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October 25, 2002
Sonia
Sanchez to Speak at Black Alumnae Conference
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Sonia
Sanchez
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With
a lineup of spirited workshops, a keynote address from world-famous
author Sonia Sanchez, live entertainment, and even a 4 am dance
party, the eleventh Black Alumnae Conference (BAC) at Mount Holyoke,
November 1–3, promises ample opportunity for black alumnae
and current students to meet, learn, network, and celebrate together.
Conference organizers expect 150 or more participants this year.
Sponsored by the Alumnae
Association and the BAC student board, the Black Alumnae Conference
is a triennial event that welcomes black alumnae back to the College
to convene and build networks with one another and with current
students.
This year's conference
highlights include a Friday evening kickoff with a festive social
gathering of alumnae and current Mount Holyoke students. Saturday's
program is packed with presentations—by the Alumnae Association
and by President Joanne V. Creighton—and a selection of workshops
led by Mount Holyoke alumnae, tackling subjects from "AIDS
and the Black Woman" to "Investing in Our Womanhood,"
and the "Black Experience at MHC."
The public is invited
to join conference participants for the BAC's Saturday evening
extravaganza, which will begin with a dinner of Caribbean and
soul food, followed by the keynote address delivered by Sonia
Sanchez, and a full evening of cultural programming showcasing
talent from the Five College area with dancing, singing, poetry
readings, and more. A dance party begins at 4 am at the Betty
Shabazz Cultural Center.
Following a "power
breakfast" on Sunday morning, the BAC committee will speak
to conference participants about the Big Sister/Little Sister
Initiative, a networking, mentoring, and guidance program offered
to current MHC students. Closing remarks will be delivered by
BAC 2002 cochairs Akua S. Soadwa '03 and Noluthando Vithi
'03.
Along with the Alumnae Association and the BAC committee, cochairs
Vithi and Soadwa have worked hard over the past year and a half
to make the conference a success. Now that it is just around the
corner, the cochairs say they are looking forward to "seeing
everything come together."
About Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez earned
a B.A. in political science from Hunter College in 1955. She subsequently
formed a writers workshop in Greenwich Village, attended by such
poets as Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Haki R. Madhubuti (Don L.
Lee), and Larry Neal. Along with Madhubuti, Nikki Giovanni, and
Etheridge Knight, she founded the Broadside Quartet of young poets,
introduced and promoted by Dudley Randall. Sanchez began teaching
in the San Francisco area in 1965 and was a pioneer in developing
black studies courses at what is now San Francisco State University.
The author of more than a dozen books of poetry, seven plays,
and several children's books, Sanchez's many honors
and awards include a National Endowment for the Arts Award and
a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Sanchez was the first Presidential
Fellow at Temple University, where she began teaching in 1977,
and held the Laura Carnell Chair in English there until her retirement
in 1999. She lives in Philadelphia.
Sonia Sanchez's
appearance is cosponsored by the Office of the President as part
of the Mary Lyon lecture series. For additional information on
the 2002 Black Alumnae Conference, contact Maya D'Costa at
x2066 or dcosta@mtholyoke.edu
or visit www.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu.
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