Under the baobab: Achievements, new faces and happenings around Happy Valley
Congratulations to our State College neighbor, Delroy Lindo, for his Academy Award nomination as best supporting actor in the blockbuster film, “Sinners.” He and I go back to being co-featured in “District Line,” an ‘80s production of the Negro Ensemble Company.
Known for his outstanding work in Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn” and “Malcolm X,” he was interviewed this fall at the Downtown Theatre by Dean B. Stephen Carpenter II of the College of Arts and Architecture.
Congrats are also due to Ader Deng from South Sudan and Zara Amos from Ghana, who were crowned Mr. and Miss Africa at the African Students Association 13th annual pageant in Heritage Hall. Mercy Adetoyese, ASA president, said the pageant, “served as way of showing Penn State students, especially those from minority groups, that there is a supportive community for them on campus.”
Congrats and welcome to Joseph Merrill, our new chief of police in the Borough of State College. He was the former police chief in Altoona. Merrill is 2005 PSU alum and graduate of State College Area High. Goodbye and Godspeed to Chief John Gardner, a good public servant and a friend of our community.
Around town
Leslie Laing hosted “Poetry, Prose and Performance, A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King” at the HUB, featuring Georjanne Rosa, Terry Watson, Jamie Campbell, Samrat Sharma, Destiny Jean- Paul, and State College Poet Laureate Carmin Wong.
Penn State School of Theater artist-in-residence Rasa Drane will present her musical, “Whew Chile! Black Women Working” on the Penn State Downtown Theater Stage at 7 p.m. on Jan. 31.
The Schreyer Honors College sponsored “Dilemmas of Democracy: A Conversation with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe” to a packed house at the Recital Hall. Rascoe talked about how her role as a White House correspondent and host of Weekend Edition has impacted her understanding of democracy and politics. She autographed copies of her new book, “HBCU Made: A Celebration of the Black College Experience.”
The PSU College Republicans hosted its third annual Pennsylvania Collegiate Leadership Conference in the HUB-Robeson Center. Hunter Steach, VP of PSUCR, said the goals of the conference were to “create a safe place for those with conservative and liberal ideologies alike to attend.” Speakers included: U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania Auditor General Tim Defoor, state Sen. Cris Dush and more.
The Borough of State College, AAUW and Community Diversity Group will sponsor a National Day of Healing discussion/luncheon, “Race and Identity: Fostering Healing in Our Communities,” on Tuesday, Feb. 3 between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Municipal Building.
The resistance continues. Central Pennsylvania United (CPAU) wrote, “Following the murder of Renee Good, Minnesota has been under siege by ICE.” CPAU held a “Solidarity with Minnesota” vigil at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Centre County and asked for postcards to be sent in support to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara. A nationwide general solidarity strike has spread to at least 80 cities.
Candles for Peace gather at the Allen Street Gate on Monday from 5-5:30 p.m. Protesters gather on “Thompson Tuesdays” at Congressman Thompson’s Bellefonte office at noon.
At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the oxygen was sucked out of the room by the discussion of the “possible” armed annexation of Greenland by the USA, while the ongoing wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and Iran were barely mentioned in the U.S. press. Highlighting outlandish agendas distracts the public gaze. It has been a while since I taught Constitutional law, but my recollection is declaring war is solely within the power and authority of the Congress, the elected representatives of We, the people.
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.