BC News

Boston College Theologian M. Shawn Copeland Honored with Seton Medal
Associate Professor of Systematic Theology M. Shawn Copeland has been awarded the St. Elizabeth Seton Medal, established in 1966 by the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, OH, to recognize distinguished women in theology. The medal was presented to Copeland at an Oct. 12 event at the College of Mount St. Joseph, where Copeland delivered an address titled "To Be the Body of Christ." More.

Listening to Haiti’s ‘Other Voices’
The world knows all about Haiti’s problems — but little else, says BC’s Professor Regine Jean-Charles. Read about Professor Jean-Charles' recent research, focusing on Haitian post-earthquake perspectives in the Boston College Chronicle.

Dr. John Houchin on Sabbatical
Dr. John Houchin of the Theatre Department, and Affiliated Faculty of AADS, is currently on sabbatical in Savannah, GA. He and his wife are teaching for All Walks of Life, Inc. (AWOL, www.awolinc.org). AWOL, Inc. is a nonprofit educational program that aims “to develop youth in an environment that encourages education, creativity, and most of all non-violence” by using art and hip-hop as a vehicle for social change.Dr. Houchin’s wife choreographs several different shows while Dr. Houchin teaches voice and speech. Dr. Houchin is devising inventive renderings of Shakespeare’s sonnets for a production that will take place in February. Additionally, Dr. Houchin is directing a staged reading of Kim Eull’s The Diva Daughter’s Dupree, a serio-comic play about three African-American sisters and their struggles with cultural identity and each other. In January Dr. Houchin will be directing either Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, Lynn Nottage or The Good Negro by Tracy Scott Wilson.

Distinguished Scholar Honor Awarded to Boston College Theologian
M. Shawn Copeland is an associate Professor in the Theology Department and core faculty member of African and African Diaspora Studies. Copeland received the Distinguished Scholar Honor Award from the Black Religious Scholars Group (BRSG). Copeland is known for her research and teaching on theological anthropology and political theology as well as African and African-derived religious and cultural experience. Read the article here.

New Director of African and African Diaspora Studies
On July 1, 2009, Dr. Rhonda Frederick became the new Director of the African and African Diaspora Studies program. An associate professor in the English department, Professor Frederick's research interests include Caribbean and African American literatures, particularly twentieth century women's popular fiction, mystery/detective, and futurist fiction/fantasy writing. Her first book, "Colón Man a Come": Mythographies of Panamá Canal Migration, examines the recurring figure of the Panama Canal worker in Caribbean literature, song, and memoir. Her current project investigates black Americas writers' engagement with a black pan-genre reading audience through the consideration of science fiction/fantasy, mystery/detective, and/or futurist fiction.

History of the Black Talent Program
William Bole has published "Power of the People: An Oral History of the Black Talent Program" in the spring 2009 edition of the Boston College Magazine. Read the article here.

Grace Akallo lecture "Girl Soldier" available on BC Front Row
Grace Akallo discusses her experiences as a child soldier in Uganda after she was kidnapped at age 15 by a rebel group, and forced to serve in their army. She is the author, along with Faith J.H. McDonnell, of Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda’s Children (Chosen, 2007). Akallo's lecture was originally delivered November 18, 2008. Visit Front Row to view the lecture.

Letter to President Obama
Read AADS Director Dr. Cynthia Young's letter to President Barack Obama.

Dr. Cynthia Young featured on WGBH's "Basic Black" TV show, June 6, 2008
Dr. Cynthia Young, Director of the African & African Diaspora Studies Program at Boston College, appeared on the WGBH show “Basic Black” on June 6, 2008. Dr. Young participated in a conversation focused on the presidential run of Senator Barack Obama. “Basic Black” is a half-hour long show and “is Boston's longest-running weekly television program devoted exclusively to African American themes.”

A Sad Farewell
The African and African Diaspora Studies program bids a sad farewell to beloved professor and anti-apartheid activist Christopher Nteta.

Shelby lecture available online
Tommie Shelby, a faculty member at Harvard University, describes how class differences among African Americans undermine the community's efforts to build a unified progressive movement. Listen to or view his talk Class, Poverty and Shame online today!

Walters is proud alum of ECU and valuable asset to BC
Prof. Hubert Walters was recently the subject of an article titled "Songs in the Key of Life" featured on the East Carolina University's website. Walters, professor of Music at BC and Director of Voices of Imani, is an alum of East Carolina University.

Singh lecture available online
Boston College Magazine's online version provides links to videos and recordings of lectures and events at BC. Last April, Historian Nikhil Singh presented a lecture titled "Beyond the Empire of Jim Crow: Race and Foreign Policy in the Post Civil Rights Era." He was introduced by African and African Diaspora Studies Affiliate Faculty member (History) Davarian Baldwin and African and African Diaspora Studies Program Director Cynthia Young. Visit the Front Row website for a video or audio recording of this lecture.

Stephens' book available online and at the BC library
On Wednesday, November 8th, 2007 Michelle Stephens presented a talk at Boston College as part of the New Directions Lecture Series sponsored by African and African Diaspora Studies. Copies of Stephens' new book Black Empire: The Masculine Global Imaginary of Caribbean Intellectuals in the United States, 1914-1962 (Durham: Duke University Press, 2005), is available at the Boston College library and is available for purchase online at Amazon.com.

Local and Other News

In Memoriam: John Hope Franklin
March 24, 2009
John Hope Franklin, a pioneering scholar in the field of African American history, has died at the age of 94.
Remembrances:
New York Times
Boston Globe
Washington Post
Duke University

Busing in Boston: Reappraisals of Race and Education in the City
"It's Time to End Busing in Boston"
Ted Landsmark
January 31, 2009
School Buses' Vacant Seats Costing Hub
James Vaznis
February 2, 2009

Ethiopia
"Investigating Africa's Guantanamo"
Robert Walker, BBC News
October 1, 2008