Showing category "A Moment in Time" (Show all posts)

Chinua Achebe: The passing of a gentle literary giant and a friend

Posted by on Tuesday, April 16, 2013, In : A Moment in Time

Chinua Achebe, NYT

On March 22, 2013, Chinua Achebe, one of the world's foremost African writers, joined his ancestors. He died at the age of 82. My mourning the loss of this literary giant is not just the right thing to do, it's personal!

I had the distinct pleasure of being taught and mentored by this writer of novels, short stories, critical essays and poetry. Chinua used numerous forms to carry his message of the impact of colonialism on Africa: the novel, short stories, creative non-fict...
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Artspeak: Anthropology honors the mentoring legacy of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole

Posted by on Thursday, December 13, 2012, In : A Moment in Time

This presentation was delivered at the annual meeting of the American Anthropology Association on November 15, 2012 in San Francisco, where several sessions and panels were held to honor Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole. She is best known as the only woman to have served as President of two historically Black women’s colleges—Spelman College in Atlanta, GA (1987-1997) and Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC (2003-2008).

Upon retiring from Spelman, Dr. Cole went on to become an intellectu...
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A Farewell Requiem: Dr. Elvyn Jones-Dube

Posted by on Thursday, December 13, 2012, In : A Moment in Time

"I really have no regrets. I can go freely. There are things that I didn't accomplish that I wanted to but I have learned how to let go. I would have liked to have done more, and if I had more time, I would have done so." Dr. Elvyn Jones-Dube

Human beings, homo sapiens, or anthropology's political correct AMH (anatomically modern humans) are a unique species among mammals. We have culture, which according to my colleagues, has been our primary means of adaptation.

Through culture we have learne...
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Artspeak: The “Despair” of College Reunions

Posted by on Thursday, December 6, 2012, In : A Moment in Time

Author, circa 1972. Having recently returned from my 40th college reunion, I am reminded of Charles Dickens’ opening lines to A Tale of Two Cities —“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…;” A fair enough description of my college ...
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Artspeak: So long Donna Summer…Disco Queen par excellence

Posted by on Thursday, December 6, 2012, In : A Moment in Time

Yes, I admit to rocking a Donna Summer in my afro “do” with bell bottomed jeans, and platform shoes. I even do the Hustle on occasion, if the right jam plays.

The death of the sultry “Queen of Disco” on May 18, 2012 is a different kind of tragedy than that of songstress Whitney Houston. Donna Summer succumbed to death after losing her battle with lung cancer at age 63. The singer believed that the cause of her illness was “inhaling toxic particles” after 9/11, according to ...