiter Community Center located at 100 North 5th Street in Lewisburg to further discuss this topic.

We need people like yourself to come join us in establishing our own agenda and to take leadership in improving the lives of people of color in the valley. We need your input on what is most needed at this time. We hope you will come out and join us. Babysitting will be available for part of the time so the adults can talk about the above issues. Snack and refreshments will also be provided. Contact Babbette Rose-Faison at 524-5266 or Brocelyn Owen at 326-1466 for questions, or in case we need to cancel due to snow.

Spring 2007 - Events at the Weis Center - Lewisburg

All performances are at 8 p.m.For more information about these and other Spring '07 events contact the box office at 577-1000 or check their website

February 1, 2007 - Panel - Selinsgrove

We invite you to a very special event on February 1 at 7 p.m. Isaacs Auditorium located in Seibert Hall on the Susquehanna University campus, will host the Adams Center program "Wrongful Convictions: Causing Pain, Allowing Gain," to explore how science and law working together may bring needed improvements to our justice system. The participants will include:

This "don't miss" event is free and open to the public.