Newsletter February 2018

Our 36th Anniversary of Expressions of King’s Legacy was a raving success with moments of reflection and inspirational performances by spoken word poet Reenah Golden and Danielle Ponder, lead singer of Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People. Our keynote speaker Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Professor of African American Studies at Morehouse College infused the audience with galvanizing messages on social justice. He also led the audience in singing the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Dr. Hill also shared numerous examples on how we can honor Dr.

Brenda Lee is a distinguished professional with an impressive trajectory as a medical educator and medical school administrator who was recently appointed as the 2018 Frederick H. Minett Professor at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Congratulations to Kate Torrey on her promotion to Director for McNair and Campus Coordinator for LSAMP programs. Previously, Kate was the Assistant Director for LSAMP and McNair Scholars. She has been instrumental in connecting and advising undergraduate students throughout their academic experience at RIT, since joining the McNair Scholars program in 2012.

The Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commemoration Committee invited the RIT Big Shot Team to celebrate the 200^th birthday of Frederick Douglass through a participatory community based art project on February 14^th at 6:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Bowl in Rochester.

On February 28th in the Allen Chapel at 6:00 p.m. there will be a screening of “Teach Us All” a documentary film and social justice movement aimed at providing equal access to quality education for all students in America. This documentary film offers a historical perspective while honoring the courage demonstrated by the Little Rock Nine in the midst of desegregating schools in Arkansas in 1957. Their stories and experiences may be thought of as history, but hyper segregation is a harsh reality that still plagues students in schools across the United States.

Diversity, audism, inclusion, and sexual harassment form the core issues in “Agency,” an original play by Ray Luczak, the highly regarded Deaf playwright. Peeking into the workings of a Deaf run advertising agency as they’re in the process of hiring two new, young interns.

The arts are a unique and engaging way of communicating stories and key messages. Music, theater, and the visual arts can hone in on emotions—revealing aspects of life that resonate with or enlighten the viewer or listener.