Weekly Schedule Feb 26 - March 4

Saturday, February 27

Heritage Ball
Hosted by: Organization of Black Students
Time: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: GCIS Building, 929 E. 57th Street

Monday, March 1

Urban Teacher Education Program Information Session
Hosted by: the Urban Education Teacher Program
Time: 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Location: Room 358 of the Ryerson Physical Laboratory, 1100 E. 58th Street

Passing the Torch
Hosted by: Organization of Black Students
Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: 5710 S. Woodlawn Avenue

Women in Business Study Break
Hosted by: CAPS
Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: McCormick Tribute Lounge of Reynolds Club, 5706 South University Avenue

Guest Blogger - Jay Tan

¡Hola! ¿Como están? I am Jay (remember I did a brief introduction about Chicago Study Abroad Program few months ago? ) , currently enjoying my study abroad experience in Barcelona, Spain. I am here to share with you my experiences here in Barcelona so that you all will have a better insight of what the program can offer you.

When I first arrived in Barcelona, I was not really happy. In fact, I started to complain about every single thing that I could – from the accommodation, transportation, classes and etc. I guess home-sick must be the main culprit behind all my endless complaints. However, as days passed by one by one, I started to love this place more and more. And now, I am actually feeling quite sad that I am actually leaving this beautiful city as my program is going to end in merely 2 weeks time!

Black Heritage Census Stats

As we bring Black Heritage Celebration to a close we remind everyone that Black heritage cannot be confined to only one month out of the year. The history of black people should be appreciated and celebrated throughout each and every month.

Here are black heritage census stats:

• 41.1 million
  As of July 1, 2008, the estimated population of black residents in the United States, including those of more than one race. They made up 13.5 percent of the total U.S. population. This figure represents an increase of more than a half-million residents from one year earlier.

• 2.5 million
  Number of black college students in fall 2008. This was roughly double the corresponding number from 15 years earlier.

• 46%
  Nationally, the percentage of households with a householder who was single-race black who lived in owner-occupied homes.

• 129,329
  The number of black-owned firms in New York in 2002, which led all states. New York City alone had 98,080 such firms, which led all cities.

• 2.3 million
  Number of single-race black military veterans in the United States in 2008. More military veterans are black than any other minority group.

Intergroup Dialogues Program

Interested in learning about race issues? Identity? Yourself?

With the support of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), the Intergroup Dialogues Program seeks to build sustainable relationships between students from various backgrounds and cultures. Through a series of dialogues on topics such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and socioeconomic differences, we seek to engage students to reflect upon and share personal experiences pertaining to these topics in a closed, safe environment. All students are welcome to become involved in this project, whether as participants, facilitators, or project coordinators.

Weekly Schedule: February 19 - 25

Friday, February 19

Making the Invisible Visible
Hosted by: CSRPC and OMSA
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Location: 5710 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Technology Careers Over Lunch
Hosted by: CAPS
Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm
Location: Room 203 of the Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

The Race to Weatherize
Hosted by: CSRPC and BIG
Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: 5733 S. University Avenue

20th Annual MSA Banquet
Hosted by: the Muslim Student Association
Time: 7:00pm
Location: Ida Noyes Hall, , 1212 East 59th Street
Ticket is S5.00

5710 2nd Anniversary | Monday, February 22

Please join 5710 in celebration of our second year anniversary!

6pm--Reception
Meet and mingle with students, student organization leaders, OMSA staff, and LGBTQ Student Life staff.

6:30p--Cake Cutting Ceremony & Special Recognition for William Michel
Special thanks to William Michel, recently named Executive Director of the Reva and David Logan Center for Creative and Performing Arts, and a long time supporter of the growth and development of 5710 S. Woodlawn.

Featuring performances by: Queers & Associates, Lambda Theta Alpha Sorority, Inc., South Asian Student Association, 2009 Chicago Idol Winners -- Mauriece Dawson and Tiara Lodge.

7:30p--Study Break at 5710
Take a break. Discover what the building has to offer or just hang out and challenge your friends toWii Sports or Mario Kart.

SEE YOU THERE! RSVP on Facebook

Within Our Gates Film Screening

On February 22, OMSA and DOC Films will co-present:

Within Our Gates, by Oscar Micheaux
This 1920 silent depicts the height of racial tensions in the time of Jim Crow through the story of Sylvia, an African-American woman, and her attempts to raise money for a local school. Director Oscar Micheaux was one of the first African-American feature filmmakers; this is his earliest surviving feature.

This FREE film screening will be held on February 22nd, at Max Palevsky Cinema
Ida Noyes Hall (1212 East 59th Street)
From 9pm to 11pm
For more information, please contact ryo@uchicago.edu

Notable Black Individuals: Katherine Dunham

The University of Chicago and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs continues the celebration of Black Heritage. This week we are featuring Katherine Dunham.

