CONVERSATIONS WITH SHEILA Hello everyone. Welcome back. I just

want to remind everyone that each

year, Luther College hosts an annual

Black History Conference. This year’s

conference is titled Playing in the

Dark: Performing Black Expressive

Cultures. This theme is taken from

Toni Morrison’s book titled Playing in

the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary

Imagination. In this book, Morrison

explores how literary criticism in the

United States has concealed its racial

politics.

The conference focuses on black

expressive culture including visual arts,

performing arts, fighting (martial) arts,

religion as a performative art, jazz and

dance. We will explore all of this from

the American South to urban

communities and from the USA to

Central Africa to Brazil. The

conference will be held on Thursday,

Feb. 25 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The conference schedule is posted

around campus so you can plan to join

us as your time permits.

If you are a student, staff or faculty

member at Luther, the conference is

free. You can attend all of the sessions

or plan to attend the ones you’re most

interested in.

If you like art, plan to attend the art

exhibit in the CFL Gallery featuring

the works of Robert Porter, the late

husband of Emma Porter, a member of

the Luther Board of Regents. Or join

us Thursday from 6:15 to 7:30 in the

CFL for a Gallery Tour of Mr. Porter’s

works given my Mrs. Porter.

If you like Jazz, make plans to attend

the Jazz Orchestra Tribute to August

Wilson, in the CFL beginning at 2:20

p.m. This tribute honors the renowned

and award-winning playwright, August

Wilson. Mr. Wilson grew up in the Hill

district of Pittsburgh and used his child-

hood experiences to inspire award-

winning plays including a 20th Century

cycle, 10-play series that chronicles each

decade of the black experience.

Go on line and register, if you want to

attend this year’s new addition to the

conference. There are two master

classes in black martial arts and a scene

study. These classes/scene study are

taught by martial arts masters, a capoeira

master, and the premier director and

founder of Penumbra Theatre, Lou

Bellamy. The scene study is from

Wilson’s play Piano Lesson. Register

on-line at http://www.luther.edu/

blackhistoryconfer/.

At 4:30 p.m, Dr. Sandra Shannon,

professor of African American literature

and drama at Howard University and an

authority on August Wilson will present.

You can also join us in the CFL at 7:30

p.m. for the lecture presented by T.J.

Desch-Obi, an historian and a martial

arts master.

You can also attend the conference

luncheon. All you need to do is bring

your Luther ID and you can hear two

stimulating presentations from Jay

Williams, a Ph.D. candidate from the

University of Chicago and Richard

Breaux, a professor in Ethnic Studies at

Colorado State University. Other

conference presentations include

“African-American Narratives of

Resistance,” presented by Thomas A.

Green, Jr., Ph.D., Owen Mordant, Ph.D.,

and Paul A. Williams, Ph.D. From Texas

A&M, and the University of Nebraska at

Omaha, respectively.

February 2010 Volume 8, Issue 5

Synergy L ut he r Co ll eg e D IVE R SI T Y CE NT ER PUBLICATION OF LUTHER DIVERSITY CENTER

THE VOICE,VISIBILITY AND LEADERSHIP FOR DIVERSITY

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns or

would like more information about the

events listed in Synergy contact the

Luther College Diversity Center at:

diversity@luther.edu

563-387-1014

In efforts to reduce our carbon

footprint, the Synergy is now an

e-newsletter. To start receiving your

subscription in an email, please

contact the Editor at:

diversity@luther.edu

Inside This Issue

Interfaith Youth Core

fellowship alliance

2

Upcoming Events 2

Employment opportunities 3

Black History Month 3

Gospel Sunday 3

International Corner 3

BSU Talent show 4

Upcoming Birthdays 4

Quotable Minds 4

The conference chapel features our

own Guy Nave, Ph.D., and the Luther

Gospel Choir. Richard Merritt,

Associate Professor of Art will join

other colleagues to open the

conference. Join us for this exciting

event.

Volume 8, Issue 4

FEBRUARY

9th Tax Workshop

5:30 PM, Main 113

12th Can We Talk

12:00 PM, Nansen

15th Ski Trip

4:00 PM, Mt. La Cross

17th Tax Workshop

7:30 PM, Main 113

21st Gospel Sunday* 10:30 AM, CFL

23rd

Tax Workshop 4:00 PM, Main 113

25th

Midwest Regional Black History Conference*

CFL Recital Hall

27th BSU Talent Show*

7:00 PM, CFL

*Open to the campus and wider community

Page 2

Interfaith Youth Core Fellowship Alliance

The Interfaith Youth Core is accepting applications for the Fellows Alliance, a year-long paid fellowship program open to current undergraduates who are committed to organizing inter-faith activities and making interfaith cooperation a social norm on their campus. IFYC provides mentorship, a stipend, skill-based trainings, a network of peer colleagues, an alumni network, access to a national network of interfaith organizers and partner organizations, and professional development opportunities

