Black History Month 2004

The Year of Living Dangerously:
Controversy and the Black Community

PDF version of the schedule

February 2-27
Monday-Friday
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center
025 Alumni Hall
Spotlight Exhibit of Photographic Images
“Booker T. Washington: Sell-Out or Statesman?”

Few individuals have been viewed as controversial in the Black experience as Booker Taliaferro Washington. At least one scholar maintains that intellectuals who sought to affect Washington’s historical reputation generated much of the controversy. The exhibit contains a series of images documenting his public speaking tours through various Black communities c. 1910 to 1915. Viewers can decide for themselves what the images convey, if anything, about his contemporaneous relationship with segments of the Black community. The exhibit raises the question of just how much a historical figure’s reputation is real or manufactured over time when evaluated against the backdrop of the visual record.

A Closing Reception for the exhibit will be held in the Black Cultural Center, 025 Alumni Hall, on Friday, February 27, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Friday, February 6
12 noon
First Friday at The House

Tuesday, February 10
12:20 p.m.
203 Alumni Hall
Knowledge at Noon Lecture Series
Bakari Kitwana
“Does Hip-Hop Breed Controversy?”

Bakari Kitwana unravels the many mysteries of Hip-Hop culture in his masterful interpretation of the mindset and lifestyles of young Blacks born between the years 1965 and 1984. He explains the forces resulting in Hip-Hop’s “Afro Americanization of white youth,” as well as its commentary and impact upon Black male-female relationships and the generational divide in Black America. If you ever wanted to understand Hip-Hop culture as one of the most important developments in recent African American history, this is the presentation for you. Kitwana maintains it is our ignorance about Hip-Hop that makes it so controversial. A former executive editor of The Source magazine and an acknowledged expert on Hip-Hop and youth culture, Kitwana is the author of The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture and the forthcoming Why White Kids Love Hip-Hop.

Thursday, February 12
4:15 p.m.
Flynn Auditorium, Vanderbilt University Law School
Keynote Presentation
“Anita Hill Speaks on Controversy”

A seasoned veteran of intense national scrutiny, Anita Hill steps into the spotlight once again to share her personal thoughts on weathering controversy. How does it feel to be at the center of a national media firestorm? How do the traditional interest groups respond to an individual in such crisis? Hill addresses those issues, as well as what life is like after the storm has passed, in “Anita Hill Speaks on Controversy.” Anita Hill is currently a Professor of Social Policy, Law and Women’s Studies in the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis University.

Reception to follow immediately after Professor Hill’s presentation in the Vanderbilt Law School’s North Lobby.

Friday, February 20
12 noon
Third Friday at The House

Thursday, February 26
12:20 p.m.
203 Alumni Hall
Knowledge at Noon Lecture Series
Panel Discussion
“African Americans in the Media”

Panelists include Dwight Lewis, columnist for the Tennessean, Rosetta Perry, publisher of The Tennessee Tribune, Yvonne Prather, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communications, Austin Peay State University, and LaTonya Turner, freelance reporter formerly with Channel 4.

An all-star cast of local journalists and media experts discusses the processes that shape the reporting of news about minorities. A particular focus of the discussion will be the media’s recent handling of the legal difficulties of Black male celebrities in comparison with others accused of committing serious crimes. Has that treatment of African American males been fair and balanced in outlining the facts of their cases or surprisingly accusatory? All events are free, open to the public, and located on the Vanderbilt University campus unless otherwise noted. If you need disability-related accommodations, or additional information about any of the events or parking on the Vanderbilt campus, please call 615-322-2524.