Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Announcements
Promoting diversity in the University community and beyond...
By Dr. B
I am always excited when I hear
the word “spring.” I am not sure why
it moves me so, for it is not that I am
obsessively fond of the season of the
year. But there is something that instantaneously lifts me when that word
tickles my eardrums and sparks the
synapses in my brain. Usually, there
is an immediate, threefold response
to it: moving away from the past, forging the new, and evincing hope.
When the spring semester begins, I find myself feeling similarly. I
am wonderfully relieved of the burdens of the past semester and am
removed enough from them to assess their worth and discovering
processing and topics that need
tweaking. Furthermore, I thrill over
the chance to implement new programs, activities, services, and processes that the second semester affords. To see the development and
actualization of thin-paper plans is
amazing: it is adrenalin producing—
sending rivulets of endorphins
throughout my body and making me
feel nothing short of exhilarating!
Moreover, the academic spring commences serious crafting of the upcoming fiscal year calendar. Putting
together a new series of events is
enormously satisfying. It should be
no wonder how my aforementioned
ecstasy over the word “spring” is reflected in the work of the Center for
Multicultural Education.
As a scholar of the civil rights
movement and the life/legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., I am routinely de-
lighted to pay tribute to the person by
having activities surrounding the holiday. This year, the esteemed journalist and author, Ellis Cose, is visiting our campus in King’s honor. He
has challenged us as citizens of the
United States to think about tensions
in race relations—both past and present. Recently, he wrote The End of
Anger: A New Generation’s Take on
Race and Rage, which is a kind of
sequel to his book, The Rage of a
Privileged Class. In the previous
book, he demonstrated how African
Americans who were firmly ensconced in the middle class still suffered indignities that helped to perpetuate their anger. In the latter
book, he asserts that in the age of
President Barack Obama, there has
been a diminution of such anger
fraught with differing perspectives
about racism and citizen consciousness in the United States.
In February, we will evaluate the
current public school system and explore the suggestions of Linda Darling-Hammond, author of The Flat
World and Education: How America’s
Commitment to Equity Will Determine
Our Future. That text was a selection
of a community book club sponsored
by the Cedar Valley Citizens for Undoing Racism. Darling-Hammond will
appear at the University of Northern
Iowa via videoconference in conjunction with the Waterloo Commission
on Human Rights and the latter’s annual conference liberties and justice
for all.
Shortly before the Ides of March,
the CME sponsors the visit of Majorie
Cohn, who is
one of the featured speakers
for the series,
Reaching
for
Higher Ground:
Community After 9/11. One of Dr. Blackwell
Cohn’s specialties is the use of torture, and she will discuss the contemporary and historical violations of torture of which we might be unaware.
On the lighter side, the poet called
Preacher Moss will use the language
of the younger generations to poke
harmless fun at our American mosaic
of diversity while promulgating a message of knowledge, acceptance, and
appreciation of others who may be
different.
Rounding off the semester is
Touré, author of the recent book,
Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?
What It Means to Be Black Now.
This event is partly in collaboration
with the Black Male Leaders Union.
Hence, the semester’s beginning with
Cose and anger is ending with a discussion of identity that will enlighten
all of us regardless of our backgrounds.
Interspersed between
these two events is a number of
smaller programs and activities
geared towards fostering cultural
competency through hands-on exercises and lively, interactive dialogue.
Spring: what a simply resplendent
word that elicits a plethora of good
feeling! I hope you can share my
exuberance through participation in
our programs and activities this semester. C’ya!
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CME Spring 2012 Lecture Events
Ellis Cose In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, January 16
7:00 p.m.
CME
Ellis Cose is one of America's most renowned journalists and the author of several important books on
issues of national and international concern. A longtime columnist and contributing editor for Newsweek
magazine (1993 through 2010) and former chairman of the editorial board and editorial page editor of the
New York Daily News, Cose began his journalism career as a weekly columnist for the Chicago SunTimes—becoming, at the age of 19, the youngest editorial page columnist ever employed by a major Chicago daily. Cose’s most recent book is The End of Anger: A New Generation’s Take on Race and Rage.
Video Conference with Linda Darling-Hammond The Flat World and Education:
How America's Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future
Thursday, February 16
3:30 p.m.
Location TBD
Linda Darling-Hammond is Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University where
she has launched the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education and the School Redesign Network and served as faculty sponsor for the Stanford Teacher Education Program. Her research, teaching,
and policy work focuses on issues of school restructuring, teacher quality, and educational equity. She
recently served as the leader of President Barack Obama's education policy transition team and discusses
her take on America’s education system in her most recent book, The Flat World and Education.
Marjorie Cohn
Torture & the Possibility of Community
Thursday, March 1
3:00 p.m.
Lang Hall Auditorium
Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, past president of the National Lawyers Guild, and a long-time criminal defense attorney. She is Deputy Secretary General of the
International Association of Democratic Lawyers, the U.S. representative to the Executive Council of the
American Association of Jurists, a member of the Board of Governors of the Society of American Law
Teachers, and the Board of Directors of the U.S. Human Rights Network. Her most recent book includes,
The United States and Torture: Interrogation, Incarceration, and Abuse.
Touré
What it Means to be Black in the 21st Century/How it Has Changed
Wednesday, April 11
7:00 p.m.
CME
In the age of Obama, racial attitudes have become more complicated and nuanced than ever before.