IFYC welcomes current Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors from all majors and religious and philosophical traditions to apply. The ideal candidate has had prior experience with service-learning, has played a leadership role in a campus club or campaign, and has a passion for building a movement on campus. "Too often the nightly news is flooded with images of young people killing themselves and others to the soundtrack of prayer. At IFYC we are cultivating a generation of interfaith leaders who are inspired by their own religious and philosophical beliefs to fight for justice in their communities and build bridges across faith traditions." - Dr. Eboo Patel, Founder & Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Core

Application Deadline is March 15, 2010

Apply Early! Finalists will be interviewed on a rolling basis.

Questions about recruitment? Contact the Fellows Alliance Recruitment Chairs Jason and Sayira by email at FArecruit-

ment@ifyc.org or by phone at 312-376-4751.

Volume 8, Issue 4

The remembrance was originated in 1926 by

historian Carter G. Woodson as "Negro History

Week". Woodson chose the second week of

February because it marked the birthdays of two

Americans who greatly influenced the lives and

social condition of African Americans: former

President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and

former slave Frederick Douglass.

When the tradition of Black History Month was

started in the US, many in mainstream academia

had barely begun to explore black history. At

that point, most representation of blacks in

history books was only in reference to the low

social position they held as slaves and

descendants of slaves. Infrequent exceptions to

this were references to individuals such as

George Washington Carver. W.E.B. DuBois' 1935

work "Black Reconstruction" was one of the

earliest works in history that pointed to black

contributions to US history

.

2009 marked another important milestone in

Black History, the election of the first African-

American president of the USA. As we celebrate

these improvements, we must not forget that our

work is far from complete. Let ’s work together

in the advancement of Black people in the world!

Happy Black History Month!

Page 3

Black History Month

Gospel Sunday 2010

This year, Luther College will celebrate Gospel

Sunday on February 21st. The 10:30 a.m.

worship service will feature music by the Luther

College Gospel Choir and a sermon delivered by

Rev. Samuel Hale of Zion Baptist Church,

Springfield, IL. Please join us for the celebration

of Gospel.

Welcome back everyone, from all parts of the

world and the U.S. where you’ve spent your J-terms

perhaps and breaks. Please join the Diversity

Center in welcoming four new international

students:

Lin Hengyu – China

Kendal van der Poest Clement – New Zealand

Tsering Youkey – Tibet/India

Zhou Weihang – China

We’re so happy you’re here!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Can We Talk? – An informal meeting of students

and Marty Steele from the Counseling Center, on

Fridays – free soup and sandwich provided for

lunch, but you must sign up in the Diversity Center,

for a fun new program! Starts Feb. 12th, 12:00-1:30

pm

Ethnic Arts Planning – Tuesday, Feb. 9th-Nansen

Room, second floor Union at 7:00 pm. We Need

YOU!

Internship Workshop – Wed. Feb. 10th - Bunche

Room next to LDC – come learn about the

difference between CPT and OPT, legal work

options for international students

Tax Workshops – All are in Main 113 – bring

passport, I-20, a pen, any W-2s you might have

from other employers, and a patient attitude.

(new students for spring 2009 – you don’t need

to come)

Times and Dates – Tues. Feb. 9 – 5:30 pm

Wed. Feb. 17 – 7:30 pm

Tues. Feb. 23 – 4:00 pm

SIGN UP IN THE DIVERSITY CENTER

INTERNATIONAL CORNER

Page 3

Volume 8, Issue 4

Page 4

FEBRUARY

1st…..Katherine McDonald

2nd….Taylor Owens

3rd…..Rewant Lokesh Kendal van der Poest Clement

4th……Nicholas Johnson

8th…...Opeoluwa Matthews

Xiao Xie

9th……Aya Hozumi

10th…..Sauhadra Bhattarai

Zach Razo

11th…...Ufra Mir

13th…..Hannah Han

14th….Val Andrew Fano

Steve Yang

Saul Rosales

18th…….Xi Nan

19th…...Tyler Hagy

21st…...Deborah Mukaz

25………Daesun Hwang

27th…..Bianca Najera

Happy Birthday!

QUOTABLE MINDS

“Now is the accepted time, not

tomorrow, not some more

convenient season. It is today

that our best work can be done

and not some future day or

future year. It is today that we

fit ourselves for the greater

usefulness of tomorrow.

Today is the seed time, now are

the hours of work,

and tomorrow

comes the harvest

and the playtime.”

W.E.B Du Bois