UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 19, Page 4
February 9, 1995
UPLIFT:African consciousness fest to begin Feb. 10

     UPLIFT: The Resurrection of a Nation" is the theme of the
University's 1995 African Consciousness Celebration (ACC), which will
be celebrated in a series of events on the campus from Feb. 10-March
12.
     The celebration opens with a reception from 5:30-6:30 p.m.,
Friday, Feb. 10, in the Bacchus Theatre of the Perkins Student Center.
The reception will be followed by an official welcome to the
celebration and a free public performance of An Afro-American Journey,
presented by the Stuart Sisters.
     Other events planned for the celebration include "Healing Our
Nation Through AIDS Education," a workshop to be presented Wednesday,
Feb. 15, by Terre Griffin-Price of HEAL in Virginia; an evening with
the incomparable sounds of Rachelle Farrell, with special guest Miles
Jay, on Saturday, Feb. 25; a talk by Jawanzaa Kunjufu, president of
African American Images and author of several books, on Wednesday,
March 1; and a reception for the University's Black Students of
Promise on Sunday, March 12.
     The Stuart Sisters are the founders and directors of the Spring
School of the Arts, a nonprofit school for children ages l8 months to
6 years that aims to prepare them for successful life experiences
through use of creative abilities.
     Their Afro-American Journey travels through ancient times to tell
of the contributions and influences of African kings and queens on the
rest of the world. The story also includes the slave experience in
America and concludes with the struggles and triumphs of contemporary
African Americans.
     The hour-long performance involves six costume changes, audience
participation and surprise entrances and exits. There is no
intermission.
     The Feb. 15 AIDS lecture, also free and open to the public, will
be held in the Kirkwood Room of the Perkins Student Center. The talk
will go beyond theories, myths and routes of transmission of the virus
that causes AIDS to examine behavioral culture, economic factors and
the need for responsible decision making. Co-sponsor of the event is
the Kappa Alpha Psi organization.
     The Feb. 25 concert at 8 p.m. in Mitchell Hall featuring Farrell
will showcase her extraordinary talent as a seasoned singer/song
writer and musician who has composed more than 200 songs since 1976.
The program will include her hits "I'm Special," "Welcome To My Love,"
"Nothing Ever Felt Like This" and "With Open Arms." Tickets for this
concert go on sale Friday, Feb. 10, at the Perkins Student Center and
Bob Carpenter Center box offices in Newark and at Haneef's Bookstore
on Orange Street in Wilmington. Cost is $20 for the general public and
$15 for UD students with ID, or $25 at the door.
     The March 1 free, public lecture, with the same title as the
celebration, "Uplift: The Resurrection of a Nation," will begin at 7
p.m. in Room 130 of Smith Hall.
     All events in the African Consciousness Celebration are sponsored
by the University's Center for Black Culture, the Cultural Programming
Advisory Board, the Office of Affirmative Action and Multicultural
Programs and the Black American Studies Program. For more information,
call 831-2991.