Inspired by a president who is unlike any Black man ever seen on our national stage, we are searching for
new ways of understanding Blackness. In Touré’s provocative new book, he tackles what it means to be
Black in America today. He examines the concept of “Post-Blackness,” a term that defines artists who are
proud to be Black but don’t want to be limited by identity politics and boxed in by race. Touré argues that
Blackness is infinite, that any identity imaginable is Black, and that all expressions of Blackness are legitimate.
Page 3
Spring 2012 Activities
CME Book Club
3:30-5:00 p.m.
CME
 The End of Anger: A New Generation’s Take on Race and Rage by Ellis Cose
Monday, January 16
 Becoming King: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson
Thursday, January 19
 No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington by Condoleezza Rice
Tuesday, February 14
 Ingratitude: The Debt-Bound Daughter in Asian American Literature by erin Khue Ninh
Thursday, March 22
 Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? by Touré
Wednesday, April 11
 Multicultural American Literature: Comparative Black, Native, Latino/a, and Asian American Fictions by A. Robert Lee
Thursday, April 19
Preacher Moss: End of Racism Comedy Tour
Monday, February 20
7:00 p.m.
Lang Hall Auditorium
Armed with sincerity, intellect and rare comedic ability, Preacher Moss is the "End of Racism" Comedy and Lecture Tour. "Speaking on Truth," Moss has been playing to the hearts
and minds of college students and administrators all over the country. With his insight on
"racial understanding vs. racial interaction" he has quickly become the funniest social commentator on the college scene today.
The "End of Racism" is not just the name of the tour, but a commitment that we all share.
Preacher moss knows how to deliver the goods on how we see race through laughter, respect, and the humility of a man who felt the sting of racism for not just blacks, but whites,
gays, Latinos, as the poor and the underclass of America.
Friday Fun Nights
6:00-8:00 p.m.
CME
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
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January 27
February 24
March 30
April 20
Poetry Slam
Movie Night
Visit to the UNI Museum
End of the Year Party
Roundtable Discussions
3:30-5:00 p.m.
CME
 Interracial Dating
 What does it mean to be “multicultural”
Wednesday, February 14
Wednesday, April 4
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Spring 2012 Activities Continued...
2011-2012 Canterbury Forum
"Somaphobia: Gays, Lesbians, and the Black Church”
Sunday, January 22nd 7:00 p.m.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Dr. Michael D. Blackwell, Director of Education, UNI
In this talk, Dr. Blackwell describes the perspectives of leaders and members of major black
religious institutions regarding homosexuality since 1980 and explores salient episodes in African American history and folklore which help us grasp the nuances of thought and feeling related to blacks’ views on the human body that contribute to their attitudes towards gays and lesbians. Analyzing the various theological expressions within black religious traditions will help in
understanding the political positions African Americans have taken over the past three decades.
A number of issues intersect when discussing homosexuality and the Black Church, such as
civil and human rights, male chauvinism, liberation theology, womanism, fundamentalism, separation of church and state, and the priestly and prophetic functions of religious leaders and their
institutions. This talk and ensuing discussion will touch on these traditions and challenges, which persist to this
day. Ultimately, it will recommend steps both to preserve the rich heritage of the black religious experience and to forge
genuinely inclusive communities—religious and otherwise.
**Programs are presented in Will Hall at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 2410 Melrose Drive in Cedar Falls and begin at
7:00 p.m.
Human Rights Commission
Friday, February 17
8:00-3:00 p.m.
Cedar Falls/Waterloo efforts to address alleged discrimination issues facing our community
will be discussed on February 17. On our website, you will find a number of proven programs,
activities, and practical applications that have worked to increase the awareness of Waterloo
citizens. Many efforts have been made to recognize our emerging diversity as a positive community asset. Suggestions, questions, or ideas that could help improve the quality of life for all
Waterloo citizens are welcome. Keynote speaker for the event is Robert A. Franklin, PhD., Director, Media Operations, KVNO-FM, UNO-TV; Assistant Professor, School of Communication.
The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. with breakfast and registration with the program beginning
at 9:00 a.m. and lasting until 3:00 p.m. The registration fee is $30.00.
Please visit http://www.ci.waterloo.ia.us/humanrights for more information.
Does it matter what type of relationship you’re in when
celebrating Valentine’s Day?
**Articles due by January 30, 2012. Email to Kailee Becker, kaileeb@uni.edu, or Camelia
Rubalcada, rubalcac@uni.edu. Please visit the CME website for more information.
Voices Newsletter
Page 5
Trivia:
Find the number of times the
term “holiday” was used
throughout the
December Newsletter!
First one to answer correctly wins a
snickers bar!
Competition:
Who said this: “Injustice
anywhere is a threat to
justice everywhere?”
First one to answer correctly wins
a snickers bar!
**Answers due by January 30, 2012. Email to Kailee Becker, kaileeb@uni.edu, or Camelia Rubalcada, rubalcac@uni.edu or answer on the CME Facebook page.
Center for Multicultural Education
109 Maucker Union
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613-0165
Phone: 319-273-2250
Email: cme@uni.edu
Website: www.uni.edu/cme
Our Mission
We foster success in racial and ethnic minority students,
contribute to the cultural competence of all students, and
promote an appreciation of diversity in the University Community.
Editor-in-chief: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell
Co-editor: Kailee Becker
Co-editor: Camelia Rubalcada
Contributors: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell
We are also on Facebook and Twitter! Find Us!
Voices Newsletter
Page 6
Don’t forget to stop by the
CME and pick up your copy
of the Spring 2012 calendar!