Robeson Week April 4th – 8th, 2022
#IAMRobeson
Typically held during the week of Paul Robeson’s birthday. Robeson week is a week of celebration events that honor the life and legacy of our namesake, Paul Robeson’s significant contributions to dismantling racism locally and abroad. Paul Robeson was an artist, human-rights activist and Class of 1919 Rutgers alumnus. Robeson Week consist of programs sponsored by the PRCC, Academic Departments, and other community partners.
Happy Birthday Paul Robeson
April 5th: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Paul Robeson Cultural Center
Overview
A passive pre-birthday celebration to commemorate 124 years of Paul Robeson’s life and legacy. This event will feature artwork of Paul Robeson, a student piano player, and light refreshments. The event will also debut this year’s Inspired by Robeson Student Art Gallery. Launched in 2021 with the Paul Robeson LLC Community Ambassador Program, the Inspired by Robeson Art Gallery features student created art projects centered on a selected quote by Paul Robeson.
Creating a Beloved Community for Immigrant Students at Rutgers
April 8th: 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, Room 101
Overview
This program focuses on understanding the experiences of the very diverse group of immigrant students at Rutgers. The program integrates research on immigrant students’ journeys to higher education, a panel of immigrant students’ own experiences of coming to and being at Rutgers, and insights from the heads of Rutgers Cultural Centers about the contributions and needs of immigrant students. The program enhances our understanding of how integral Rutgers’ large immigrant student population is to creating a “beloved community” at Rutgers. Building on their rich cultural and linguistic diversity, they bring “funds of knowledge” to Rutgers about living in a diverse state and university community. This program will raise awareness of the potential contributions of immigrant students to building a “beloved community” at Rutgers and identify programs and strategies to enhance the experiences of immigrant students at Rutgers. Attendees can enjoy cultural food at the conclusion of the event.
Schedule
- Welcoming Remarks: Ji Lee, Executive Director, Intercultural Engagement & Inclusion Initiatives, Rutgers University – Division of Student Affairs and others
- Overview of A Study on Immigrant Students at Rutgers: Peter Guarnaccia, Professor, Department of Human Ecology and Institute for Health, Rutgers University
- Immigrant Student Panel Discussion: students affiliated with the Cultural Centers; Carlos Fernandez, moderator
- Cultural Center Directors Panel Discussion: Carlos Fernandez, Director, Center for Latino Arts & Culture; Jacob Chacko, Director, Asian American Cultural Center; Jakora Thompson, Director, Paul Robeson Cultural Center; Peter Guarnaccia, moderator
- Group Discussion/Brainstorm: Where do we go from here? Ji Lee, Facilitator
Funded by a grant from The Beloved Community Grants Program of the Committee to Advance Our Common Purposes
Co-Sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Center for Latino Arts & Culture, Asian American Cultural Center, Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Department of Human Ecology
Robeson Week Virtual Art Gallery
The Paul Robeson Living-Learning Community Ambassador Program with the Paul Robeson Cultural Center present the Inspired by Robeson Virtual Art Gallery. The students have worked throughout the academic year to explore the legacy of Robeson through the themes of scholarship, heritage, and service. Throughout the year they have discussed topics including systemic racism, prejudice and inequality, faith and tradition and how they impact, influence, and engage students from the African diaspora today.
Virtual Robeson Week Art Exhibition
Students drew inspiration from the Robeson quote "Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s radical voice.”
Artist: Burrell Smithen
Title: Speak
Description: Paul Robeson’s life centered around sharing his voice and talent to interconnect people. Despite attempts at being silenced, Robeson worked to further civil rights internationally, and was beloved by the world. In “Speak” I hope to highlight the powerful potential our voices have in creating a better world.
Artist: Eka Tawe
Title: This Is America- Drum Cover
Description: I have been playing the drums for almost 6 years now and it is just my passion. Recently, I have been getting into playing more black artists and their music because it moves people in amazing ways. This song has been so important for so many years now because it causes conversation and makes people think, so I felt motivated to cover it for this gallery. Enjoy! ?
Artist: Atiya Reign, Jackson
Title: The Voice of Change
Description: An artist has the power to express their opinions through their art. An artist must use this opportunity to bring societal and global issues to the forefront. As an artist, you must use your talents to promote change in the world and inspire others to do the same.
Artist: Kayla McKinnon
Title: Pieces of Souls
Description: In the poem, Pieces of Souls, it describes the different types of artwork that artists express themselves through. Many artists express themselves in distinct ways throughout history. Artists express their identity, cultures, and stories through their work. The artist’s voice is within their craft and this poem is meant to highlight the beauty of the truth that speaks through the artwork.
Artist: Jenika Scott
Title: Racismo
Description: This is a Poem about Racism and police brutality that affects afro Americans, Latinos and Caribbean people within the U.S.
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Artist: Hanna Hammoud
Title: The Melody of Paul Robeson
Description: I wanted to create a piece that represented the explicit beauty of Paul Robeson’s musical talent while implicitly representing how he incorporated his talent into his political activism of global citizenship. In choosing to create a painting, I decided to use distinct colors, as there are only five shades of purple used in this painting, one of which is the primary purple shade, and the rest are hues of this purple. The five different hues of a single color represent how Robeson often used the pentatonic scale of music to describe his artistic performances and political aspirations. In the corners of my painting, I decided to include depictions of sheet music from one of Paul Robeson’s most popular tunes, Ol’ Man River, which also represents his love for sharing his musical talent and the political undertones that accentuated his art. As an influential musical artist and a revolutionary political activist for globalism, Paul Robeson will forever be a hero for those aspiring to the same hopes as Robeson across the world.
