Under the baobab: Bright spots, good news to be found amid difficult times

“When people have been roughed up it is essential that the wrongs they have suffered be acknowledged.” – Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Sisters and brothers, for many of us it continues to be a rough time. The tragic collapse of our nationally ranked Penn State football team and the struggles of the NCAA Champion women’s volleyball team indicate that we are stuck in a general malaise. But, there is good news around us.

The administration may have finally found a way to a desperately needed ceasefire in the Israeli-Palestinian war. The hostages have been released. Some relief is finding its way to the people of Gaza.

There’s also good news around town, too. Coordinating with Philadelphia’s WHYY, the Penn State board of trustees may have worked out a way to keep WPSU alive.

There was a picnic at Tudek Memorial Park to celebrate National Coming Out Day. And the Center for the Performing Arts and Penn State Student Affairs celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day with the Feast Edition of Joyful, Savor the Culture to a packed house at the HUB. The second edition, Soles of Duende, will be at the HUB on Nov. 4.

CPA, Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Indigenous Peoples faculty/staff and student associations, Filipino Student Association, and Ram Squad celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day with performances by Angela Gladue/Miss Chief Rocka, Filipino Student Dancers and storyteller Perry Ground in the HUB.

The magic of cinema returns to central Pennsylvania this fall as the Centre Film Festival celebrates its seventh season, running Nov. 10-16. Audiences can look forward to a week of screenings, panels and special events across beloved venues including The State Theatre, UEC Theatre 12, the Rowland Theatre, and a new partner space: the Palmer Museum of Art, which will debut an immersive VR program.

Last Wednesday, Penn State and the State College Borough hosted Dignity Day as part of the international celebration of Global Dignity Day. The event, held at the Hinz Family Alumni Center, was sponsored by Rock Ethics Institute, Harnisch Foundation, PSU Student Affairs and Educational Equity, facilitated by Chiluvya Zulu, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for the Borough of State College.

The day began with welcome addresses by State College Mayor Ezra Nanes and Dr. Seria Chatters, interim vice provost for educational equity. This was followed by a fireside chat and audience discussion between Dr. Donna Hicks, an associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and a leading expert on the role of dignity in conflict resolution, and Karen Armstrong, the director of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity at Penn State Outreach. Keynote speaker Alicia Burke and Madeleine Jones from the Dignity Index led a workshop, “The Power of Dignity for Life and Leadership,” an inspiring, interactive, and game-changing conversation about how The Dignity Index works. It is an eight-point scale for measuring how we talk to each other when we disagree. It is an essential skill we must learn if we are to rebuild communication at the foundation of our democracy.

This year for the first time the conference convenors offered Legacy of Dignity Awards to members of the community. I was honored to be one of the recipients. In my eighth decade it is a blessing to receive flowers on this side of the earth.

And the resistance continues. On Saturday, Oct. 18, the second “No Kings” protest will be held in thousands of cities and towns across the country, including on Old Main Lawn from noon-2 p.m. Organizers believe this will be the largest protest of its kind ever. Thompson Tuesdays are still held in front of Congressman Thompson’s Bellefonte office from 5-6 p.m. “Candles for Peace” happens at the Allen Street Gate on Mondays from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 is municipal election day. Your vote is your voice. Sisters and brothers, we are the people, let’s sing our songs of freedom, together.

Charles Dumas is a lifelong political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. Congress in 2012. He is a Lions Paw honoree. He lives in State College with his wife and partner of over 50 years.