"I always believed that if you set out to be successful, then you already were." Katherine Dunham (June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006)

Katherine Dunham did not start formal dance until she was 24 years old. Her first leading role was in Ruth Page’s ballet “La Guiablesse” in 1933.

She attended the University of Chicago on scholarship where she was inspired by the work of anthropologists Robert Redfield and Melville Herskovits, who stressed the importance of the survival of African culture and ritual in understanding African-American culture. During her stay at Chicago, Katherine taught youngsters’ dance classes and gave recitals in a Chicago storefront, calling her student company founded in 1931, "Ballet Negre." She was awarded a Rosenwald Travel Fellowship for her combined expertise in dance and anthropology, after graduating with a B.A. in Social Anthropology in 1936. She then departed for the West Indies to do field research in anthropology and dance. Combining her two interests, she linked the function and form of Caribbean dance and ritual to their African progenitors.

Katherine lectured widely, published articles, and wrote books about her observations. She appeared in 9 Hollywood movies and in several foreign films among them Carnival of Rhythm, Star-spangled Rhythm, and Mambo. She choreographed more than 90 individual dances, and produced 5 revues, 4 of which played on Broadway and toured worldwide. Her most critically acclaimed revue was her 1946 “Bal Negre.”

In 1937, she founded the Negro Dance Group and later moved the company to New York City where she became dance director of the New York Labor Stage. Shortly after Ms. Katherine founded the Negro Dance Group, she opened the Dunham School of Dance and Theater (sometimes called the Dunham School of Arts and Research) in Manhattan.

Katherine has received numerous awards acknowledging her contributions. These include the Albert Schweitzer Music Award for a life devoted to performing arts and service to humanity (1979), a Kennedy Center Honor's Award (1983), the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award (1987), and induction into the Hall of Fame of the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (1987).

Audacity has characterized Ms. Dunham’s life and career. Her amalgamation of scholarship and theatricality has established indisputably and blissfully, that African-American and African-Caribbean styles are related and potent components of dance in America.

The Lunar New Year!

The day of love will also be the celebration of the Tiger this year! This year the Lunar New Year will fall on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in many Chinese and Asian traditions.

Within the celebration, traditions and customs are various. Presents, decorations, food, and even new clothing are purchased to adorn the holiday. The traditional color that is seen throughout all decorations and outfits is a strong red. As this year’s celebration lands on Valentine’s Day, red will be seen all over the city!

Many cultures celebrate the Lunar New Year, sometimes referred to as the Spring Festival. These cultures include Koreans (Seollal), Tibetans and Bhutanese (Losar), Mongolians (Tsagaan Sar), Vietnamese (Tết) and in Singapore, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Wikipedia reports that on the Eve of the Lunar New Year, families celebrate with a feast with all kinds of food! This holiday is also a time marked by visits to kin, relatives and friends the during the days of celebration.

The Lunar New Year is also the mark of the Chinese Zodiac. This year’s zodiac is the Year of the Tiger. People born in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 or 2010 carry this zodiac sign. Like the tiger, this sign is to be one of the most caring and thoughtful signs in the Chinese zodiac. Traits of this sign include finding the “best way to right society's wrongs, and quite capable of defending children, friends, and loved ones against all enemies”.

Emily Bronte, Sheryl Crow, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Dickinson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jay Leno, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Marco Polo, Beatrix Potter, Queen Elizabeth II, and Jon Stewart are were all born under a year of the tiger! Along with Agatha Christie, Bill Murray, Hugh Hefner, Jim Carrey, Jodie Foster, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Penelope Cruz, Stevie Wonder, Tennessee Williams, Wesley Snipes, and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham!!

Looking to celebrate around Chicago?
February 14, 2010

On Wentworth from 24th St. to Cermak Rd.

The Chinatown New Year Parade celebrating the Lunar New Year, “Year of the TIGER 4708”will include marching bands, floats, lion teams, a 100’ Mystical Dragon, and MissFriendship Ambassador. Please join us to welcome the New Year as we convey “Gung
Hay Fat Choi” to all in attendance.

Parade step-off time is 1:00PM though there are other activities starting as early as 11:30AM.

Looking to throw a Lunar New Year Party? Try some of these recipes
Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs
Egg Foo Yung II
Chinese New Year Turnip Cake

Links

China Page
Lunar New Year -Wiki
Chinese New Year
All Recipes
Metro Mix

Upcoming Information Sessions at 5710

Check out these upcoming information sessions at 5710 S. Woodlawn

Monday, February 15 at 5:00pm - University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program

The University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program (Chicago UTEP) is a selective two-year program prepares students to become successful teachers—and eventually teacher leaders—in urban elementary schools and high schools, with a particular emphasis on Chicago. UTEP recruits and prepares individuals with a commitment to social justice; who are specifically interested in teaching in challenging urban schools. Students completing the program receive a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree and an Illinois Teaching Certificate for elementary grades (grades K-9) or a teaching certificate and endorsement to teach in high school mathematics or biology (grades 6-12).

