2008 Woodie Awards
GSC honors African Americans with events
924162433@gsc.edu
Bianca Bruno
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Campus Life
Gainesville State College celebrated Black History Month in a big way this year with a number of events ranging from a banquet of soul food to The Great African American History Debate.
Black History month was kick started with a Mardi Gras-themed party held by the Black Student Association, the Latino Student Association and the International Student Association. The social mixer showed students and other attendees that Mardi Gras and Carnival have roots in the African American society.
Andrew Santander, Music Area Department head, directed a jazz performance on Feb. 13 in the student center. The jazz band and jazz combo performed a wide range selections made popular by African American musicians including Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.
"The history of jazz is intimately wound up and is in a very real way the story of the African American experience in the twentieth century," said Santander.
The Black Student Association sponsored A Day of Soul Food in the GSC Student Center on Feb. 18. The smorgasbord featured fried chicken, rolls, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, fried cabbage, peanut butter cake and red velvet cake. All the food was prepared at home by BSA students. Wittney Pruitt, an Early Childhood Education major, prepared homemade rolls and macaroni and cheese. She learned the home style recipes from her grandmother.
"Our food has soul. It's from down south and comes from the heart," Pruitt said about entertaining with soul food.
A Taste of Soul Food is in its fifth year thanks to Andre Cheek, International Services coordinator.
"Food is an important part of the culture. It tells who they are and where they come from," said Cheek.
More than 100 people attended the event, including students and community members.
Feb. 22 was the day-long conference of the African American Male Initiative. The conference was held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and invited all African American males to attend to challenge themselves through awareness, motivation and action.
Sessions were held throughout the day with guest speakers including Elgin Rhodes, event marketer, Atlanta Falcons; Said Sewell, director, Center for African American Males; and Bob Jackson of the NAACP.
Sessions were facilitated by different guests and included open forums of speech and strategies to influence success.
Among these events a Tuskegee Airman came to GSC Thursday, Feb. 21 to talk to students about the film The Tuskegee Airmen.
Former GSC student and BSA member, Channing Moss, spoke to students on Feb. 27 about his near-death experience in Afghanistan. Moss' speech was titled "Surviving the Pain and Wounds."
The BSA held "A Night of Love Poetry, Jazz and Movie," on Feb 15 that highlighted jazz flutist Galen Razzaq from Washington, DC. They showed the film Paris, I Love You and students participated in a poetry session.
Black History month was kick started with a Mardi Gras-themed party held by the Black Student Association, the Latino Student Association and the International Student Association. The social mixer showed students and other attendees that Mardi Gras and Carnival have roots in the African American society.
Andrew Santander, Music Area Department head, directed a jazz performance on Feb. 13 in the student center. The jazz band and jazz combo performed a wide range selections made popular by African American musicians including Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk.
"The history of jazz is intimately wound up and is in a very real way the story of the African American experience in the twentieth century," said Santander.
The Black Student Association sponsored A Day of Soul Food in the GSC Student Center on Feb. 18. The smorgasbord featured fried chicken, rolls, macaroni and cheese, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, fried cabbage, peanut butter cake and red velvet cake. All the food was prepared at home by BSA students. Wittney Pruitt, an Early Childhood Education major, prepared homemade rolls and macaroni and cheese. She learned the home style recipes from her grandmother.
"Our food has soul. It's from down south and comes from the heart," Pruitt said about entertaining with soul food.
A Taste of Soul Food is in its fifth year thanks to Andre Cheek, International Services coordinator.
"Food is an important part of the culture. It tells who they are and where they come from," said Cheek.
More than 100 people attended the event, including students and community members.
Feb. 22 was the day-long conference of the African American Male Initiative. The conference was held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and invited all African American males to attend to challenge themselves through awareness, motivation and action.
Sessions were held throughout the day with guest speakers including Elgin Rhodes, event marketer, Atlanta Falcons; Said Sewell, director, Center for African American Males; and Bob Jackson of the NAACP.
Sessions were facilitated by different guests and included open forums of speech and strategies to influence success.
Among these events a Tuskegee Airman came to GSC Thursday, Feb. 21 to talk to students about the film The Tuskegee Airmen.
Former GSC student and BSA member, Channing Moss, spoke to students on Feb. 27 about his near-death experience in Afghanistan. Moss' speech was titled "Surviving the Pain and Wounds."
The BSA held "A Night of Love Poetry, Jazz and Movie," on Feb 15 that highlighted jazz flutist Galen Razzaq from Washington, DC. They showed the film Paris, I Love You and students participated in a poetry session.
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