Tuesday, February 16 at 5:00pm - University of Chicago Public Interest Program (UCPIP)
Are you a 4th year considering a career in the nonprofit or public interest sector? Are you looking for a way to give back to the community before starting grad school, law school, or med school?

UCPIP places graduates of the College in year-long, paid Fellowship positions at nonprofit and public interest organizations throughout the Chicago area.

We’ll be conducting an info session at 5710 on Tuesday, February 16, at 5:00pm. If you’re interested in the program, we encourage you to come. If you can’t make it, please contact Eric Rogers at erogers@uchicago.edu or 773-702-4595.

Weekly Schedule: February 12 - Feruary 18

Friday, February 12

50^th Annual University of Chicago Folk Festival
Hosted by: Folklore Society
Time: Friday, Feb. 12 through Sunday, Feb. 14
Location: Mandel Hall, 1131 East 57th Street and Ida Noyes Hall
Daytime events are free, evening concerts are $10-$25

Skate Jam
Hosted by: The Organization of Black Students
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Location: Midway Skating Rink, On the Midway between University and Ellis

Traffic Light Party
Hosted by: International House
Time: 9:00pm – 1:00am
Location: International House, 1414 East 59th Street

Notable Black Individuals: Dr. Rick Kittles

The University of Chicago and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs continues the celebration of Black Heritage. This week we are featuring Dr. Rick Kittles.

"I wasn't surprised there was this residential difference [between races] for these hormone-related cancers related to control of socioeconomics, there's obviously some biology that needs to be further explored." –Dr. Kittles

Dr. Rick Antonius Kittles is currently the Scientific Director of the Washington, D.C.-based African Ancestry Inc., a genetic testing service for determining individuals' African ancestry, which he co-founded with Gina Paige in March 2003. He also serves as an Associate Professor in the Section of Genetic Medicine of the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago and Associate Director for Diversity and Community Relations at the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center.

Teach-In on Haiti

Teach-in on Haiti

February 9th
6:00 pm
5710 S. Woodlawn,Community Lounge

Learn about:

• Haiti’s amazing history & culture of resistance, resiliency, and self-determination
• The connection between the crisis caused by natural disasters and social, political, environmental, and economic issues
• The grassroots efforts organized by U of C students to provide direct support to Haiti
  

Featuring a panel discussion and Q & A by:

• Greg Beckett, Social Sciences
• Melvin Butler, Music
• Daniel Desormeaux, French Literature
• Rachel Jean Baptiste, African History
• Toussaint Lossier, PhD Candidate in History & Representative of R.I.S.A.
• W.L. Balan-Gaubert, Haitian activist & scholar
• Representative, Global Health Initiative at University of Chicago Medical Center
  

Sponsored by: Join the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Center for Latin American Studies & Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, UChicago for Haiti, and the Reproduction of Race and Racial Ideologies Workshop.

Donations Welcomed! See you there!

Weekly Schedule: February 5 - Feruary 11

Friday, February 5

Clinton Global Initiative University
Hosted by: University Community Service Center
Time: 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Location: South Lounge of the Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Avenue

Saturday, February 6

Black Creativity Family Day
Hosted by: the Museum of Science and Industry

Family Open House
Hosted by: the DuSable Museum of African American History
Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm
Location: DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 East 56th Place
$ 5 General Admissions

Interested in Teaching?

"OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS- Twice! Be Prepared.

The University of Chicago's Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) is hosting a prospective student information session on February 17,2010 at the Reynold's Club South Lounge from Noon to 1:30PM. Pizza will be served.

Please RSVP to: kthreatt@uchicago.edu on or before February 16,2010. Come find out how you can earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and an Illinois Teaching Certificate in 2 years for less than $3,000 a quarter.

Notable Black Individuals: Carol Moseley Braun

The University of Chicago and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs continues the celebration of Black Heritage. This week we are featuring Carol Moseley Braun.

In 1992 Carol Moseley Braun became the 1st African America woman elected to the U.S. Senate. She was also the 1st woman to defeat an incumbent senator in an election.  Moseley Braun represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 1999.

During her term,  Moseley Braun won clashes with southern senators over a patent for a Confederate insignia. She was noted for her support of individual retirement accounts for homemakers and for filibustering to restore budget monies for youth job training and senior citizens.